Germany's
best Rieslings: dry, sweet, or both? The Gunderloch
experiment
Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach (pictured) run the
celebrated Weingut Gunderloch (see my notes on some of the Gunderloch wines below), in Germany’s Rheinhessen. They are famous for their
Riesling
from the Rothenberg vineyard, which has red slate soil. A
recent and controversial move in the Rheinhessen has been that the VDP
(Verband der deutschen Prädikatsweingüter) has devised a new
vineyard classification, called Große
Gewächse (Grand Crus). For wines to carry this name, they must fulfil clearly defined criteria
(restriction of vineyard site, yield reduction, handpicking, …),
most significant of which is that the top Große
Gewächse have to be made in a dry style.
Thus Fritz and Agnes have to decide whether they want
to carry on making Rothenberg
wines in sweet styles as well as dry. If they do, they will either not
be able to label them as Großes
Gewächs, or else they’ll have to drop the Rothenberg name from
the label. A dilemma. The question is, does the Rothenberg
trocken (dry) style really reflect the terroir at its best?
For
the Rothenberg site at least, it suggests that diversity works.
According to Fritz,”The result makes me happy and relieved. Our top
vineyard site delivers top wines through all the different styles. The
high minerality and the fine notes of apricot taste completely
different in a dry than in a sweet wine. We will therefore, if nature
allows, not only produce dry wines, but also in the future continue to
make Spätlese and Auslese from the grapes of the Rothenberg in the
future.”
While
the results might have been different for the Mosel as opposed to the
Rheinhessen, the message from this interesting tasting seems to be
that German Riesling should continue to be made in a variety of
sweetness levels.
Tasters
·
London,
September 20, 2004
Neil Beckett
(Fine Wine Magazine), Stephen Brook,
Simon Larkin
MW, David Peppercorn
MW, Freddy Price,
Jancis Robinson
MW.
· Nackenheim,
September 23, 2004
Gerhard Eichelmann, Ina Finn, Harry George, Friedrich
Groebe, Manfred Lüer (Vinum), Ingo Swoboda (Der Feinschmecker),
Stuart Pigott, Michael Prónay
(A la Carte), Wilhelm Weil.
· New
York, November 17, 2004
Eric Asimov (The New York
Times), Rob Bigelow (Bellagio), Joe Czerwinski (Wine Enthusiast),
Howard Goldberg (The New York Times), Paul Grieco (Hearth Restaurant),
Peter Liem (Wine&Spirits), Steve Pitcher (San Francisco Cronicle),
Luis Reyneri (Bellagio), Christopher Russel (Union Square Café),
Bruce Sanderson (Wine Spectator), Jerry Shriver (US Today), Brian
Smith (CIA Hyde Park), Joshi Takemura (Tribeca Grill), Rudi Wiest.
The Winelist
Wine 1
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Wine 2
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Wine 3
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1992 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Auslese
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Wine 4
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1993 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Trocken
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Wine 5
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1993 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese
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Wine 6
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1993 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Auslese
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Wine 7
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1994 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Trocken
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Wine 8
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1994 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese
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Wine 9
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1994 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Auslese
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Wine 10
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2002 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Trocken
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Wine 11
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2002 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese
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Wine 12
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2002 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Auslese
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Wine 13
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2003 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Trocken
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Wine 14
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2003 Nackenheim
Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese
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Wine 15
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2003
Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling
Auslese
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Information
supplied by wine and partners, www.wine-partners.at
My notes on the Gunderloch wines:
Gunderloch
Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett 2002 Rheinhessen
Taut, fresh, slightly minerally nose. The palate is herby and
quite dense with lemony acidity underlying the savoury fruit. Hint of
sweetness. Tasty in a full style. Very good/excellent 90/100
Gunderloch
Riesling Spätlese Nackenheim Rothenberg 2002 Rheinhessen
Precise herby, limey nose. The palate is rich textured and full
with fresh herb and lime -tinged fruit. Sweet finidh. Very nice
balance here. Very good/excellent 91/100
Gunderloch
Riesling Auslese Nackenheim Rothenberg 2002 Rheinhessen
Well defined rich lime and honey note. The palate has an explosive
richness of fruit with lots of sweetness, good acidity and great
balance. Delicious, rich, complex and balanced. Very good/excellent
93/100
UK
agent: Siegel (www.siegelwines.co.uk)
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