Julian Huber is on a good way to produce the best Chardonnay in Germany. The oak is beautifully integrated as this often is a problem with Chards from Germany but not here. A bit more fruit than the Bienenberg. Lovely tension.
Surely one of Germanys best Chardonnays even Julian Huber told me that this is only the beginning. He wants to reduce the fruit and integrate the oak more & more. His 2014 is at the moment characterized by the reduction like so many great Chards from Burgundies best producers (Coche, Roulot) do. Super mineral driven, high but ripe acidity. An absolute stunning showing.
Still very young with a ton of dark fruit (blackberry, black currant, blueberry) mixed with soft, polished tannins and a medium+ to full body. The lively acidity keeps everything in balance. It will be really interesting to see how this wine develops in the future. I need to try a older Reihburg soon.
First vintage of this wine, Uwe Schiefer made out of a parcel which is directly beside the one from Roland Velich (Moric). A different Schiefer. Much leaner & withy with a hint more precision than the Reihburg imo. The fruit is withdrawn, lots of herbs & earth notes. Tons of potential under the surface, so give it the time it needs. A totally impressive Debut.
One of Roland Velichs top single vineyard wines. The 2013 shows so much potential under the surface. Red & black fruit paired with tons of herbs, soil and mineral notes. Nearly perfect example of elegant power. Velich said he always is looking for the Balance in the wines. Give it 5-10 years.
Gracefully aged Blaufränkisch from Hungarian earth. Wonderful nose with dried red berries, underbrush, licorice and red currant. Still a lovely acidity, soft fully integrated tannins. The Barrique maturation is not noticeable. Franz Weninger is now slowly reducing the oak treatment in all his wines. Mainly using big, used old casks. Can't wait till the now actual wines are in the age window of this Steiner. The 2013 Steiner from slate soil is also a stunner.
So much depth in fruit (mainly dark), soft tannins, very "full" mouthfeel but not in a jammy way. It comes from the clay subsoil of the Dürrau. Give it 10 years and it will really sing. High potential.
Still so fresh & youthful. Quince, dried apricots and a hint of honey. Lively acidity, medium body with a lot of depth. Long finish. Can age easily for another 20-30 years imo. Bottles was straight from the cellar of the property.
Normally I´m absolutely no fan of Bordeaux but Pontet-Canet did an amazing job in 2012. So much freshness, tension and fruit remaining the elegance. Tannins are wonderful polished & fine. Truly a wonderful showing.
What a monster of wine. So much tannins, fruit and acidity. Of course it is well balanced but it easily needs another 20 years to come in a "drinking window". Very powerful and I´m missing a bit the freshness the 2012 has. Potential trough the roof. But worth 100 Points? I´m not really sure.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
My first ever DRC. Always a special feeling I guess. This Echezeaux seems a bit harsh showing a bit too much of the new oak. Appeals darker on the nose than the St. Vivant. Lots of wild berries, high acidity, nice structure. No doubt a very good wine but I think it needs more time to get together.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
After the Echezeaux was just a bit disappointing this St. Vivant stole the show. Lots of red fruit (which I totally love), plums, a hint of cinnamon on the nose. Super, super fine with so much grace & elegance I´ve hardly seen in any wine I have tasted. Good length and again. An amazing acidity. One of the key facts for red wine imo. Maybe it is not made to live forever but in the next 20 years this wine will deliver an enormous pleasure.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Of course the development of this wine compared to his two much younger brothers is on another level. Lovely melange of orange zest, underbrush, gentle red fruit and a hint of black pepper. On the palate this La Tache has a super elegant drive and a long finish.
I had this vintage of Francia some years ago and I wasn't satisfied with the wine. Now it slowly opens up, showing more fresh fruit aromas, tar and some floral notes. Lively acidity, nice fruit and polished tannins on the palate. Give it one more decade and this Francia will turn into a real beauty.
You don't need to talk to much about legends. A pure, elegant simultaneously super powerful, expressive, complex interpretation of the Nebbiolo grape. Dried red berries, tar, rose petals, underbrush and balsamic components melt together in this irresistible Monfortino. And (of course) decades of life ahead.
