2006 J. Hofstätter Gewürztraminer Kolbenhof

Community Tasting Note

indiscriminate palate wrote:

56 Points

Friday, August 15, 2014 - A tasting of Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, and other random whites. (Northport): This is not a wine; it is an abomination. The group decided unanimously that I must be an evil sadist for including it in the lineup. They are correct, but I now have confirmation that I am not alone in my despising/hating/loathing this "wine." Because I hate myself, I tried it over several days and once--once, and for only a second--found something that wasn't vile.

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7 comments have been posted

Comment posted by SteveG:

8/20/2014 2:18:00 PM - I have not yet sampled any of my 3 bottles, but in reading yours and other notes it seems at least credible that you received some bad or mishandled bottles. I mean, there are 74 notes on this wine and while obviously there is plenty of room for personal taste (and lord knows, something like a late-picked(?) gewurztraminer might hardly be a crowd pleaser), really almost none of the other 70 sound like their wine was flawed, but all 4 of yours do. Perhaps you are due a refund? (Seriously, I am Not commenting to disagree with your findings, it just sounds like you tasted unsound wine to me.) Cheers!
Comment posted by indiscriminate palate:

8/20/2014 7:37:00 PM - Steve, I completely agree that the experience I have had is far out of line of many of the tasters here. However, my case of the wine has been tried by enough people that I am fairly confident it is not flawed in any of the traditional ways that we mean that word. I have no idea what explains the difference between the case that I received and those by the vast majority of others.
Comment posted by Seth Rosenberg:

8/20/2014 9:29:00 PM - Could you go into detail about what you (and the others) hated about it?
Comment posted by Rich S:

8/21/2014 6:55:00 AM - This wine does not drink like a traditional, light bodied floral gewurtz at all. It drinks more like a late harvest dessert wine and may come across a bit too big on the palate for some, especially if your expectations are for the former. Try it served in a smaller pour with a sharp blue cheese like you would a sauternes and see if the experience is different. I would completely agree this wine is not for everyone but that does not mean it is a bad or poorly made wine. You just have to alter your expectations of the varietal in this case.
Comment posted by indiscriminate palate:

8/21/2014 8:59:00 AM - Seth, see my earlier reviews. It is very alcoholic, waxy/oily, primarily candied (artificial Fruit Loops like) tropical fruits, and bitterness. Slight vegetal/chicken broth notes may suggest some Sulfur/Mercaptans issue, but not one I have previously encountered. I served a glass blind to Salil some time ago, who did not find fault, but thought it was an unpleasant, hot, disjointed mess. Clearly, my bottles differ from those of other tasters here.
Comment posted by Seth Rosenberg:

8/21/2014 4:44:00 PM - I propose a blind tasting with a bottling from your batch and a bottling from elsewhere. We have to be scientific about such things.
Comment posted by SteveG:

8/21/2014 5:29:00 PM - OK, I opened a bottle of this about 3 hours ago, and tasted (and retasted) it slightly chilled. I will try again tomorrow. I also note that even far outside of CT, this is a well-regarded wine/vineyard/producer. To me, all that good, intense, ripe, tropical fruit is submerged underneath something along the lines of rotten, smoldering vegetables. I certainly don't know if this is a matter of vinification, bottle/batch variation, handling (although mine has been in my perfectly adequate passive cellar for almost 5 years now), or what, but for now I am in the "unpleasant, undrinkable" camp, and I Really Like dry, overripe dessert/apertif wines, (normally).