What else could possibly cap a night with '19 Lavantureux, '96 Calon, '85 GL, and '89 Huet? (Not to mention the '11 Jouan Clos Sorbe that apparently received no tasting notes because it was so outclassed)
Just outstanding in every way. The perceived acidity paradoxically increases as it warms. (Genuinely, this goes against all of my understanding of temperature and taste) All the creamy, tropical typical notes. An even more complex nose than ever before with Riesling. Banana, pineapple, guava, passion fruit, stone fruit, white flowers, lemon lemon lemon. That fucking Altoids sour note again, can't remember which wine that was. Slightly grassy. Delightful.
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Light-medium yellow. Intense nose of tropical fruit, lemons, ginger. Complex tightly focused ripe fruits, perfectly balanced acidity, long finish. Could go on like this for decades. Outstanding.
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Amazing - and another contender for my wine of the year! And held up very well (and perhaps edged it) next to a 1998 Climens.
Wonderfully despite its age. Vibrant citrus fruit on the nose and a rich, full palate with balancing acidity. A real treat. Will probably keep but I'll be drinking my other bottle of this soon.
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Completely gone. Treacly in a colour with a mean palate. The cork had sunk a bit so this was probably badly oxidised. A real shame given how well this wine is still showing according to everyone else's tasting notes!
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Birthday drinks (Indianapolis, IN): Another awesome showing. Piercing, high toned aromatics with those wild ginger and horseradishy spicy Eiswein notes around a core of intensely ripe, clean citrus and tropical fruits and honey. In true HGS style, the acidity here is off the charts and as usual perfectly balances the ridiculously high level of sweetness. Brilliant.
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Fucking incredible. The best showing I've had from this wine yet - this is a fireworks display of incredibly bright, ripe tropical fruits and Meyer lemons, honey, and high toned horseradish and gingery spice. I don't have words to convey the level of intensity and lightness here - it's a high wire balancing act of incredible sweetness and almost searing acidity, and somehow it works as a spectacularly well balanced Riesling with a finish that goes on endlessly. Glad I have a couple more.
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Riesling SWAG (Restaurant Vlet, Hometown, Hamburg): Next off dry Riesling, quite dark brownish colour for a wine of "only" twenty years of age, so this glass is nutty, caramel, somehow roasty, dried tropical fruit, but only in the background, very tight and conce trated on the midpalate, ending very long with a razor blade demanding acidity, so this one is lacking harmony and therefore not that charming, in this condition drink up!
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Riesling SWAG 2018 (Restaurant Vlet, Hamburg / Speicherstadt): Medium amber color with a pink hue. Nose with some floral notes, bread, not very expressive or appealing. Sweet, laser sharp acidity, very concentrated. Some strange, undefinable flavors. A bit disappointing as I know how great at least the ripe Rieslaner wines from MC can be. Not my cup of tea. Bad bottle? 90-91
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Again, day 2. Didn't try this at dinner the night before. Nose of creamy tangerine, mandarin, apricot. Soft and deep - tangerine and apricot. Good not great acid. Excellent finish: round and sharp with that MC horseradish. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-18/20.
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Alt Rieslingfeier (New York City, NY): #22-99, 9.5% abv. I do love me some donkey skin. This is yet another in a long line of what I love to call Cronenberg rieslings. An extremely concentrated wine, with incredible acidity, all somehow balance on a pinpoint. The fruit here is absolutely kaleidoscopic. There's a slight, heady touch of horseradish on the nose as well. Like how ordering the tamago while eating sushi signifies that you're done with your meal, pouring and drinking this wine signifies the end of your drinking session: beware of the palate-distorting characteristics of this wine.
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I have followed this wine in its infacy through its teenage years and now at full maturity and its been a real joy and privilege to have experienced its development which at every stage has given enormous enjoyment. With age it has developed wonderful nuances with stunning aromas roaring from the glass there is still acidity present to allow further development. This is fabulous winemaking.... Bravo !!!
