Yale Wine Society: Riesling-a-palooza

New Haven, CT
Tasted Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by bpj87 with 716 views

Flight 1 - Dry Wines (3 Notes)

  • 2000 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 91 Points

    France, Alsace

    (12/9/2008)

    Textbook Alsatian Riesling. From a 375mL, opened and recorked overnight, this is at a nice period in its evolution. Dry but with some perceptual sweetness of fruit. Precise, balanced, and layered.

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  • NV Jacques Selosse Initial 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/9/2008)

    Very classy and well integrated Champagne. As others have written, this does have a bit of an oxidative note, and it adds complexity while not detracting from the overall profile. This is quite drinkable, yet it has a lot going on that will be missed if one does not pay attention.

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  • 2005 Nigl Riesling Privat 93 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    (12/9/2008)

    From magnum (screwcapped!). Very nice. Well integrated, balanced, and focused. This displayed complex fruit intensity, subtle, interesting vegetal notes foreign to most Mosel and Nahe rieslings, and rounded yet vibrant acidity. While a great wine, it was hard to be duly impressed when this was consumed before a 2007 Donnhoff NH Spat. I would cellar this for a few years before resampling. Even after opening and recapping overnight, this was still tightly wound and hiding the endless complexity and nuance that it will probably someday offer.

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Flight 2 - Off-Dry Wines (2 Notes)

  • 1975 Weingut Baumann Oppenheimer Sackträger Riesling Auslese 93 Points

    Germany, Rheinhessen

    (12/9/2008)

    Rich, honeyed, and dense. Some petrol notes add to the profile. This is very sweet, but it has just enough acidity hiding in the background to prevent it from being cloying. Nice complexity.

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  • 2007 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese 95 Points

    Germany, Nahe

    (12/9/2008)

    Bright, complex, balanced, pure, focused, weightless yet dense, and well delineated. White fruit and floral notes interplayed with red fruits and brooding minerality. Perfect in its intensity, as it is deep yet nowhere near over the top. As a whole, this wine is absolutely haunting and will require decades to reach its peak.

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Flight 3 - Dessert Wines (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 94 Points

    Germany, Nahe

    (12/9/2008)

    Way too young... The nose was fully closed and only offered an intriguing and beguiling fruit-imprisoned-by-mineral sort of aroma. On the palate, this was less complex than the NH Spat, but it displayed an interesting lemon-lime hint that was absent in the NH. Dense, brooding fruit was intertwined with a silky, weightless yet concentrated mouthfeel. This is one of those wines that one cannot yet wrap one's head around. It is as if the thousand individual components have melded into an incomprehensible, mineral whole.

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  • 2001 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein 'Junior' 92 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    (12/9/2008)

    Showed less like an Eiswein and more like a superb Auslese from a high acid vintage. Upon opening, this offered several off notes, but they blew off after an hour in the decanter. Laser-like acidity, good complexity, and great intesity of flavor. I enjoyed this more than would be implied by my score.

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