88+ Single vineyard Spaty, from a famous winemaker. I thought this would be ready, but it felt pretty unforgiving. Maybe in a dumb phase and should be left for a few years to gain in richness.
N: Not as aromatic as I anticipated. Fairly restrained. Subtle petrol. Waxy lime, cumquat.
P: Palate is very grippy, impressively so. Balance of mouthpuckering citric acidity & voluptuous ripe mandarin & jasmine blossom. Interesting, but ultimately not that inspiring.
Think I should have enjoyed a couple of years ago, or left it alone for a little longer. One of my first fine wine buys, '18 BBR.
Golden. From my warmer than textbook cellar this is still quite young, but already enjoyable. Middle intense nose and intense palate of slate, peaches, honey, tropical fruits, whipped cream and slaty minerality. 5/12/17/10. -2040+ if textbook cellared.
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Beautiful and balanced. Peach, stone fruit, a touch of honey. Smooth, partly because it lacks the tension/electricity that the best Rieslings show in their early years.
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Third bottle of this with consistent impression—it’s a wine of such spherical harmony. Light but expressive, concentrated but vibrant, sweet but subtle. Nothing out of place and very satisfying.
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Always a save bet, this 2012 Schaefer Spätlese has everything what makes Schaefer one of the most reliable producers in the whole region. One of the key words if you drink a Schaefer wine is balance. Very harmonious, quiet style, just like the people behind it. Although I have to say that I miss the last tension of more vibrant years like 2010 or 2013. Nevertheless a wonderful Spätlese.
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Almost too drinkable, this has orchard and stone fruits, chalky minerals, and blazing acidity. Lightweight and impeccably balanced. This is quite sweet, but the overall impression is so harmonious that it's not even remotely cloying.
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What a beauty. Ripe stone fruit, ripe lemon, honeyed and a hint of straw all tied together with this beautiful core of stony minerality. Impeccable balance between the rich sugar level (surely this could have been classified as auslese?) and high, refreshing acidity. An elegant powerhouse, with tons of upward potential.
Terrific wine. Concentrated orchard fruits coexist seamlessly with chalky minerals in a light-bodied package. Impeccably balanced. Has an organic, super-fresh character that is hard to resist.
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Somms Australia - Riesling Tasting: Honey, mandarin and lemon. Palate is sweet up front but then gets cleansed by acid. Finishes quite long and with just the right amount of sweetness. Young but very impressive.
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Very similar experience as Seth. Was expecting more fireworks given past experience and the quality of the vintage, but this seemed like it was tucked tight in its shell. Only after several hours of airtime, when some lovely jasmine and minty aromas peeked out, did I get a sense of the complexity that may come one day. Time to put the rest of my stash to sleep for a good many years.
Not a great showing for this bottle - I'm pretty sure it is closing down. Nose is spicy with sponti - cumin, lime, floral - honey. Crisp on entry with lime, brown spices, quite electric, but not panoramic as it has been. Shut down on the middle-end. Needs 5 years now. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-16/20.
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A tasting of Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, and other random whites. (Northport): Easily the group's favorite, and for good reason. A veritable fruit salad, with apples, tangerines, pineapple, and a host of others, but also with floral and mineral elements. This is both a wine that you could just enjoy (and enjoy A LOT) or a wine that (if feeling particularly without joy) could analyze for hours, or days. Fantastic. Give this air. As for time, whatever... drink one today, another next week, repeat for years and years.
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Just a repeat of my previous experience with this, which was thrilling from first sip through last. A totally classic Mosel Spätlese, with layers of bright orchard fruit, flowers, herbs, and slate all coming together on a seamless, lightweight package that's all about purity and finesse.
Peach and citrus on the nose with a sense of dusty sweetness. Palate is demi-sec and straightforward with light minerality. This is a simpler Spatlese than I expected but well crafted. Perhaps it can use more time?
These are just always automatically perfect wines at any age. Add 2012 to the mix and you start running out of adjectives and you begin laughing at the prospect of scores. Sure, there are the ever dependable perceptions of dried sand, pungent grapefruit and dried citrus peel, melon vine, mineral, mineral, ..., sponti, slate, flower, ............! It's just that the 2012 seem to go up to 11. Recommend!
