Germany
An impressive flight of wines in distinctively different styles --
all potentially ageworthy.
Schloss Saarstein Serriger Riesling Kabinett 1999, Mosel Saar
Ruwer
9% alcohol. A typical Saar style, steely and dry. This pale
coloured wine has a pronounced mineralic nose, with citrus and floral
notes. The palate is powerful and intense, with spicy complexity and
good balance. It finishes with a touch of honey, and is quite dry, but
with enough residual sugar to counter the considerable acidity. Very
good/excellent (price guide: Berry Bros have the 1995 for £8.50)
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 1998, Mosel
Saar Ruwer
8.5% alcohol. From the Mosel, showing some richness and ripe
fruit. The slightly smoky, mineral nose is currently a little closed.
The palate is rich and rounded, with some spiciness, a lively acidic
kick and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Very good
Lingenfelder Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Spätlese 1999,
Pfalz
12% alcohol. Distinctive stuff that veers in the direction of new
world Riesling in style. Rich, sweet nose shows exotic tropical fruit
and citrus notes, with a smoky edge and a mineral streak. The dry
palate has bold flavours and good acidity, with more of those mineral
notes. Very good/excellent
Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Riesling Auslese 1997, Mosel Saar
Ruwer
From leading Ruwer estate Karthäuserhof, this wine has 9.5%
alcohol. The nose is lively and full, with citrus notes dominating.
The palate explodes with spicy citrus fruit, some sweet honey notes
and high balancing acidity. Lovely stuff. Very good/excellent
Alsace Back to top
A real mixed bag of styles here. The two Trimbachs are legendary
wines, among the finest expressions of Riesling in the region, yet
quite different. (Of course, it's infanticide to be drinking these
wines so soon.) The Wunsch & Mann is a solid effort from a
producer with a slightly mixed reputation, but I didn't really care
for the more up-front style shown by the Bott-Geyl.
Wunsch & Mann Riesling Grand Cru Hengst 1996
Quite deep coloured. The richly rounded nose is smooth with notes
of honey, pears, smoke and minerals. The lively palate shows more
honey, smoke and mineral characters, with lemony acidity on the
finish. It's quite a serious, minerally wine. Subtle and balanced.
Very good+
Bott-Geyl Riesling Grand Cru Mandelberg 1997
The subtle, citrus-laden nose has some smoky notes and a lively
grapiness. The palate is more open, with some sweetness and complex
notes of honey, smoke and minerals. It's a modern, market-driven style
that I don't care for much: I find that most of the more ambitious
wines from this producer lack balance. Very good
Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 1997
A serious, backward wine that really needs time to show its best.
The minerally, smoky nose leads to a bone dry palate that is complex
and mineralic with some citrus elements. It's quite tight and firm,
but with a bright future ahead of it. Very good/excellent
Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste Hune 1996
Possibly the most celebrated Alsace wine? It's hard not to be
swayed by reputations as lofty as that enjoyed by this wine, and even
harder to assess it fairly so early on in its development. Quite a
deep colour, the full, startling nose shows complex bready and mineral
notes with some smokiness and perhaps a touch of spice. The palate is
quite challenging: bone dry and with high acidity, it shows lime and
mineral notes, with huge extract and concentration. Will probably be
sensational in time, but quite hard work to drink now because of the
high acidity and lack of balancing sugar. Excellent
Austria Back to top
Two leading producers from different regions, making wines that are
quite different in character. I preferred the Bründlmayer wines by
quite a way, but others may disagree. Take your pick.