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Latest taste 11/16/2017. 1998 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein AP 22 99; $90/375 ml, before bp, WineBid; $113 FOB Piqua, OH. Imported by Skurnik/Theise. 9.5 pabv.
Brief note: November 16, emptied from balance of Coravin half-bottle to leTaster and Riesling Riedel. Cork-finished wet up sides; original Coravin October 23. At first refrigerator temperature. Scattered tears? (Possible need for better polishing of glasses!) Plenty bitty; now light-colored for type. Plenty of large tartrate plates visible with a little care.
Grass/redcurrant with fresh air, little or no radish; mildly baked apricot/honey confection. Showing vivid punchy lemony activity, with sufficient ripeness and residual to show a slightly light-TBA stylishness. Hits all the buttons but needs a little more integration for best pleasure--can prove a little palate-fatiguing now. 92/100 on pure pleasure; 94/100 on quality Give 2020-2030 for best results, and don't be afraid to decant an hour or three beforehand. Very early November 2 Eiswein harvest, similar to Doennhoff's triple early November ones. ___________________________ Extended evaluation:
A very interesting color presentation from this cork-finished half-bottle, a combination of brilliance and slight golden metallicity, with a warm amber haze growing to rich orange. From Coravin to Riedel Riesling and LeTaster. A very even but substantial sheeting shows. Over 24 hours grows more brilliant and more refractive--an adiamant beauty to look at.
The botrytis of this Eiswein is not hidden in its vividly grapy, somewhat forward fruit that presents itself initially--orange, clove, nutmeg, and mild bakeshop aromas, for instance, but underneath there is an almost pure redcurrant preserve impression. Grows with air into luscious apricot preserve and mild tobacco smoke underneath. Its amour propre is lost in dusty band-aid and powdered sugar, at least at first, until good sense comes to rescue it.
Very vivid, nearly searing acidity as it were laid on to what would be a beautiful breakfast confection built around a sweet pepper and thyme jelly. The texture and finish of this wine resembles 'fuzzy' apricot flower honey in a way, if such can be imagined. This wine is delightful as is but giving it another 3 to 7 years would be all to its (and our) good.
One of the greatest and earliest Eiswein vintages of my time; however, most of the best others are very 'clean' wines on average compared with this nobly-rotten one. This one is actually still a bit too edgy for best pleasure on opening and would give it about 3-5 more years if improvement on this axis is desired. It certainly will be a 30-year wine, well-kept! Second day supports this assessment, with its liquescence, caressing texture of lime zest, and clarity. 94/100 RPP.
The 'Donkey Skin' ('Eselshaut') of the Einzellage name refers to a German mythic 'fairy tale' related to 'Cinderella'. The donkey in question had the ability to turn dung into gold, as this vineyard unquestionably does.
This is a large sandy area (300 ha) that was reclassified in 1969 with similar surrounding areas (the 'Meerspinne') to the Deutscher Weinstraße/Neustadt (northern Pfalz) region and which this estate has exploited so brilliantlly under Hans-Gunther Schwarz and his successors. The ability of this acreage to produce fine wine could be more related to surface topography than soil composition, allowing frosty airs to descend and drain from the growing surface down into the Rheingraben. (See German-language edition of Wikipedia). _________________________________________________
Brief note: November 16, emptied from balance of Coravin half-bottle to leTaster and Riesling Riedel. Cork-finished wet up sides; original Coravin October 23. At first refrigerator temperature. Scattered tears? (Possible need for better polishing of glasses!) Plenty bitty; now light-colored for type. Plenty of large tartrate plates visible with a little care.
Grass/redcurrant with fresh air, little or no radish; mildly baked apricot/honey confection. Showing vivid punchy lemony activity, with sufficient ripeness and residual to show a slightly light-TBA stylishness. Hits all the buttons but needs a little more integration for best pleasure--can prove a little palate-fatiguing now. 92/100 on pure pleasure; 94/100 on quality Give 2020-2030 for best results, and don't be afraid to decant an hour or three beforehand. Very early November 2 Eiswein harvest, similar to Doennhoff's triple early November 1.
