You may remember my account of a brief visit to Toronto last December where everyone I met seemed to be called Zoltan or Igor.
Here’s an account of a first-ever trip to Germany by one of the Zoltans, sommelier and wine writer Zoltan Szabo (www.zoltanszabo.org) which I thought might amuse some of you who are already familiar with Germany and strike a chord with those who aren’t.
After my first visit, I am more confused about German wine law than before. Germans themselves are still trying to figure things out. Simplifying is the idea. Have more info and detail going on on the black label of the bottle for those savvy. "Spargel" [see members’ forum] season was fully on, so I had white asparagus in many forms at almost every meal. It was delicious and non-toilet friendly [do we really need to know this, I wonder? JR]. Great wheat, white, yeast beers are served at breakfast. And there was sunshine for the first couple of days...due to far up northerly latitude sun is shining so brilliant and sparkling white and bright. Rained for the rest of the trip, sadly. In one week I had tasted 205 wines [what a doddle! JR]. My overall impressions are summed below, in a nutshell, and of course what and how I remember. As well as some of my top scoring wines, some already available in Ontario.
Rheingau - wines are floral, delicate; terraced vineyards and the beautiful, peaceful Rhein river. Mosel – complex, minerally and acidic Riesling; steep as hell vineyards, I was shitting my pants walking up at the top of vineyards looking down over the edge; they harvest downwards from the top; the quintessential Mosel joke makes sense why cemeteries are located at the bottom of the valley... Pfalz – very dry, driest of wines, almost austere; some Scheurebe fanatics here, rightly so, I myself love that grape and its potential to produce aromatic, (lemon verbena, fresh herbs), flavoursome and highly acidic, even more so than Riesling, wines; more reds produced here as well; Dornfelder reminded me of Dolcetto and Barbera in blind tasting.
New terms added to my wine vocabulary: mineral mint, salty, Saaps[?] salt, melted slate, slaty, feinherb, quartzite and blackcurrant as aroma nuance for some Rieslings...
Fitz-Ritter, Pfalz
"Most Beautiful Garden on the German Wine Road"
2003 Durkheimer Hochbenn Riesling Eiswein Quince and fresh herbs, fairly light and not too sweet with great acidity 89
2004 Rieslaner Beerenauslese Exotic, smoky and spicy aromas and flavours, obvious botrytis, good acidity. 88
2006 Durkheimer Abtstronhof Riesling Trocken Kabinett Citrus and stone fruit, fruity, light, dry with great acidity. 87
St Urbans-Hof, Mosel
Thomas, one of the Pennachetti boys [of Cave Spring in Ontario] married into the family; he is in all family photos. Sexy blonde conducted tasting.
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese Exotic, orange peel, fennel, minerals, just impressive, stunning sugar (90) acid (7.5), balance, 8.5 alcohol 92
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spätlese Orange zest, yeast, mineral, intense with long finish, what a lovely wine. 91
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett Tropical, floral, mineral, flavoursome with great acidity and lenght, elegant. 90
Selbach-Oster, Mosel
Owner a Borat fan. Great visit and dinner at Brauhaus Postille where menu looks like a newspaper, food is traditional, local fare.
2006 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese God's (and I) sweet elixir, tropical fruit and melted honey, stunning acidity and mouth cleansing acidity. 95
2006 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Exotic, botrytis, mineral salt, Jaaps, luscious and sweet with blancing acidity and great lenght 92
2006 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett SStone fruit, floral, minerals, juicy with appealing sweetness and crunchy acidity, very good 90
Dr Pauly-Bergweiler, Mosel
Reception 1969 Berkasteler Badstube Riesling hochfeine Auslese that looked bright golden with mineral mint aroma, rich and viscous, sweet and with great acidity. Due to certain vinification techniques these wines are deeper in colour and softer, in general. Parker and WS like them, no wonder. The winery produces 40 to 60 different wines per vintage mostly from Riesling, but some from Pinot Noir as well.
2006 Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling Spätlese Citrus, mineral, botrytis, sweet, juicy apples, lingering acidity 89 2006 Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling GG Complex nose and palate of citrus mineral mint, elderflower honey, light to medium bodied, great acidity and lenght 89
2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Grapefruit, minerals, juicy with great minerality, acidity and length. 89
1990 Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling Auslese Rich, complex nose and palate, lemon custard, spice, mint, petrol and bee's wax, good enough acidity and dry finish. 88
Lingenfelder, Pfalz
Motto "The Age of PostChardonnism", Lingenfelder is a great guy, recently smashed his "bird label" painted promo Smart Mercedes somewhere in England, told us about the world's first Sommelier, Ganymed. He is a huge Scheurebe fan.
