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Riesling bash at CHIKO

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Tasted February 25, 2024 by isaacjamesbaker with 74 views

Introduction

What an incredible Riesling dinner. Great seeing so many friends that I hadn't seen in several years. The food prepared for Riesling matched really well. The wines amounted to an embarrassment of riches, and I tried my best to take notes on what I could. Riesling is king!

Flight 1 - Opening bubbles (4 notes)

White - Sparkling
2014 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Zeppwingert Riesling Brut Rieslingsekt Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
This is so racy and bright – a real eye-opening Sekt for me. Crunchy green apples and kiwi, with tons of minerals and these flinty, slate, mountain stream vibes. Nuanced graham cracker and bread crumbs. The focus and depth are really impressive.
White - Sparkling
1987 Peter Lauer Sekt Réserve Brut Nature Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
This was intense and a rather extreme experience, but I found it delightful -- like listening to a great black metal album, not a comforting experience, but an awesome one. Deep brioche, almond, dried honey on the nose, with chalk, pear butter, lemon zest, shaved ginger. The palate is a brisk, zippy, crunchy punch with searing minerals and acidity. The orange, apple, and lemon fruit mixes really well with notes of almond cake, honey, shaved ginger, there's even like a green olive in brine vibe going on here. Really takes some time to open up, but it gets expressive and floral, and the minerals and mountain stream verve continues long on the finish. A lot of fun with beautiful depth.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Meunier Extra Brut France, Champagne
92 points
Nice to revisit this wine, as I'm a big fan. Crunchy red apples, bright raspberries, with vibrant acidity and lots of flint, mineral, and some nettle and dandelion, dried roses. Delicious.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White - Sparkling
2014 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame France, Champagne
94 points
Love the crunchy red and green apples and orange peels, with the brioche and honey, almond cake. Bright, minerals, zesty, but lovely honeyed depth, too. Would love to see this in 10 years.

Flight 2 - Gobs of Riesling (24 notes)

