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Extraordinary Tasting of Wines from the 2008 German Wine Auctions
Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco
Tasted October 11, 2008 by drwine2001 with 880 views
Introduction
One of the events I most anticipate each year is this extraordinary tasting put on by this great importer of German wine. The chance to taste the "creme de la creme" of German wines is just fantastic. Apart from the palate fatigue caused by all of the acid and sugar, the only other challenge was sequencing which sometimes made you jump back and forth between wines of different weights and residual sugar, so nibbbling and/or drinking water between tastes were important to avoid the effects of palate conditioning. I've noted the wines in the order in which they were served.
Flight 1 - One Measly Red (1 note)
Red
2006 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder Spatlese Trocken Goldkapsel Auction
Medium red. Smoky cherry fruit on the nose with genuine sweetness and sap. Even this old Burgundy chauvinist has to admit that this was surprisingly good.
Flight 2 - A Couple of Kabinetts (2 notes)
White
2007 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Steinberger Riesling Kabinett Goldkapsel Auction
Pale. Penetrating nose of lime and stone. Rather full for Kabinett. Very good.
White
2007 Weingut Prinz Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett Goldkapsel Auction
Fuller color than preceding wine. Lower pitched nose. Ripe peach, again relatively weighty for its level, soil-infused finish.
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Flight 3 - Spatlesen (13 notes)
White - Off-dry
2007 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Auction
Pale. Reticent nose, but burst forth with gorgeous orange flavors, light to medium weight that evaporates, leaving the flavor behind on the palate. So Mosel and the first wine today that excited the palate.
White - Off-dry
2007 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese Auction
Light, dry, racy acidity, very lemony fruit with a closing note of brown spices.
White - Off-dry
2006 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
Fuller color than the '07 that came before it. Spicy nose. More weight, less citrus, some mango. Not as lively as the regular '07 Spatlese.
White - Off-dry
2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese Auction
Very light with greenish tones. Most floral wine thus far. A wisp of a wine with ethereal lightness and minimal sweetness.
White - Off-dry
2006 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese Auction
Yellow. Oily with brown sugar and peach on the nose. Moderate sweetness. Does not dance. A shock to the palate after tasting the much lighter, crisper Schaefer.
White - Off-dry
2007 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
Pale. Piquant, high toned nose with some talc. Blood orange fruit despite seeming weightless and rapidly vanishing. I liked this a lot.
White - Off-dry
2004 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
Fuller yellow than its '07 counterpart. Again, powder, high notes, and here, more mature petrol element as well. Pure orange fruit, terrific acidity, great intensity for its weight. My favorite Spatlese to this point.
White - Off-dry
2007 Weingut von Othegraven Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Spätlese Auction
Full yellow. Deeply pitched apricot aromatics and pear. Heavier style with hint of botrytis. Dull in the context of the wines that preceded it.
White - Off-dry
2007 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
Spicy nose. Lively wine with more typical and pleasing weight, soil-inflected finish. Does not emphasize the fruit. Excellent.
White - Off-dry
2007 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
Pale, not very forthcoming nose, light body. Dry entry, in fact, one of the driest Spatlesen in the line up, but then it fleshes out with an expansive pineapple finish. Needs time to couple these disparate elements.
White - Off-dry
2002 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction
flawed
Yellow. Completely different nose than the '07-floral and mature Riesling. I believe this bottle was slightly corked, with a mustiness more easily perceived on the palate than the nose that muted the flavors.
White - Off-dry
2007 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Spatlese Goldkapsel Auction "Lothar Franz"
Relatively heavy weight with straightforward ripe fruit and one of the sweetest Spatlesen tasted. Probably my least favorite wine of the tasting.
White - Off-dry
2007 Schloss Schönborn Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling Spatlese Goldkapsel Auction "Johann Philipp"
A completely different animal than the Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg-leaner, less sweet, livelier, and lemon drop fruit. Better.
Flight 4 - Auslesen (15 notes)
White - Off-dry
2007 Weingut Johann Peter Reinert Wawerner Ritterpfad Riesling Auslese Auction
Light to medium yellow. Lemon/lime nose. Light to medium body with terrific interplay of sweet and sour. My first experience with the producer and the vineyard. Excellent wine.