2003 Scheurebe TBA Light orange golden and viscous. Lemon and orange marmalade, very rich and sweet gem like flavours of apricot, peach, acidity trying to balance 357 grams of sugar 90
NV (1996) Satyr Riesling Sekt Brut Golden with stone fruit, honey, yeast, petrol, tiny and active bubbles, fine mousse, sour lemon finish. 88
2003 Ganymed Made from Pinot Noir, aged in 50% new barrique. Light ruby with orange edge. Cherry, berry, herbal, fresh, has charm and 14% alcohol. 88
Koehler-Ruprecht, Bernd Philippi
Herr Philippi is a larger than life character, likes really old Bordeaux and fine food, travels extensively, partners in a Douro vineyard, enjoys life at its fullest, despite his stroke not too long ago. I much enjoyed meeting and talking to him, as well as tasting his wines. Some of the reserves are released after 7 years. They are serious, very dry and ageworthy wines made in a particulare style for particular palates. Philippi knows Ziraldo & Kaiser (founders of Inniskillin in Canada) very well.
2001 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese R Stone fruit, tropical mineral limestone,dry with lime, mineral flavours, vibrant acidity and long lingering auster finish. 90
2001 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Kabinett Trocken Lemon, some tropical, mineral, dry, tangy lime flavours, serious acidity. 89 2005 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken Peach pit, lemon, vanilla floral, mineral, dry with creamy texture, great acidity, I loved it. 90
Georg Breuer, Rheingau
I had a great tasting and lunch here. Breuer drove me around some of his vineyard sites. Decent Pinot Noir.
2005 Berg Rottland Auslese Goldkapsel Rich, botrytis, so muc flavour, just perfectly sweet with great acidity and long, raisin finish. 91 2005 Berg Roseneck Highly aromatic, pear drop, floral, herbal, medium bodied with lots of flavour and great length. 89
2005 Spätburgunder Berries, spicy floral fennel, light to medium bodied, fresh acidity and neat tannins. 86-87
Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau
"900 years history of wne – 275 years of Rieslng" motto says it all. Emperor Charlemagne smehow involved in the history of the estate. They grow mostly Riesling. Traditional clork closure. Owned by the people of Dr Oetker food company.
2005 Schloss Johannisberger Riesling Silberlack Erstes Gewächs Tight, floral nose, explosive palate of tropical fruit, minerals, incredible acidity and lenght, will age, needs decanting if now 90
2005 Schloss Johannisberger Riesling Grunlack Spätlese With int of botrytis, citrus, mango, pineapple, medium bodied, juicy, great lasting finish. 90
Reichsrat von Buhl, Pfalz
Great dinner at resto they own called Deidesheimer Hof; sauerkraut soup with blood sausage ravioli great 2001 Forster Stift Rieslaner Beerenauslese Citrus peel, kumquats, great acidity and finish. 90
Wegeler, Mosel
They paid for their piece in Doctor vineyard 100 gold marks per vine in 1900.
2005 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese Floral, exotic, star anise, explosive palate, lots of flavour, great acidity and lenght. Outstanding. 94
2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Exotic, mango on the palate, just rightly sweet, big time acidity, very good. 92
Krueger-Rumpf, Nahe
Winemaker told me "do not even try understanding our quality system"...
2002 Munsterer Pitterber Riesling Eiswein Floral, honey, partial botrytis, liquid lemon, incredible intensity of flavours, canned tangerine, and remarkable acidity. 92-93
2006 Munsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett Very pretty floral roses bouquet, plenty of flavour, piercing acidity and length. 90
Markus Molitor, Mosel
1991 Trabener Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Trocken Orange rind, coriander seed, gooseberry, great acidity. 91
2005 Wehlener Klosterberg Riesling TBA Luscious, 311 grams sugar God knows how, but balanced by acidity, dry (!) finish. 92
Balthasar Ress, Rheingau
Lovely lunch served, "maul taschen", pork stuffed raviolli in mushroom sauce and shredded steamed cabbage, catered by best local resto
2001 Hattenheim Nussbrunnen Riesling Auslese Lemon, camomle, botrytis, even violet, limestone aromas. Just outstanding. Every aspect in place. 93
Graf von Schönborn, Rheingau
2006 Hattenheim Pfaffenberg Riesling Beerenauslese Lemon, floral, botrytis, complex, acidity galore, long finish. 95
2006 Hattenheim Pfaffenberg Riesling TBA (5 litres produced only!) Rich, lemon, dried herbs, concentrated and sweet with balancing acidity, just incredible. 95