White
2007 Weingut Keller Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs Germany, Rheinhessen
96 points
Wow. What to say – so expressive, deep, exotic. Aromatically fantastic. The palate is polished and balanced with some rich texture, juicy fruit, and a mineral-encrusted, crystalline presence. Lemon and pineapple, laced with honey, notes of shaved ginger, some green herbs, hints of gasoline, and candle wax. What a stunner, one of my wines of the night, and a wine I’d absolutely love to revisit in five to eight years. From magnum.
White
2008 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs Germany, Nahe
94 points
This has a lot of plush, ripe, tropical fruit (pineapple, kiwi, white peach). Seems generous but precise, however, with great balance and laser-like minerals. In a very good spot now. I’d drink up or hold for another year or two.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2004 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Steinertal Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
flawed
What a shame! Two bottles of this wine were badly corked. Sad that it was stored so long when it never had a shot.
White
2016 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Steinertal Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
95 points
The nose shows a mix of denser, honeyed fruit with bright chunks of chalk and smashed rocks. The palate is deeply texture but dry and bracing with a mineral intensity. Tangy green apples, papaya, drizzled with lime, the fruit is matched with complex notes of mint, crushed stone, some white pepper, and honey. This will continue to age very well for a long time, but this was a great showing. Really needs a bit of air to get cranking. A real stunner.
White
2015 Schloss Lieser Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
89 points
Ripe and fun aromas with a plush texture and medium acidity. Like honeyed pears and baked apples topped in some minerals, white tea, and whipped honey. Fun, but came across a bit simple relative to others.
White
2011 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
88 points
This had a vibe full of cinnamon baked apples, honeyed biscuits, almond cake, some spiced apple cider. Fun and tasty but lacked verve and seemed past prime.
White
2007 S.A. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
92 points
Exotic nose of lemons, pineapple, green apples, flowers, honey. The palate is packed with sweet peach nectar and pineapple juice but the acidity is on point. A bit fat around the edges, but it is welcomed because it’s delicious and accented with all sorts of honey, crushed stones, white tea, and almond skin.
White
2018 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Klamm Riesling Kabinett Germany, Nahe
92 points
This has a deep and inviting nose of baked apples, honeycomb, pear nectar, with yellow flowers, candied pineapple. The palate is rich and honeyed but balanced with brisk acidity and a stony mineral essence. Notes of biscuits, almond skin, and honey butter. Long, zesty, mineral-encrusted finish. This deserves a whole lot more time in the cellar. From magnum.
White
2018 Weingut Keller Riesling RR Germany, Rheinhessen
92 points
This wine was really briny, in a good way. Like a seaweed bed along some rocks with big, cold crashing waves. Drizzle some line, add in some oyster shells, honeysuckle, daisies, dandelion. Fun and interesting!
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
2015 Weingut Keller Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs Germany, Rheinhessen
94 points
Tangy, primary, but so energetic, lots to unpack from this well-wrapped package. Lime zest, ruby red grapefruit, kiwi, the fruit is mixed with complex minerals, smashed rocks and shells. Has lovely textural depth, balancing out the racy and laser-like focus, briskness, and minerality. A bit too young to fully parse through, especially in such an overwhelming setting, but wow this will be good for the long haul.
3 people found this helpful Comment
White
2015 Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz Birkweiler Kastanienbusch Riesling Großes Gewächs Germany, Pfalz
93 points
Young but beautiful. Perfumed and full of citrus and flint. The palate is crunchy, vibrant, salty, and perfumed, with grapefruit, green apples, laced with flowers and honey, some almond, some slight green herbal tones. A bit compact, but I'd like to revisit in 3-8.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2016 Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling Josef Vineyard USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake
91 points
Very pretty, seems young, with a lot of concentration of fruit, honey, flowers. The acidity livens up things nicely and the pear and bruised yellow apple fruit is pure and juicy. Nice to have a FLX Riesling in the mix and have it show so well. That said, I'd bury this for like seven years or something if I had some.
White - Off-dry
2017 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
90 points
Plush and sweet but maintains focus. Pineapples and peach nectar, with yellow flowers, and some slate and sea salt. Fun stuff. From magnum.
White - Off-dry
2005 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Spätlese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
Dense and rich, this one, but in a great way. Apricot jam, orange marmalade, and candied pineapple, with rich honey and clover, it all bounces off these mineral, slate, mountain breeze, and sea salt vibes. The plush texture is great, but it’s harmonious and zippy, too. Aging wonderfully, I’d love to revisit in three to five years.
White - Off-dry
1998 J.B. Becker Riesling Spätlese Germany, Rheingau
86 points
Well, they can't all be winners. This was just tired out. Fun, apple juicy, but not much complexity and life in it. Maybe an off bottle because recent reviews seem to indicate a lot better showing.
White
2011 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile France, Alsace
95 points
Exceptional showing from magnum. The nose is perfumed with white and yellow flowers, slate, crushed chalk, salt brine, over top of orange peel and juicy white peach, drizzled with lime. The palate is concentrated and bold but balanced expertly with racy acidity. Flavors of dried apricot and pineapple, lime zest, mix with tones of almond skin, slate, quinine, hay, some honeyed ginger tea – all sorts of stuff packed in here. Complex, balanced, this will continue to age well for a long time to come.
4 people found this helpful Comments (3)
White - Off-dry
2015 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
96 points
This shined bright! Beautiful aromas of citrus, orange blossom, perfume, crushed sweet tarts, some mint and nettle, too. The palate is deep and smooth with punchy fruit and racy acid, combining for an intense but balanced approach. Granny smith apples, limes, oranges, white peach, the fruit is matched with flinty minerals and floral and herb tones galore. Young but promising – I’d love to bury this for a decade.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White - Off-dry
2015 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Grafenberg Riesling Spätlese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
90 points
Rich and honeyed on the nose with guava and pineapple. Juicy, ripe, sweet but fresh on the palate, with honeyed pears and bruised apples, some papaya nectar. Nice apricot jam and floral accents, too.
White
2020 Peter Lauer Unterstenberg Riesling N°12 Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
This is such a mineral-focused wine, showing lots of crushed rocks, limestone, oyster shells, with zesty citrus. The flavors are great, but what stuck with me most about this wine is how clear and intense it is. A long life ahead of this, and I would lay any of these down for at least five to seven years.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Off-dry
2019 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese Germany, Nahe
93 points
Beautiful focus, plush fruit, nice balance between crushed sweet tart sugar and racy acid. Nice tangy, pithy, mineral vibes as well. Too young to really parse through in full in such a spread, but I'd love to spend time with this in five years.
White - Off-dry
2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
94 points
I wish I had more time with this, but it was beautiful. Dense and rich a full tropical appeal but the taut, racy acidity and crunchy minerals give this a brisk, lip-smacking feeling. Lovely, with so much life ahead.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2017 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl France, Alsace
93 points
Ripe and plush, honey and almonds, but bright with all sorts of floral tones, sugar cane, orange peel. Maybe my palate was overwhelmed, but if I had some of these, I'd forget about them for three to six maybe? But lovely stuff with a lot of potential.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Off-dry
1993 Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
92 points
Really nice showing. Plush, rich, full of yellow plums, key lime pie, candied mango, and an array of flowers and minerals. Stays focused with the acidity and clarity, and I get tones of crushed sweet tarts and shells that linger long on the finish. Yummy! Showing really well -- very alive and kicking, so if the bottle's in good shape, it should still be good to cellar.
3 people found this helpful Comment
White - Sweet/Dessert
1976 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Beerenauslese Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
96 points
Intense, dark, but so nuanced and alive. Fig paste, apricot jam, orange marmalade, laced with minerals and chalky-salt dust tones, lots of sweet flowers and almond cake. A great experience.
1 person found this helpful Comment
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