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Green apple, grapefruit, lime, white grape, some crushed stone like minerality. Typical mosel, with lightness and crystal-clarity. Savourful, intense attack. Medium density on midpalate, super balance between sweetness and acidity. Medium-plus finish. With a slightly more depth and more intense finish would be absolutely classy. 89-90
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No surprise that this is absolutely spectacular. Packed with a spectrum of Mosel fruit, slate, and fresh herbal and floral notes, it's a touch sweeter and more intense than the AP #10 bottling, but there's also an extra jolt of acidity on the palate that keeps it even fresher and more vibrant, and the sense of purity and persistence to the flavours are really something.
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Just beautiful on the nose: powerful but light. Crisp, spicy: brown spices with some red apple, peach and lime. Good minerality but not killer. White flowers. Enters sweet with lots of fruit and honey: apple, peach and lime again. The slate comes out in the middle with lots of juicy citrus. Juicy citrus and acid some out for a sweet citrus and apple finish. Shows a touch of ripeness/burliness at the end. This wine has stuffing to spare and is delicious now but will resolve with time. It might go into a shell for a few years and come out screaming after 5-10. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17+/20.
Powerful lime and ripe peach nose. Huge amount of intensity on the finish with layers of apple, red berries and tropical fruit. Great acidity to balance the lush fruit. Very long finish. Superb.
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Howard Ripley 2012 German Tasting (London): Pre-release sample. Like the Kabinett this is beautifully balanced. Amazing concentration. Should see its 25th birthday with ease but it will be very hard to keep your hands off it for that long. 17/20.
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12/24/2022 - WilliamMP wrote: 88 Points
88+ Single vineyard Spaty, from a famous winemaker. I thought this would be ready, but it felt pretty unforgiving. Maybe in a dumb phase and should be left for a few years to gain in richness.
N: Not as aromatic as I anticipated. Fairly restrained. Subtle petrol. Waxy lime, cumquat.
P: Palate is very grippy, impressively so. Balance of mouthpuckering citric acidity & voluptuous ripe mandarin & jasmine blossom. Interesting, but ultimately not that inspiring.
Think I should have enjoyed a couple of years ago, or left it alone for a little longer. One of my first fine wine buys, '18 BBR.
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3/12/2022 - Caruso Likes this wine: 94 Points
Golden. From my warmer than textbook cellar this is still quite young, but already enjoyable. Middle intense nose and intense palate of slate, peaches, honey, tropical fruits, whipped cream and slaty minerality. 5/12/17/10. -2040+ if textbook cellared.
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1/27/2022 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful and balanced. Peach, stone fruit, a touch of honey. Smooth, partly because it lacks the tension/electricity that the best Rieslings show in their early years.
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2/4/2021 - bill00 wrote: 92 Points
Pale colored. Very light hints of petrol with ripe fruit. Quite sweet but perfectly balanced. So easy to drink.
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1/3/2019 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
Third bottle of this with consistent impression—it’s a wine of such spherical harmony. Light but expressive, concentrated but vibrant, sweet but subtle. Nothing out of place and very satisfying.
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12/31/2018 - m_arcon wrote: 92 Points
Always a save bet, this 2012 Schaefer Spätlese has everything what makes Schaefer one of the most reliable producers in the whole region. One of the key words if you drink a Schaefer wine is balance. Very harmonious, quiet style, just like the people behind it. Although I have to say that I miss the last tension of more vibrant years like 2010 or 2013. Nevertheless a wonderful Spätlese.
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9/17/2018 - rc@ughey wrote: 93 Points
Almost too drinkable, this has orchard and stone fruits, chalky minerals, and blazing acidity. Lightweight and impeccably balanced. This is quite sweet, but the overall impression is so harmonious that it's not even remotely cloying.
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6/29/2016 - ronnieroots wrote: 92 Points
What a beauty. Ripe stone fruit, ripe lemon, honeyed and a hint of straw all tied together with this beautiful core of stony minerality. Impeccable balance between the rich sugar level (surely this could have been classified as auslese?) and high, refreshing acidity. An elegant powerhouse, with tons of upward potential.
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3/14/2016 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
Terrific wine. Concentrated orchard fruits coexist seamlessly with chalky minerals in a light-bodied package. Impeccably balanced. Has an organic, super-fresh character that is hard to resist.