White - Off-dry
2007 Weingut Johann Peter Reinert Ayler Kupp Riesling Alte Reben Auslese Auction
Slightly deeper color than the other Reinert wine. Ravishing, complex nose that is all bright citrus and rock. Beautiful orange fruit, not terribly sweet. Outstanding.
White - Off-dry
2007 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Auction
Yellow green color. Nectarine and stone, noticeably high acid, lovely light weight for an Auslese. A winner in a more subtle style.
White - Off-dry
2007 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction
Richer but not better than the regular Auslese. Unusual herbal smells that I cannot really identify or describe better. Lower acid. Hard to believe this is twice the price of the former wine.
White - Off-dry
2007 Grans-Fassian Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction
Light yellow. Wow, what a gorgeous, complex nose-cinnamon, peach, and some botrytis. Everything is in place here, and the dynamic interplay of its components is just thrilling. The wine is alive! Potentially great and clearly one of my top 2 wines today.
White - Off-dry
2004 Grans-Fassian Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel Auction
Relatively pale given a few years of age. Compared to the '07 GK Auslese, lower weight, higher acid, and a soprano note of orange blossom. Not quite the exquisite balance of the younger wine.
White - Off-dry
2006 Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese *** Auction
Full yellow. Delicious ripe yellow peach, unctuous yet balance, not obviously botrytized. Only nit to pick is that those seeking high acid and more snap will not find it here, but you'd have to be a real Scrooge to not enjoy this wine.
White - Off-dry
2002 Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction
Quite a different profile than the '06. Less ripe, better acidity, more herbal/lemon aromas and flavors. Accounting for the stylistic differences, the '06 is probably more successful for its year.
White - Off-dry
2007 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Nr. 37 Auction
Fresh, fragrant, elegant with great acid. Returns us to the realm of amazingly light weight being the vehicle for incredible flavor. Outstanding and miraculous.
White - Off-dry
2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction
Medium color. Lemon juxtaposed against peach. Like the Karthauserhofberg before it, elegant with great tension and balance between the weight, fruit, and acidity. This one also perfects the dance that only German wines can do.
White - Off-dry
2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese * Goldkapsel Auction
Light and ethereal. The focus here is squarely on lemon and slate. A dip in the mid-palate is the only thing that keeps it from nudging into excellent territory.
White - Off-dry
2007 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
Light gold. Wow, this approaches perfection (as well it should for its mind boggling price)! Light to medium weight with pristine nectarine and citrus fruit, and unbelievable crystalline balance and length. This was the one wine today that I could not bring myself to spit. Its impression remained with me despite finishing the tasting with sweeter, heavier wines.
White - Off-dry
2006 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Auslese Auction
Light gold. Unctuous, rich and altogether very good, but after the Loosen, it seems overly sweet, syrupy, and ponderous.
White - Off-dry
2007 Joachim Flick Wickerer Mönchsgewann Riesling Auslese Auction Rheingau
Pale with nose of powdered stone and ripe peach. Medium weight. Needs more lift. Good but not special. First time I've run across this producer.
White - Off-dry
2006 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese GK "ex Bibliotheca Subterranea"
Medium weight. Surprisingly dry with flavors of dried peach. Lacks the flavor authority and intensity of most of the other wines here.
Flight 5 - And a Sticky for the Road (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2006 Weingut Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Auction
Golden color. Honey predominates and overwhelms the fruit. Very good syrup of Riesling but nowhere near the acidity needed to give this focus. Disappointing TBA (and I don't get to try these often enough to tolerate disappointment).
Closing
Once again, 2007 showed itself to be a vintage of variable acidity, but not generally extraordinarily high. The fact that my teeth still have some enamel after this marathon affair attests to that fact! Nonetheless, the acidity was better than in the '06s tasted, and very few of the wines were grossly out of balance. Perhaps there were not that many truly great wines, but I thought 9 of the wines were at least outstanding, and the top wines of Grans Fassian and Loosen could take their rightful place in a line up of great German wines from just about any vintage.