Tag Archives: 2011

Aug 22 2012
8 Comments
2011, Germany, Mosel

2011 Reuscher-Haart Gutsriesling trocken and 2011 Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Riesling

I have said it before (here and here) but I think one of the best bargains you can make along the Mosel are the Reuscher-Haart QbA wines, their basic rieslings. The wine is filled in a one liter bottle, so you get 25% 33% (oops, thanks for the pointer, Michael!) more than your usual bottle. Both wines are sold for around $5.50 at the winery, which makes them also quite affordable in the United States with the starting price $12.59 at one merchant.

It was interesting to taste the 2011 dry and sweet version of this wine against each other. They proved nicely the difference in a dry and sweet Mosel riesling, and why I like the sweeter rieslings better. Both wines are exceptional quality, and I highly recommend them. If a winemaker puts this much love in their simple estate wine, it speaks volumes about their work ethics.

The classic label (Photo credit: wine-searcher.com)

The 2011 Gutsriesling Trocken (trocken is the word for dry in German) was harvested from Piesporter Falkenberg. The grapes had a sugar level that would have qualified this wine for a spätlese, but Mario decided to make the dry gutsriesling out of them. The wine has 12% ABV and residual sugar of 6.7 grams/liter. It is light in color, with apple notes dominating the nose, exuding a freshness that was very welcome. On the palate, apple persisted strongly. The acidity in the wine was never overbearing and nicely tied to the apple notes. It was a very refreshing wine.

The 2011 Piesporter Riesling was not harvested in a specific vineyard, the grapes come from several lots in Piesport. The wine has 9% ABV, the residual sugar was not listed. The wine looked similar to its dry brother, but the nose showed more fruit aromas: there was gooseberry and kiwi, beside the apple notes that I find often in Mario’s wines. On the palate, the sweetness strengthened these aromas, and made the wine a great mouthful of fruit. The wine’s acidity ensures it is not too sweet on the palate. It is one of the most refreshing, easy drinking wines I know.

What does that comparison show? In my experience, more residual sugar in a wine (up to a certain extent!) brings out more fruit aromas, which is one of the greatest beauties of riesling for me. When I try a dry riesling I often find myself appreciating the wine but thinking: “If there was a bit more sugar here, it would be even better.” But, alas, that is my relationship with riesling…

You can order the wines at the winery here.

Tagged , , , , ,
Aug 20 2012
5 Comments
2011, Germany, Mosel

2011 Meierer Kestener Riesling Kabinett and 2011 Meierer Kestener Paulinsberg Riesling Spätlese

I promised to write a bit more in detail about some of the wines we tried on our trip to Germany. I want to start with the 2011 Meierer Kestener Riesling Kabinett and the 2011 Meierer Kestener Paulinsberg Riesling Spätlese. I wrote about the tasting experience at the winery in general here.

Bottle (photo courtesy of http://www.weingut-meierer.de)

The 2011 Kabinett was harvested from several lots in Kesten and the crushed together. The grapes used are those that are fully ripe but still low on sugar with a maximum of noble rot of 10%. The wine has 9% ABV with 7.5 grams of acidity/liter and 47 grams of residual sugar/liter. You can tell from these numbers that this is a typical German riesling on the sweet side. The key indicator for a sweeter wine is the lower alcohol content. As sugar is turned into alcohol by the yeast, a lower alcohol content necessarily means more residual sugar in the wine. It was vinified in stainless steel.

In the nose, I got sugary notes, with licorice and gummibear aroma. It smelled like fun! The palate was fruity with a healthy acidity. Unfortunately the finish was rather short. At $6.50 at the winery, this wine is a steal and a perfect summer treat.

Th 2011 Spätlese was harvested when the grapes were fully ripe and had some noble rot on them. The winery website says 10-20%. The wine has 8% ABV with 7.5 grams of acidity/liter and 74 grams of residual sugar/liter of wine.

On the nose, this wine had licorice (again!) and strawberry notes. The palate was really awesome. The wine initially tasted of herbs and peaches but a bit into the tasting more and more tropical fruit aromas showed up. I can only describe those as one of the ubiquitous multivitamin juices. I love that. The finish was nicely long. Another very solid wine.

European readers can order the wines directly from the winery here.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Jul 21 2012
Leave a comment
2011, Food and Wine Pairings, Germany, Mosel

2011 Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett

It was time to open a bottle of our new spoils last night, and this was our choice. I made a coconut curry chicken (courtesy of winophiled!), and we figured a sweeter riesling would work well with it. I have written about the Dr. Hermann winery here. I said it before, but I really think German rieslings with their acidity and sweetness are a great companion especially for Asian foods. The Erdener Treppchen tends to produce wines that I am particularly fond of, with a subtle nose and good fruit.

We tasted the wine at the winery itself in June, and here are my two tasting impressions:

June 16, 2012: Nice apple nose. On the palate creamy and rich. Good acidity, pleasant sweetness.

July 20, 2012: I can still identify apple, but also peach and some pear. On the palate, initially a nice amount of acidity, but then the sweetness is a bit overpowering with strong ripe notes, notably honey. Lasting finish. Over time, the fruity notes (especially apple) are coming through.

As you can see, I rate this wine quite sweeter in the tasting today than in June, probably because we had a number of wines before this one. To me, the wine definitely seemed more like a spätlese than a kabinett which should be a bit lighter. It was quite rich. That said, it is probably an even greater value at around $11 at the winery.

The pairing with the food was ok. The sweetness was just too much for this type of food. Frankly, it was sweeter than I expected it to be when I checked my notes.

Overall a great wine, just not the best pairing for my food choice.

Tagged , , , , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →