“Ten Years After” 2008 Dry Riesling with the Guys from Mosel Fine Wines

A big retrospective on the 2008 vintage. Only dry Riesling, mostly Germany (13 wines) and some Austrian (3 wines) and Alsace (3 wines) examples.

• 2008 Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz Birkweiler Kastanienbusch Riesling Großes Gewächs 89 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Some exotic notes like pineapple, lychee mixed with slightly touch of vanilla and a bit of dextrose on the nose. Intense and ripe. On the palate fine, maybe just a hint of oak recognisable, good acidity but not with the tension and length other showed. Still has a bit of sweetness and some orange marmalade on the back end.

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• 2008 Georg Breuer Rauenthaler Nonnenberg Riesling 95 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  A first highlight of the tasting. Withdrawn, super fresh nose with a mix of white fruit, grapefruit, white flowers and lots of mineral notes. Very precise and elegant. You can find the same attributes on the palate. Laser sharp, fresh, clear, wonderful harmonies. Still so young and with potential for another two decades. A really great wine from a perfect bottle. In my Top 3 of the tasting (Second place)

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• 2008 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Ried Schütt 93 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  I have NEVER in thousand years guessed that this is an Austrian Riesling. Very fine, a bit of yellow stone fruit, some herbs on the nose. Totally balanced on the palate with a touch of finesse I not find very often in Austrian Rieslings. Fresh, elegant with a herbal note in the finish. Very good.

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• 2008 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese trocken "R"

  Germany, Pfalz

  A big surprise in a negative sense. Green notes, herbs, ripe fruit with some overripe pear. Nervous and totally unharmonious. A bit of “tannins”, greens and herbs on the palate. Reminds me a bit of an “Orange wine”. Very weird and not what I expect from a Auslese R. I’m not sure if this was a bottle problem. Therefore no rating. (88)

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• 2008 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  One of my favourites and he doesn’t let me down. Wonderful fresh with more white fruit aspects that I’m not so familiar with in Halenbergs from other vintages (therefore I guessed SF Felseneck). A bit of Grapefruit, white peach and stone aromas comes to mind. On the palate just slightly sweet, high acidity, mineral notes, dancing over the tongue. Very fine and another proof for me that this is one of the REAL blue chips of dry German Riesling.

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• 2008 Nigl Riesling Privat 90 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

  A bit more fruit than the Halenberg, also fine on the nose. Also more on the white fruit side. Slightly “watery” on the palate. Salty, but unfortunately also slightly bitter, nearly a bit unripe in the finish.

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• 2008 Weingut Keller Abts E®.de Riesling Großes Gewächs 88 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  One of the biggest surprises of the whole tasting. Tons of herbal spices, green components, nearly a hint of nail polisher mixed with a ripe yellow fruit but also a green gooseberry which reminds me of an Sauvignon Blanc.
  Very high acidity on the palate, nearly steely, again this herbal touch. A bit hot in the finish (the alcohol is arguable here). A real bummer for me. You have to say, that Keller experimented in 2008 with stems and longer fermentation time. He wants to do it a bit like Bernd Phillipi did at Koehler-Ruprecht with his Auslese Rs. Not sure if this was the right move here.

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• 2008 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs 92 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  Expressive nose with apricot, nearly a bit of Bonbons, yellow fruit. Went more and more elegant over time in the glass.
  Fine fruit also on the palate, very harmonious, good acidity.
  A still very young Felseneck with a touch to much fruit imo. Very good but not great.

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• 2008 Hugel Riesling Jubilee 92 Points

  France, Alsace

  White fruit mixed with a bit of unripe pineapple, a bit of camomile and a stony component. On the palate citrus zest, Bergamot, wonderful balanced acidity. Very elegant and finessed. Fresh and salty finish. A wonderful Riesling in a nearly perfect Balance. Big surprise for me.

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• 2008 Nikolaihof Riesling Reserve Steiner Hund 89 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Unripe apricot, a bit of fine yellow fruit, white pears and a bit of real wine grape on the nose. Missing the tension and depth on the palate. Some spices on the back end. Not really my cup of tea. (89+)

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• 2008 Weingut Keller Morstein Riesling Großes Gewächs 91 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Again this herbal spice note (I immediately thought Keller after we had the Abtserde before) but not as upfront like in the Abtserde. Ripe fruit like apricot buffer the green aromas very good. On the palate again ripe but with lots of power and pressure. Slightly sweet with this bit of heat in the finish. Hmm...

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• 2008 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück Riesling 90 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Pineapple, exotic fruit like Mango and Papaya, some brioche, vanilla and roasted nuts (nearly like a Champagne). Very ripe and intense.
  Missing the tension on the palate, slightly sweet, not the length.
  Maybe not a good bottle?

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• 2008 Weingut Keller Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Perfect ripe yellow stone fruit mixed with citrus and citrus zest notes dominates the wonderful fine, complex, nearly floral and surely youthful nose. This Kirchspiel appears with tons of freshness on the palate. Although you also can feel the ripeness, the (high but ripe) acidity balance it all. The wine has a lot of elegance, tension and length. Surprisingly by far (for my taste) the best Keller of the tasting. Here I can’t find any green or herbal notes like in the big guns. In my Top 3 of the tasting (third place).

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• 2008 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  The nose shows some yellow fruit mixed with some lovely green notes, wet stone and the finest of Vanilla. A very harmonious nose, totally in balance. Everything is in the right place here. Clear like a alpine brook with a perfect balanced acidity which kicks in on the back end. Typical Nahe its a more lean and precise interpretation of Riesling with great freshness and lots of sea salt in the finish. Plays definitely on top of its game (the whole group rated it second place in all).

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• 2008 Georg Breuer Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling 96 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  Breuers Schlossberg offers a super complex nose with aromas of yellow stone fruit (on the perfect ripening point) mixed with white fruit, herbs, grapefruit, cassis and just a hint of anise. Everything is very settled and deep. On the palate the wine is even better than I remember. A perfect combination of tension, elegance, power, precision and concentration. This wine has an enormous depth. Although it has its power and extract for the marathon it’s very drinkable. Thanks to the perfect acidity. Totally dry with incredible length and tons of sea salt in the finish. A really great wine. In my Top 3 of the tasting (First place).

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• 2008 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 93 Points

  France, Alsace

  The last wine of the best flight of the tasting doesn’t let us done. A bit of a withdraw nose with a more white fruit (citrus, grapefruit) flavour profile. High acidity, elegant and fresh. Maybe it doesn’t has the last kick and length of his contenders but nevertheless a really good wine.

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• 2008 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese Trocken "R" 90 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  A much better wine than the disappointing Auslese R. Very young, reduced nose with white pear and some other light fruits. Again white flavours on the palate paired with a stony component. A good acidity drives the wine in a medium finish. Good but I expected more. (90+)

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• 2008 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Flawed

  France, Alsace

  A real bummer. This bottle has premox. I didn’t know that several Trimbachs has this problem. Very sad, cause the 08 should be dynamite.

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• 2008 Weingut Keller Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs 90 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Here you have the typical Keller pineapple, unripe Mango and some other exotic flavours mixed with just a bit of this green, herbal components the Abtserde and Morstein showed in a much direct way. On the palate a bit too much for my taste. Lots of ripe fruit, good acidity, a bit of heat and lots of spices in the finish. Interesting to see, that I rated the 08 that high when we had out big Hubacker vertical where this wine was one of the brightest stars.

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