A bit riper (just a hint of Maracuja & Cassis shining through the nearly completely closed nose) than the Pechstein but still bone dry on the palate. Again a high but super ripe acidity, still needs time to get together. Wouldn't open a bottle the next 5 years.
An incredible wine with tons of potential but so closed at the moment. Bone dry, laser acidity with a s***load of power but never heavy. Super long finish. Dark, deep and mysterious. Like Pechstein always is. Mathieu Kaufmann, the cellar master of von Buhl told us to let this Baby sleep for ten years. But then it will blow your mind. I'm 100% sure. Buhl did an amazing job in the last years after the big "change" in the winery. This Pechstein is the perfect proof. Well done!
You immediately recognize that this Kirchenstück is from a different vintage than the two other GGs before. Much leaner but also vinified with great focus & tension. Kirchenstück like Pechstein has this dark soul. Of course still way too young. Give it at least 5-8 years cellar time. The 2015 Kirchenstück will appear on the market next year.
Not as uncompromising as the Felseneck, showing a bit more fruit, rounder edges and bit less tension than the brother. Lovely elegant mouthfeel, finishing with lots of salt. A very interesting wine to watch in his development.
I'm not very familiar with the GGs from Dönnhoff but this Hermannshöhle is nothing more than a strong contender for wine of the vintage. The nose is very withdrawn, just some citrus, wet stone aromas shining through. On the palate it delivers so much vibrant tension. High, but ripe (not overripe) acidity, strong backbone but always on the elegant side. The wine finish with nearly a explosion on the backend. Long, long aftertaste of sea salt. Like you come straight out of the ocean and lick over your lips. A real stunner which I can't wait to try in 10-15 years.
Always a favorite of mine, this 2015 version of the Felseneck from Tim Fröhlich also (like many other vintages before) has nearly no fruit aromas. Tons of wet stones & herbs are dominating here. Laser like acidity, lean & medium body, long, elegant finish. This is one of the most consequent implemented GGs I know. Perfect picture of its Terroir.
One of the least appealing GGs to me. A bit ripe and without the tension of the other much more precise examples in this tasting. Maybe because the Niveau is that high in this special vintage. Nevertheless a good GG.
A young, withdrawn Morstein with (as always) a dark core of minerality but also some "nervous" aromas I don't fully get. Needs time to come together but high potential to get more weight after several years of aging.
Not on the same level than the Sankt Nikolaus imo. More on the riper fruit side as the site is warmer. Also very complex in the nose but missing the extra umph I get from the SN. And I'm very curious how it will age, appeals very open & "ready" at the moment.
Second time for me tasting this wine and I'm still impressed by the complexity. So many layers of different aromas. Very impressive. On the palate its a totally differential approach than all the GGs I tasted before. Much rounder, softer with pure elegance and a super, super subtle power. This Sankt Nikolaus plays in a totally different league. Kühn told us that he wants to do a different wine out of the grape variety than the other producers. Like the Tements do in Austria with their Sauvignon Blancs he said.
Precision, Precision, Precision. The acid is super high but so well balanced by the fruit. And no predictors of aging. A wine for the eternity but already so damn delicious!
A textbook Kabi from Prüm. So much freshness combined with a lovely pure fruit, vibrant acidity, good structure to go the long way but still light on its feet. Pure pleasure.
2014 Bernhard Huber Chardonnay Alte Reben 92 Points
Germany, Baden
Julian Huber is on a good way to produce the best Chardonnay in Germany. The oak is beautifully integrated as this often is a problem with Chards from Germany but not here. A bit more fruit than the Bienenberg. Lovely tension.
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2014 Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Bienenberg Chardonnay Großes Gewächs 94 Points
Germany, Baden
Surely one of Germanys best Chardonnays even Julian Huber told me that this is only the beginning. He wants to reduce the fruit and integrate the oak more & more. His 2014 is at the moment characterized by the reduction like so many great Chards from Burgundies best producers (Coche, Roulot) do. Super mineral driven, high but ripe acidity. An absolute stunning showing.
