August 27, 2023 - Intense nose with so much going on: super complex flavors of lemon, peach, apricot, honey, and herbs. Great acidity with more of the complex flavor array on the palate, with some added minerality and a hint of hay. Very long finish. Wow, this was absolutely fantastic! Clearly the best bottle of the 95 Vinothek so far and probably one of the best Austrian Rieslings I've had.
April 7, 2023 - Oxidized :(
May 21, 2022 - Very complex, savory nose with citrus and saline character. Good acidity on the palate with lemon flavors, tart stone fruit, and a bit of petrol. Very long finish. Outstanding wine, very similar to the last bottle a few months earlier.
March 19, 2022 - Gorgeous nose with flavors of peach, tart fruit, lemon, almonds, and herbs. Very complex and changing with air throughout the night. The palate is well balanced with nice acidity, more lemon notes, tart peach, and a slightly bitter citrus zest note. Very long finish. Outstanding wine that still tastes fresha nd young and has years to live!
May 17, 2021 - Smoky, herbal, spicy on the nose. Mild notes of oxidation, delicate fruit, crushed stones. Very fine and delicate. On the palate slightly creamy with great acidity and freshness. Again delicate. Lingering, very persistent finish. Lovely, but not as breathtaking as the previous bottle, which in fairness I was able to enjoy over a several days. 92-94
July 30, 2020 - Virtual Rieslings: Sophisticated and complex. Waxy, honeyed and a fair amount of minerality on the palate. There is a bit of an oxidative note.
July 30, 2020 - Virtual Riesling Tasting (Home): Light medium gold color. Wines were opened and poured into vessels between 4-4:30pm, poured into glasses around 6:30pm; drank a glass over 3 hours. Interesting wine; way, homeyes, a little oxidative character, dry minerality, white fruits, stone fruit, lemon. The palate shows similar character to the nose; though more white citrus, lemon, very dry, a little white peach and some lacquer. This has got some body to it and roundness. I'd give it 91pts on the first night. Had some leftover that we had the next evening and I thought it was actually noticeably better. There was more depth to the fruit, it was brighter and there was even a tropical edge to it. Less stark and a bit more fresh. Score is based on day two. 91-92pts.
July 30, 2020 - Zooming in on Riveting Rieslings: Zooming in on Riveting Rieslings
All wines prepared as follows: Opened between 4:00 and 4:30, poured into jars for transport, poured into glasses and tasted starting at 6:30. The following wines were tasted:
1995 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek
2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2007 Dönnhoff Felsentürmchen Riesling Spätlese
2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese #4
2016 Nigl Riesling 1OTW Privat Pellingen
1997 Taylor Fladgate Porto (Dessert wine)
Groups top 3:
WOTN - 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2nd - (Tie) 2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese #4
2nd - (Tie) 2007 Dönnhoff Felsentürmchen Riesling Spätlese
My Order:
WOTN - 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2nd - (Tie) 2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese #4
2nd - (Tie) 2007 Dönnhoff Felsentürmchen Riesling Spätlese
4th - 1995 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek
5th - (Tie) 2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
5th - (Tie) 2016 Nigl Riesling 1OTW Privat Pellingen
1995 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek: For those who prefer Rieslings in a drier style, I don't think it gets much better than this! This wine is everything you could ask for in a dry Riesling. The nose shows stone fruits, some honeysuckle and a touch of citrus and tropical fruit. The palate showed a well-rounded wine with a great mouthfeel and a well-balanced wine. The palate also showed stone fruit, apple, pear and a touch of lemon-lime with a splash of sweetness, which all complemented the flint, limestone and saline minerality in the wine. The finish was long and lingering, and even though this is not my favorite style of Riesling, I noticed the glass was empty while I was still contemplating the wine (a good sign). For me, this was an easy 92+ (and that is likely conservative due to the style not being squarely in my wheelhouse). My number 4 wine.
February 25, 2020 - Savory on the nose, a wild and feral wine.
February 22, 2020 - Quiet off the cork pull. Palate is so full and round. Massive very long and just opened.