Nothing like Chicago hospitality...; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016: Not quite the freaky Cronenberg that the '96 Eiswein was - this was better behaved, though still showing some serious residual sugar though with the acidity to balance it. Packed with ripe tropical fruits, strawberries, and candied lemons with higher toned gingery accents, intense, powerful, and really compelling as these '98 MCs tend to be.
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Salil does Chicago 2; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016 (Chicago, IL): #22-99. 9.5% abv. From half bottle. I think the most surprising thing about this wine was the sheer amount of red(!) fruit on the nose. Strawberries and cherries, along with some more exotic spice notes. This clearly wasn't a particularly botrytised wine, as the colour isn't anywhere as dark as some of the MCs in a similar vein I had a few months ago. Nonetheless, this has that same hilarious balance between insane sugar and acid, though not blown out to as silly a proportion.
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AP#22-99. Onangeish-amber in color. Quince and pear on the nose give way to a viscous and sweet palate. Sort of a Muscadine grape sweetness matched to a Riesling acidity. Think of a very ripe ruby red grapefruit in terms of the beautiful sweet/sour balance in this wine. Lemons and oranges on an extremely long finish. Terrific today but one gets the sense that there is still more underneath yet to reveal itself. Should drink extremely well for many decades to come. A magical wine. 50+9+10+9.5+9.5 = 98
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I loved this. Vastly better than the last bottle, a few years ago, this opens with beautiful aromatics but a dull palate; a little while in the open bottle sorted things out, and the palate came around as well. Special stuff. Too bad it was only a 375.
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A great fragrance right away combining ripe tropical fruits and honeyed flavours with high toned gingery and other spicy accents. The first few sips aren't particularly exciting, rather thick and sweet but with some air it really transforms, gaining intensity and focus with time in the glass. Delicious.
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Steve & Barb's house. AP#22-99. Still quite youthful but also beginning a sense of what I call the floating fruit palate. Green apples and sweet tarts and a very slight horseradish botrytis note ( truly slight, you need to look for it ). High sugar. High acid. Excellent balance and a beautiful match with Barb's ginger tiramisu. A great end to another great night with the Souths. 50+13+13+9+9=94
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Paired with a Costco lemon meraing pie. Golden color candied lemon peel on the nose. Clean on the palate with perfect balance from beginning to end. Full bodies and viscous with meyer lemon throughout. Less electric than many others that I have had but not cloying in the slightest. More lemon cream than lemon curd. A gorgeous dessert wine and typical of 1998. Aging effortlessly.
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Cocktail party at home with Joe & Alison. AP #22-99. Surprisingly muted tonight. Usually this bottling is explosive on both the nose and palate. Maybe it is finally shutting down? Will probably wait several years before opening another. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90++
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Dinner at Elaine's in Chapel Hill, NC with Steve & Barb. AP #22-99. Pale yellow in color this wine has a laser sharp acidity. The nose is reminiscent of green apples and the palate continues to show the overwhelming honey and lemon sensation that it seems to have recently developed. That honey/lemon note is very much like a miniature version, in terms of complexity, of the '91 Muller-Catoir Eiswein and we need to keep our hands off of some of these to allow them to get to that same level. I think the '98 will ultimately be a much more complete wine than the '91. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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AP #22-99. Bright gold in color, this youthful wine comes across as very muscular but at no time heavy. Generally very fruity right now and displaying prominent notes of honey and lemon that for the first time reminded me of the '91 Muller Catoir Eiswein. Based on experience with the '91 I would expect these 2 notes to become stronger with further bottle age. A really luscious wine with a finish that lingers somewhat endlessly. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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Dinner with Steve & Barb at Acme. AP #22-99. Very similar to previous bottles, just as glorious. Light gold in color, this wine exhibits terrificly pure and deep flavors, showing no botrytis influence. Great acidity makes the sweetness appear no more than a top Spatlese. Full bodied and a great finish - clean and long. Seems like a wine that may drink well throughout the aging curve, but I hope I still have some left in 15-20 years to see what it turns into. The latest bottle to prove what a home run MC hit in 1998. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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Dinner with Mom. Light gold in the glass, this wine just explodes on the nose with scents of apricots, citrus, peaches, green apples and pineapple. Full bodied with racy acidity, this is a pure eiswein that has intense and concentrated flavors. This still very young wine is rich, viscous and unctuous. A real classic in the making. 50+13+14+9+9 = 95+
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Delightful, pure eiswein. Nose dominated by citrus and ripe apple flavours, with no hints of botrytis. Very fresh on the palate with layers of sweet citrus, candied fruits and some intense minerality. On the finish, the acidity and body guarantee good length, but the finish is dominated somewhat by the minerality, which could detract a little. That's a very minor gripe for a wine that is very nice and drinking perfectly, but will last for many years.