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2012 Schiefer Blaufränkisch Ried Reihburg 93 Points
Austria, Burgenland, Südburgenland
Still very young with a ton of dark fruit (blackberry, black currant, blueberry) mixed with soft, polished tannins and a medium+ to full body. The lively acidity keeps everything in balance. It will be really interesting to see how this wine develops in the future. I need to try a older Reihburg soon.
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2013 Schiefer Blaufränkisch "Lutz" Lutzmannsburg V.V. 95 Points
Austria, Burgenland, Südburgenland
First vintage of this wine, Uwe Schiefer made out of a parcel which is directly beside the one from Roland Velich (Moric). A different Schiefer. Much leaner & withy with a hint more precision than the Reihburg imo. The fruit is withdrawn, lots of herbs & earth notes. Tons of potential under the surface, so give it the time it needs. A totally impressive Debut.
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2013 Moric Blaufränkisch Alte Reben Lutzmannsburg 94 Points
Austria, Burgenland, Mittelburgenland
One of Roland Velichs top single vineyard wines. The 2013 shows so much potential under the surface. Red & black fruit paired with tons of herbs, soil and mineral notes. Nearly perfect example of elegant power. Velich said he always is looking for the Balance in the wines. Give it 5-10 years.
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1999 Weninger Soproni Spérn Steiner 94 Points
Hungary, Észak-Dunántúl, Soproni
Gracefully aged Blaufränkisch from Hungarian earth. Wonderful nose with dried red berries, underbrush, licorice and red currant. Still a lovely acidity, soft fully integrated tannins. The Barrique maturation is not noticeable. Franz Weninger is now slowly reducing the oak treatment in all his wines. Mainly using big, used old casks. Can't wait till the now actual wines are in the age window of this Steiner. The 2013 Steiner from slate soil is also a stunner.
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2013 Weninger Blaufränkisch Dürrau 93 Points
Austria, Burgenland, Mittelburgenland
So much depth in fruit (mainly dark), soft tannins, very "full" mouthfeel but not in a jammy way. It comes from the clay subsoil of the Dürrau. Give it 10 years and it will really sing. High potential.
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1997 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Still so fresh & youthful. Quince, dried apricots and a hint of honey. Lively acidity, medium body with a lot of depth. Long finish. Can age easily for another 20-30 years imo. Bottles was straight from the cellar of the property.
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2012 Château Pontet-Canet 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Normally I´m absolutely no fan of Bordeaux but Pontet-Canet did an amazing job in 2012. So much freshness, tension and fruit remaining the elegance. Tannins are wonderful polished & fine. Truly a wonderful showing.
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2010 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
What a monster of wine. So much tannins, fruit and acidity. Of course it is well balanced but it easily needs another 20 years to come in a "drinking window". Very powerful and I´m missing a bit the freshness the 2012 has. Potential trough the roof. But worth 100 Points? I´m not really sure.
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2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
My first ever DRC. Always a special feeling I guess. This Echezeaux seems a bit harsh showing a bit too much of the new oak. Appeals darker on the nose than the St. Vivant. Lots of wild berries, high acidity, nice structure. No doubt a very good wine but I think it needs more time to get together.
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2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
After the Echezeaux was just a bit disappointing this St. Vivant stole the show. Lots of red fruit (which I totally love), plums, a hint of cinnamon on the nose. Super, super fine with so much grace & elegance I´ve hardly seen in any wine I have tasted. Good length and again. An amazing acidity. One of the key facts for red wine imo. Maybe it is not made to live forever but in the next 20 years this wine will deliver an enormous pleasure.
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2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Of course the development of this wine compared to his two much younger brothers is on another level. Lovely melange of orange zest, underbrush, gentle red fruit and a hint of black pepper. On the palate this La Tache has a super elegant drive and a long finish.
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2005 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I had this vintage of Francia some years ago and I wasn't satisfied with the wine. Now it slowly opens up, showing more fresh fruit aromas, tar and some floral notes. Lively acidity, nice fruit and polished tannins on the palate. Give it one more decade and this Francia will turn into a real beauty.
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2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 97 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
You don't need to talk to much about legends. A pure, elegant simultaneously super powerful, expressive, complex interpretation of the Nebbiolo grape. Dried red berries, tar, rose petals, underbrush and balsamic components melt together in this irresistible Monfortino. And (of course) decades of life ahead.
