January 28, 2023 - Once again, the 1990 Christoffel auslesen is stunning. Tonight, a perfect foil to an elegant caviar egg dish, but most importantly, a wine that still stands on its own as an exemplar of what makes great old Mosel Riesling one of the few truly great wines in the world. This bottle showed a bit more right shoulder movement, with its beautiful light amber and hugher acid proportion than in previous years. Now almost dry on the palate but so fully infused with those incredible tropical flowers and tropical fruits, apricot, wildflower, and smoky hints of faint oil. The acid is leaning in now, so time to consume.
October 31, 2021 - Don’t miss this beauty if you have any left! An almost perfect wine, despite its unmistakeable turn down the right shoulder. The epitome of vinous perfection next only to great red burgundy. That indescribable fusion of tropical fruit, exotic flowers, petrol, flint and the thinner viscosity that 25+ years brings to great Mosel Auslesen. Literally filled a Zalto universal glass with its nose,led by apricot fused with loquat, orange flowers, and a host of floral and exotic fruits. Near golden color now, a full finish, amazing acid balance.
November 15, 2020 - These 1990s 3-star auslesen from Christoffel are stunning. So much of what the wine world misses when Mosel riesling hits that point that only pinot noir can match: the elegance, refinement and other-wordly tones. The 1990s were the benchmark vintage and now they are just beginning to shift over to the right shoulder. Tons of pretty apricot color with a nose full of perfectly resolved tropical flowers and fruits, all very subtle, all as light as air, all complex. The palate has plenty of light flower honey, apricot, cumquat, chery(yes) and less of the Urziger defining spice than usual. Whereas a 1996 I had recently was a bit young and viscous, this is a tad thinner so should be consumed soon.
August 6, 2020 - Asperg Wine Syndrome Tasting Group: Summer tasting (Asperg): Tasted blind. Clear, youthful golden color. Developing nose with some slight petrol, tangerine, dill, some cassis. Very light and airy.
On the palate dense, but not as much as I would expect from an Auslese of this vintage. Some vanilla, fine yellow fruit, tangerine, herbs. Medium+ acidity, wonderful integrated. Still young and with at least 10+ more years of potential. Medium+ length. 92-93
February 25, 2017 - Gylden gul. Moden tropisk frukt. Pakistansk mango, ananas, fersken. Røde epler, klementiner, lime. Kjølig, steinete mineralitet. Slank og elegant vin til tross for den rike frukten. Tydelig modning. Samlet, med noen sekundæraromaer i retning petro. Kompleks og intens i munn. Frisk syre, med tropiske toner av mango, ananas, samt lime. Likevel lett som en fjær. Beskjeden i anslaget, etterfulgt av et rikt og fyldig midtparti. Samler seg i en lang, syredrevet utgang.
April 7, 2016 - Nothing like Chicago hospitality...; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016: Really pretty. Lots of smoky and fusel notes on the nose framing ripe red berries, peaches, and tarter citrus and apple fruit flavours, with floral and greener herbal notes coming out with more time. The sweetness is fairly restrained for a 3-star Auslese with the residual sugar buffered by the powerful '90 acidity, but it's very well balanced and easy to drink, getting much more fragrant and complex with air.
April 7, 2016 - Salil does Chicago 2; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016 (Chicago, IL): #10-91, 7.5% abv. This was perhaps one of the dark horses tonight. I always crack wise about this producer in comparison to Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, but perhaps I ought to re-evaluate. This was a very lovely round and complete wine, with a big dose of gasoline and fresh green herbs on the nose. The palate is sweet and round, and shows a serious slatey presence as well as some really lovely secondary characteristics. I preferred this a touch to the Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Auslese of the same vintage.
August 29, 2014 - Pretty rich and ripe fruit. Nice bold spice. Perhaps a bit sweeter an glue'ier than crisper vintages. Not super subtle, but totally joy providing
January 21, 2012 - Fantastisk vin! Petroleum og svovel blåste av og avdekket en kjempeelegant og ren reisling. Epler, tropisk frukt og en herlig rikhet. Ikke veldig søt lenger.
October 28, 2010 - Brought to dinner at Beast. Best part.