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A classic eiswein that was great with foie gras. No noticeable botrytis, just clean pure flavors. Delicate but very assertive and full bodied. The slightest hint of petrol and lots of white fruits. This should age beautifully.
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2/5/2023 - zachb1125 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Salil Bday
What else could possibly cap a night with '19 Lavantureux, '96 Calon, '85 GL, and '89 Huet? (Not to mention the '11 Jouan Clos Sorbe that apparently received no tasting notes because it was so outclassed)
Just outstanding in every way. The perceived acidity paradoxically increases as it warms. (Genuinely, this goes against all of my understanding of temperature and taste) All the creamy, tropical typical notes. An even more complex nose than ever before with Riesling. Banana, pineapple, guava, passion fruit, stone fruit, white flowers, lemon lemon lemon. That fucking Altoids sour note again, can't remember which wine that was. Slightly grassy. Delightful.
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11/14/2022 - dbg wrote:
Light-medium yellow. Intense nose of tropical fruit, lemons, ginger. Complex tightly focused ripe fruits, perfectly balanced acidity, long finish. Could go on like this for decades. Outstanding.
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10/16/2020 - Duncan H wrote: 92 Points
Amazingly fresh and vibrant - you would never have guessed its age!
Rich gold in colour and then juicy, syrupy peaches and apricots on nose and palate with cleansing acidity. Absolutely amazing!
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7/27/2019 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing - and another contender for my wine of the year! And held up very well (and perhaps edged it) next to a 1998 Climens.
Wonderfully despite its age. Vibrant citrus fruit on the nose and a rich, full palate with balancing acidity. A real treat. Will probably keep but I'll be drinking my other bottle of this soon.
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3/17/2019 - Duncan H wrote: flawed
Completely gone. Treacly in a colour with a mean palate. The cork had sunk a bit so this was probably badly oxidised. A real shame given how well this wine is still showing according to everyone else's tasting notes!
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12/28/2018 - salil wrote: 96 Points
Birthday drinks (Indianapolis, IN): Another awesome showing. Piercing, high toned aromatics with those wild ginger and horseradishy spicy Eiswein notes around a core of intensely ripe, clean citrus and tropical fruits and honey. In true HGS style, the acidity here is off the charts and as usual perfectly balances the ridiculously high level of sweetness. Brilliant.
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11/21/2018 - salil wrote: 97 Points
Fucking incredible. The best showing I've had from this wine yet - this is a fireworks display of incredibly bright, ripe tropical fruits and Meyer lemons, honey, and high toned horseradish and gingery spice. I don't have words to convey the level of intensity and lightness here - it's a high wire balancing act of incredible sweetness and almost searing acidity, and somehow it works as a spectacularly well balanced Riesling with a finish that goes on endlessly. Glad I have a couple more.