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2015 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Pfalz
A bit riper (just a hint of Maracuja & Cassis shining through the nearly completely closed nose) than the Pechstein but still bone dry on the palate. Again a high but super ripe acidity, still needs time to get together. Wouldn't open a bottle the next 5 years.
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2015 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Pechstein Riesling Großes Gewächs 96 Points
Germany, Pfalz
An incredible wine with tons of potential but so closed at the moment. Bone dry, laser acidity with a s***load of power but never heavy. Super long finish. Dark, deep and mysterious. Like Pechstein always is.
Mathieu Kaufmann, the cellar master of von Buhl told us to let this Baby sleep for ten years. But then it will blow your mind. I'm 100% sure. Buhl did an amazing job in the last years after the big "change" in the winery. This Pechstein is the perfect proof. Well done!
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2015 Dönnhoff Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
Bit more open than the Hermannshöhle with some passion fruit, pineapple and fresh sliced white peaches. Good structure, medium body. A well made GG.
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2014 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points
Germany, Pfalz
You immediately recognize that this Kirchenstück is from a different vintage than the two other GGs before. Much leaner but also vinified with great focus & tension. Kirchenstück like Pechstein has this dark soul. Of course still way too young. Give it at least 5-8 years cellar time. The 2015 Kirchenstück will appear on the market next year.
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2015 Schäfer-Fröhlich Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
Not as uncompromising as the Felseneck, showing a bit more fruit, rounder edges and bit less tension than the brother. Lovely elegant mouthfeel, finishing with lots of salt. A very interesting wine to watch in his development.
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2015 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs 97 Points
Germany, Nahe
I'm not very familiar with the GGs from Dönnhoff but this Hermannshöhle is nothing more than a strong contender for wine of the vintage. The nose is very withdrawn, just some citrus, wet stone aromas shining through. On the palate it delivers so much vibrant tension. High, but ripe (not overripe) acidity, strong backbone but always on the elegant side. The wine finish with nearly a explosion on the backend. Long, long aftertaste of sea salt. Like you come straight out of the ocean and lick over your lips. A real stunner which I can't wait to try in 10-15 years.
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2015 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs 95 Points
Germany, Nahe
Always a favorite of mine, this 2015 version of the Felseneck from Tim Fröhlich also (like many other vintages before) has nearly no fruit aromas. Tons of wet stones & herbs are dominating here. Laser like acidity, lean & medium body, long, elegant finish. This is one of the most consequent implemented GGs I know. Perfect picture of its Terroir.
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2015 Wittmann Westhofener Aulerde Riesling Großes Gewächs 91 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
One of the least appealing GGs to me. A bit ripe and without the tension of the other much more precise examples in this tasting. Maybe because the Niveau is that high in this special vintage. Nevertheless a good GG.
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2015 Wittmann Westhofener Morstein Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
A young, withdrawn Morstein with (as always) a dark core of minerality but also some "nervous" aromas I don't fully get. Needs time to come together but high potential to get more weight after several years of aging.
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2014 Peter Jakob Kühn Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 92 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Not on the same level than the Sankt Nikolaus imo. More on the riper fruit side as the site is warmer. Also very complex in the nose but missing the extra umph I get from the SN. And I'm very curious how it will age, appeals very open & "ready" at the moment.
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2014 Peter Jakob Kühn Mittelheimer St. Nikolaus Riesling Großes Gewächs 95 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Second time for me tasting this wine and I'm still impressed by the complexity. So many layers of different aromas. Very impressive. On the palate its a totally differential approach than all the GGs I tasted before. Much rounder, softer with pure elegance and a super, super subtle power. This Sankt Nikolaus plays in a totally different league. Kühn told us that he wants to do a different wine out of the grape variety than the other producers. Like the Tements do in Austria with their Sauvignon Blancs he said.
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2010 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Precision, Precision, Precision. The acid is super high but so well balanced by the fruit. And no predictors of aging. A wine for the eternity but already so damn delicious!
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2015 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A textbook Kabi from Prüm. So much freshness combined with a lovely pure fruit, vibrant acidity, good structure to go the long way but still light on its feet. Pure pleasure.
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