2012 Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Urglück

Community Tasting Notes (41) Avg Score: 91.6 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View indiscriminate palate's profile
  • Report Issue

  9/18/2022 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 90 Points

  My penultimate bottle which is sad because while these have been delicious in their youth, I’m curious what they’ll offer in one or two more decades. Red apple is the primary note on the nose and palate. Some lime, peach, and pineapple as well on the palate. Juicy, with great supporting (but not piercing) acidity. Still very primary and fruit-driven though showing a bit of an herbal element that I don’t recall before. Light effervescence. Hard not to gulp this down.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View indiscriminate palate's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/28/2022 - indiscriminate palate wrote:

  Still primary and fruit-forward, with red apple and lime peel and a bit of peach. So gulpable, the bottle disappeared in a flash.

  2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Seth Rosenberg's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/25/2022 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 92 Points

  I really loved this when it was released and bought a case, so I figured it was time to check in. When popped, it had such a clear evocation of the Wurzgarten with strawberries, cream, crisp herbs and spices both green and brown. After that it is still very good but I never was able to catch that perfect nose again. After that it showed the sweet-ripe-juicy-bright 2012 side along with a very minerally almost brothy side that reminds me of Austrian Riesling Smaragd. The nose starts with tons of sweet peaches, red and gold apples, honey, some whipped cream, and in the background a pulse of minerality. A new pour, colder, shows a nice purity and some of the Wurzgarten spice. Enters sweet and crisp, with the apples and peaches, the honey, some spices and minerals all there. It verges on being too sweet and tilting towards heaviness, but manages to stay on the right side - with nice liveliness, solid acid, and tons of juiciness. Definitely some Juicy Fruit gum in there. Maybe a few points just a bit too soft on the end palate. The finish shows the sweet orchard fruits and honey with a little peach pit and minerality. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-16.5/20.

  2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View acyso's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/1/2021 - acyso wrote: 93 Points

  (Mostly) Spätlese dinner at Proxi (Chicago, IL): #17-13, 9.5% abv. Overall I think I liked this bottle a lot more than the rest of the table. It's definitely the value play of the lineup this evening. Made in a very dry style, this drinks maybe more like a Kabinett feinherb than a Spätlese. Intense herbs and spices on the nose with a delicacy and lightness that is very pleasant. After some heavier, more intense wines, this may have felt a little dilute, but it certainly had plenty to show.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View wayfarer's profile
  • Report Issue

  5/6/2021 - wayfarer Likes this wine:

  Drank over three nights. Rich, full, redolent with yellow stone fruit, some apple, light floral notes. That said, the acid balance and minerality are nearly MIA, thus leading to a more intense single dimension sweet palate. True it's long, but finishes a bit heavy. Did not shift a lot on successive tastings. Reading other notes it's unclear if this is a phase or just bottle variation. Prior bottle was seven years ago, nearly a lifetime it would seem, and was more compelling. One more of a three pack left, so will wait a couple of years to see what happens. Have the 2016 but not tried yet, may soon.

  2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)

View all 41 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.