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1/20/2015 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Somms Australia - Riesling Tasting: Honey, mandarin and lemon. Palate is sweet up front but then gets cleansed by acid. Finishes quite long and with just the right amount of sweetness. Young but very impressive.
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9/3/2014 - Billigan wrote:
Very similar experience as Seth. Was expecting more fireworks given past experience and the quality of the vintage, but this seemed like it was tucked tight in its shell. Only after several hours of airtime, when some lovely jasmine and minty aromas peeked out, did I get a sense of the complexity that may come one day. Time to put the rest of my stash to sleep for a good many years.
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8/28/2014 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:
Not a great showing for this bottle - I'm pretty sure it is closing down. Nose is spicy with sponti - cumin, lime, floral - honey. Crisp on entry with lime, brown spices, quite electric, but not panoramic as it has been. Shut down on the middle-end. Needs 5 years now. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-16/20.
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8/15/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 94 Points
A tasting of Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, and other random whites. (Northport): Easily the group's favorite, and for good reason. A veritable fruit salad, with apples, tangerines, pineapple, and a host of others, but also with floral and mineral elements. This is both a wine that you could just enjoy (and enjoy A LOT) or a wine that (if feeling particularly without joy) could analyze for hours, or days. Fantastic. Give this air. As for time, whatever... drink one today, another next week, repeat for years and years.
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6/4/2014 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Just a repeat of my previous experience with this, which was thrilling from first sip through last. A totally classic Mosel Spätlese, with layers of bright orchard fruit, flowers, herbs, and slate all coming together on a seamless, lightweight package that's all about purity and finesse.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
5/2/2014 - farinas wrote: 90 Points
Peach and citrus on the nose with a sense of dusty sweetness. Palate is demi-sec and straightforward with light minerality. This is a simpler Spatlese than I expected but well crafted. Perhaps it can use more time?
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3/25/2014 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:
These are just always automatically perfect wines at any age. Add 2012 to the mix and you start running out of adjectives and you begin laughing at the prospect of scores. Sure, there are the ever dependable perceptions of dried sand, pungent grapefruit and dried citrus peel, melon vine, mineral, mineral, ..., sponti, slate, flower, ............! It's just that the 2012 seem to go up to 11. Recommend!
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3/1/2014 - drbarta Likes this wine: 89 Points
Green apple, grapefruit, lime, white grape, some crushed stone like minerality. Typical mosel, with lightness and crystal-clarity. Savourful, intense attack. Medium density on midpalate, super balance between sweetness and acidity. Medium-plus finish. With a slightly more depth and more intense finish would be absolutely classy. 89-90
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2/26/2014 - bill00 wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. Young and fresh. Honeydew melon, key lime and white florals.
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12/20/2013 - salil wrote: 94 Points
No surprise that this is absolutely spectacular. Packed with a spectrum of Mosel fruit, slate, and fresh herbal and floral notes, it's a touch sweeter and more intense than the AP #10 bottling, but there's also an extra jolt of acidity on the palate that keeps it even fresher and more vibrant, and the sense of purity and persistence to the flavours are really something.
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10/23/2013 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just beautiful on the nose: powerful but light. Crisp, spicy: brown spices with some red apple, peach and lime. Good minerality but not killer. White flowers. Enters sweet with lots of fruit and honey: apple, peach and lime again. The slate comes out in the middle with lots of juicy citrus. Juicy citrus and acid some out for a sweet citrus and apple finish. Shows a touch of ripeness/burliness at the end. This wine has stuffing to spare and is delicious now but will resolve with time. It might go into a shell for a few years and come out screaming after 5-10. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17+/20.
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6/10/2013 - Biggsy wrote: 92 Points
Powerful lime and ripe peach nose. Huge amount of intensity on the finish with layers of apple, red berries and tropical fruit. Great acidity to balance the lush fruit. Very long finish. Superb.
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6/6/2013 - davestenton wrote:
Howard Ripley 2012 German Tasting (London): Pre-release sample. Like the Kabinett this is beautifully balanced. Amazing concentration. Should see its 25th birthday with ease but it will be very hard to keep your hands off it for that long. 17/20.
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