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4/14/2018 - fc1910 wrote: 86 Points
Riesling SWAG (Restaurant Vlet, Hometown, Hamburg): Next off dry Riesling, quite dark brownish colour for a wine of "only" twenty years of age, so this glass is nutty, caramel, somehow roasty, dried tropical fruit, but only in the background, very tight and conce trated on the midpalate, ending very long with a razor blade demanding acidity, so this one is lacking harmony and therefore not that charming, in this condition drink up!
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4/14/2018 - NoTrollingerPlease Does not like this wine: 90 Points
Riesling SWAG 2018 (Restaurant Vlet, Hamburg / Speicherstadt): Medium amber color with a pink hue. Nose with some floral notes, bread, not very expressive or appealing.
Sweet, laser sharp acidity, very concentrated. Some strange, undefinable flavors. A bit disappointing as I know how great at least the ripe Rieslaner wines from MC can be. Not my cup of tea. Bad bottle? 90-91
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1/28/2018 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Again, day 2. Didn't try this at dinner the night before. Nose of creamy tangerine, mandarin, apricot. Soft and deep - tangerine and apricot. Good not great acid. Excellent finish: round and sharp with that MC horseradish. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-18/20.
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1/27/2018 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Alt Rieslingfeier (New York City, NY): #22-99, 9.5% abv. I do love me some donkey skin. This is yet another in a long line of what I love to call Cronenberg rieslings. An extremely concentrated wine, with incredible acidity, all somehow balance on a pinpoint. The fruit here is absolutely kaleidoscopic. There's a slight, heady touch of horseradish on the nose as well. Like how ordering the tamago while eating sushi signifies that you're done with your meal, pouring and drinking this wine signifies the end of your drinking session: beware of the palate-distorting characteristics of this wine.
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12/16/2017 - Cathair Chaladinn wrote: 96 Points
I have followed this wine in its infacy through its teenage years and now at full maturity and its been a real joy and privilege to have experienced its development which at every stage has given enormous enjoyment. With age it has developed wonderful nuances with stunning aromas roaring from the glass there is still acidity present to allow further development. This is fabulous winemaking.... Bravo !!!
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10/24/2017 - sweetstuff wrote: 94 Points
Latest taste 11/16/2017. 1998 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein AP 22 99; $90/375 ml, before bp, WineBid; $113 FOB Piqua, OH. Imported by Skurnik/Theise. 9.5 pabv.
Brief note:
November 16, emptied from balance of Coravin half-bottle to leTaster and Riesling Riedel. Cork-finished wet up sides; original Coravin October 23. At first refrigerator temperature. Scattered tears? (Possible need for better polishing of glasses!) Plenty bitty; now light-colored for type. Plenty of large tartrate plates visible with a little care.
Grass/redcurrant with fresh air, little or no radish; mildly baked apricot/honey confection. Showing vivid punchy lemony activity, with sufficient ripeness and residual to show a slightly light-TBA stylishness. Hits all the buttons but needs a little more integration for best pleasure--can prove a little palate-fatiguing now. 92/100 on pure pleasure; 94/100 on quality Give 2020-2030 for best results, and don't be afraid to decant an hour or three beforehand. Very early November 2 Eiswein harvest, similar to Doennhoff's triple early November ones.
___________________________
Extended evaluation:
A very interesting color presentation from this cork-finished half-bottle, a combination of brilliance and slight golden metallicity, with a warm amber haze growing to rich orange. From Coravin to Riedel Riesling and LeTaster. A very even but substantial sheeting shows. Over 24 hours grows more brilliant and more refractive--an adiamant beauty to look at.
The botrytis of this Eiswein is not hidden in its vividly grapy, somewhat forward fruit that presents itself initially--orange, clove, nutmeg, and mild bakeshop aromas, for instance, but underneath there is an almost pure redcurrant preserve impression. Grows with air into luscious apricot preserve and mild tobacco smoke underneath. Its amour propre is lost in dusty band-aid and powdered sugar, at least at first, until good sense comes to rescue it.