Nikolaihof Riesling Steiner Hund Spätlese 1999, Wachau
Nikolaihof is a high-profile estate run along biodynamic lines, and
this wine is made from late-harvested grapes, and weighing in at 12.5%
alcohol. Very pale in colour, this has a fresh citrussy nose with a
smoky mineral edge. The palate is bright and spritzy, with lively,
zingy acidity. Quite light textured and finishes dry. A delicate wine,
there currently isn’t as much complexity as I was hoping for here;
hopefully this will come with time. I must admit that I was expecting
more from this well regarded producer. Very good (Price guide: Raeburn
stock the 1997 version of this wine for £23)
Nikolaihof Riesling Vom Stein zu Mautern Smaragd 1999, Wachau
The Smaragd classification is the highest level, named after the
lizards that bask in the sun on the terraced vineyards, and the wine
from these ripe grapes has 12.5% alcohol. This has a fresh, fruity
nose with hints of smoke and minerals. It's fresh and spritzy on the
palate, and perhaps a bit grapey. Overall it's a little weightier than
the Spätlese, but still a light-textured wine, and it finishes dry. A
little bit simple at present? Very good (Price guide: Raeburn stock
the 1998 for £22.)
Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein 1999, Langenlois,
Kamptal
13% alcohol. Light, fresh, minerally/citrussy nose leading to a
full, concentrated palate with good complexity, firm acidity and a dry
finish. There's some limey Riesling character and although it's a
touch austere at the moment it should develop nicely. Very good+
(Price guide: the 1997 vintage is £13 from Raeburn)
Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben 1998,
Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria
A sensationally bold interpretation of Riesling. Pretty alcoholic
at 14%, but not unbalanced. Beautifully enticing smoky, spicy nose
(some botrytis here?). The concentrated, rich palate shows complex
notes of lime, spice and honey, with a bone dry finish. Quite
delicious. Excellent (Bibendum £18)
New World
Back to top
The new world can no doubt make great Rieslings, but these examples
disappointed. They're not bad wines, but they just didn't have the
class and poise shown by most of the old world examples in this
tasting.
Waipara West Riesling 1999, Waipara, New Zealand
Lively, fruity, limey nose showing delicate bright fruit. The
palate is bone dry and a little one-dimensional, showing
light-textured lime fruit and high acidity. Too sharp. Good/very good
Petaluma Riesling 1999, Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is home to Australia's most celebrated Rieslings.
Quite a full nose, showing some citrus notes. It's full, ripe and
citrussy on the palate with a slightly chalky texture: it's almost
'structured', although that term is usually reserved for red wines.
Savoury and rich with great concentration. Very good
Leeuwin Estate Riesling 1999, Margaret River
Leeuwin is famous for producing Australia's most acclaimed
Chardonnay: the Riesling is less famous and considerably more
affordable. Lively complex nose with lime fruit and a sherbet edge.
The palate is very attractive, with ripe fruit balanced nicely by firm
acidity. Avoids the trap of one-dimensional fruitiness and has a
really nice texture in the mouth. Very good+
Klein Constantia Riesling 1996, Constantia, South Africa
By far the cheapest wine in the tasting by some distance, this is
a slightly late harvest style with some sweetness to the finish. A
deep yellow colour, the complex nose shows notes of citrus fruit,
spice and peaches with a waxy edge. The palate is spicy and oily,
richly textured with a citrussy core. Developing nicely. Very good+
Sweeties Back to top
A pair of very different Rieslings with one thing in common: they are
both dripping with residual sugar.
Heggies Botrytis Riesling 1996, Eden Valley
Deep coloured wine with a nose of toffee, caramel and brown sugar.
The palate is very sweet, rich and spicy, with enough acidity to
balance. It's not showing a huge amount of botrytis, but it's
deliciously put together. Very good/excellent
Bassermann Jordan Riesling Eiswein Forster Ungeheuer 1996, Pfalz
Eiswein is made from grapes that have been left on the vine until
winter night-time temperatures drop well below freezing. Then, in the
early hours of the morning the frozen grapes, not affected by
botrytis, are picked and crushed, resulting in a super sweet must that
is then fermented. They're always expensive, but not always worth the
money. This one is, though. Deeply coloured, with an incredibly rich,
sweet nose of toasty caramel, honey, lime and some spiciness. It's
very complex, with a slight cabbagey edge. The palate is syrupy sweet
with a spicy edge and hugely rich texture. Good acidity provide
balance. Sensational stuff. Excellent
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