Very vivid, nearly searing acidity as it were laid on to what would be a beautiful breakfast confection built around a sweet pepper and thyme jelly. The texture and finish of this wine resembles 'fuzzy' apricot flower honey in a way, if such can be imagined. This wine is delightful as is but giving it another 3 to 7 years would be all to its (and our) good.
One of the greatest and earliest Eiswein vintages of my time; however, most of the best others are very 'clean' wines on average compared with this nobly-rotten one. This one is actually still a bit too edgy for best pleasure on opening and would give it about 3-5 more years if improvement on this axis is desired. It certainly will be a 30-year wine, well-kept! Second day supports this assessment, with its liquescence, caressing texture of lime zest, and clarity. 94/100 RPP.
The 'Donkey Skin' ('Eselshaut') of the Einzellage name refers to a German mythic 'fairy tale' related to 'Cinderella'. The donkey in question had the ability to turn dung into gold, as this vineyard unquestionably does.
This is a large sandy area (300 ha) that was reclassified in 1969 with similar surrounding areas (the 'Meerspinne') to the Deutscher Weinstraße/Neustadt (northern Pfalz) region and which this estate has exploited so brilliantlly under Hans-Gunther Schwarz and his successors. The ability of this acreage to produce fine wine could be more related to surface topography than soil composition, allowing frosty airs to descend and drain from the growing surface down into the Rheingraben. (See German-language edition of Wikipedia).
_________________________________________________
Brief note:
November 16, emptied from balance of Coravin half-bottle to leTaster and Riesling Riedel. Cork-finished wet up sides; original Coravin October 23. At first refrigerator temperature. Scattered tears? (Possible need for better polishing of glasses!) Plenty bitty; now light-colored for type. Plenty of large tartrate plates visible with a little care.
Grass/redcurrant with fresh air, little or no radish; mildly baked apricot/honey confection. Showing vivid punchy lemony activity, with sufficient ripeness and residual to show a slightly light-TBA stylishness. Hits all the buttons but needs a little more integration for best pleasure--can prove a little palate-fatiguing now. 92/100 on pure pleasure; 94/100 on quality Give 2020-2030 for best results, and don't be afraid to decant an hour or three beforehand. Very early November 2 Eiswein harvest, similar to Doennhoff's triple early November 1.
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4/7/2016 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Nothing like Chicago hospitality...; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016: Not quite the freaky Cronenberg that the '96 Eiswein was - this was better behaved, though still showing some serious residual sugar though with the acidity to balance it. Packed with ripe tropical fruits, strawberries, and candied lemons with higher toned gingery accents, intense, powerful, and really compelling as these '98 MCs tend to be.
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4/7/2016 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Salil does Chicago 2; 4/6/2016-4/10/2016 (Chicago, IL): #22-99. 9.5% abv. From half bottle. I think the most surprising thing about this wine was the sheer amount of red(!) fruit on the nose. Strawberries and cherries, along with some more exotic spice notes. This clearly wasn't a particularly botrytised wine, as the colour isn't anywhere as dark as some of the MCs in a similar vein I had a few months ago. Nonetheless, this has that same hilarious balance between insane sugar and acid, though not blown out to as silly a proportion.
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7/18/2013 - JeffGMorris Likes this wine: 98 Points
AP#22-99. Onangeish-amber in color. Quince and pear on the nose give way to a viscous and sweet palate. Sort of a Muscadine grape sweetness matched to a Riesling acidity. Think of a very ripe ruby red grapefruit in terms of the beautiful sweet/sour balance in this wine. Lemons and oranges on an extremely long finish. Terrific today but one gets the sense that there is still more underneath yet to reveal itself. Should drink extremely well for many decades to come. A magical wine. 50+9+10+9.5+9.5 = 98
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6/6/2012 - 14frimaire wrote:
I loved this. Vastly better than the last bottle, a few years ago, this opens with beautiful aromatics but a dull palate; a little while in the open bottle sorted things out, and the palate came around as well. Special stuff. Too bad it was only a 375.
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6/6/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
A great fragrance right away combining ripe tropical fruits and honeyed flavours with high toned gingery and other spicy accents. The first few sips aren't particularly exciting, rather thick and sweet but with some air it really transforms, gaining intensity and focus with time in the glass. Delicious.
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9/23/2011 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
Steve & Barb's house. AP#22-99. Still quite youthful but also beginning a sense of what I call the floating fruit palate. Green apples and sweet tarts and a very slight horseradish botrytis note ( truly slight, you need to look for it ). High sugar. High acid. Excellent balance and a beautiful match with Barb's ginger tiramisu. A great end to another great night with the Souths. 50+13+13+9+9=94
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4/25/2008 - Chateaunewf wrote: 95 Points
Paired with a Costco lemon meraing pie. Golden color candied lemon peel on the nose. Clean on the palate with perfect balance from beginning to end. Full bodies and viscous with meyer lemon throughout. Less electric than many others that I have had but not cloying in the slightest. More lemon cream than lemon curd. A gorgeous dessert wine and typical of 1998. Aging effortlessly.
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4/6/2008 - 14frimaire wrote:
Merely nice.
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2/7/2008 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
Cocktail party at home with Joe & Alison. AP #22-99. Surprisingly muted tonight. Usually this bottling is explosive on both the nose and palate. Maybe it is finally shutting down? Will probably wait several years before opening another. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90++
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10/20/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Elaine's in Chapel Hill, NC with Steve & Barb. AP #22-99. Pale yellow in color this wine has a laser sharp acidity. The nose is reminiscent of green apples and the palate continues to show the overwhelming honey and lemon sensation that it seems to have recently developed. That honey/lemon note is very much like a miniature version, in terms of complexity, of the '91 Muller-Catoir Eiswein and we need to keep our hands off of some of these to allow them to get to that same level. I think the '98 will ultimately be a much more complete wine than the '91. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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5/29/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
AP #22-99. Bright gold in color, this youthful wine comes across as very muscular but at no time heavy. Generally very fruity right now and displaying prominent notes of honey and lemon that for the first time reminded me of the '91 Muller Catoir Eiswein. Based on experience with the '91 I would expect these 2 notes to become stronger with further bottle age. A really luscious wine with a finish that lingers somewhat endlessly. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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9/29/2006 - dbg wrote:
outstanding
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8/16/2006 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with Steve & Barb at Acme. AP #22-99. Very similar to previous bottles, just as glorious. Light gold in color, this wine exhibits terrificly pure and deep flavors, showing no botrytis influence. Great acidity makes the sweetness appear no more than a top Spatlese. Full bodied and a great finish - clean and long. Seems like a wine that may drink well throughout the aging curve, but I hope I still have some left in 15-20 years to see what it turns into. The latest bottle to prove what a home run MC hit in 1998. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94+
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7/3/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Mom. Light gold in the glass, this wine just explodes on the nose with scents of apricots, citrus, peaches, green apples and pineapple. Full bodied with racy acidity, this is a pure eiswein that has intense and concentrated flavors. This still very young wine is rich, viscous and unctuous. A real classic in the making. 50+13+14+9+9 = 95+
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1/23/2005 - IanL wrote: 91 Points
Delightful, pure eiswein. Nose dominated by citrus and ripe apple flavours, with no hints of botrytis. Very fresh on the palate with layers of sweet citrus, candied fruits and some intense minerality. On the finish, the acidity and body guarantee good length, but the finish is dominated somewhat by the minerality, which could detract a little. That's a very minor gripe for a wine that is very nice and drinking perfectly, but will last for many years.
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12/31/2003 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
A classic eiswein that was great with foie gras. No noticeable botrytis, just clean pure flavors. Delicate but very assertive and full bodied. The slightest hint of petrol and lots of white fruits. This should age beautifully.
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11/23/2001 - dbg wrote:
yellow, nice nose, great balance with plenty of acidity,
excellent-outstanding
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5/4/2000 - dbg wrote:
excellent fruit, sweetness, acid, some petrol and boxwood
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