mosel

One local, one German, and another loss

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2002 S&K vp

2002 Stanton and Killeen Vintage Fortified 18.1%
29% Shiraz, 25% touriga, 20% durif, 12% tinta cao, 12% tinta barocca, 2% tinta roriz

Deep black/red colour with some bricking. Mocha, spices, creaminess, excellent spirit integration, and dark blackberry. Palate is packed with liquorice and aniseed, and fruitcake spices. Vintage port style, but It was certainly sweeter than Portuguese models. I suspected touriga inputs alongside Shiraz, and age around 25 years. Stanton and Killeen rate the vintage as very good with an 8/10 rating.

After the wine was unmasked, I was disappointed that marque’s usual depth, complexity, suppleness, savoury bite and drinking pleasure was less than expected. A sound wine, but lacking the expected thrills.

Drink to 2030, 91 points

2007 haart auslese

2007 Reinhold Haart Wintricher Ohligsberg riesling Auslese 7.5%
Mosel, AP#16 and 127 g/l rs.

Gold colour; plentiful spices, red apple, white peach, and passionfruit; palate is fresh and lush, creamy plus some mineral and light smoke with that classy balance between its high sugar (for an auslese) and acidity that avoids cloying and leaves one begging for more. A delight.

Drink to 2030, 94 points (and thankfully still similar to my notes from Jan 2017)

I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Willi Schaefer. I love these Mosel wines – pure and unforced. I had a terrific visit to the dining room in the house in 2007. We were welcomed, despite our sketchy knowledge of the wines and our inability to purchase more than a token bottle or two. An unhurried and extensive tasting, with plentiful knowledge transfer which provided the determination to purchase and cellar their wines. I will drink my stock with pleasure and treasure my memories.

Three wines, three countries, two styles

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2007 schmitges auslese

2007 Schmitges Erdener treppchen Riesling auslese* 7.5
Mosel, AP #15, 110 g/l residual sugar (500ml bottle)

Adequate cork. (The * indicates “more” than the minimum ripeness requirements).  Gold colour with a whisp of copper; apricot and tangerine, rum ‘n raisin, candle-wax, baking spices, grapefruit.

Really in the zone – absolutely true to style, energetic viscous honey on palate, plus the mix of dried and fresh citrus peel, and persistent spices. Will live on but why wait?

Drink to 2030, 92 points

1977 Quarles Harris Vintage Port
Portugal, and not a house I am familiar with, but owned by the Symington family, made in a “firm and dry” style.

Served blind, circumstances rendered note-taking difficult. Pale ruby colour, faded roses, putty. The palate showed (light) cherry and some (light) cocoa. The spirit was well integrated, and the wine was fully mature, mellow and enjoyable. My instant conclusion was “Portuguese VP, and greater than twenty years old”. The next part was trying to determine how much older, and I settled with the eighties (probably 1985).  A nice surprise when revealed it was 1977. But the wine may have been better say ten years ago, even though we’re in the realm of cork and cellaring varaiblilty.

Drink now, and 90 points

1994 gehrig vp

1994 Gehrig Vintage Port 17.5%
Rutherglen, Victoria

Served blind, this was clearly a vintage fortified. Pale in colour with rose petal, and a dash of musk/incense, its sweetness suggested an Australian origin. Supple, mellow and ready. On a good drinking plateau. The wine’s donor prompted that I had previously written about this wine (April 2021) and my notes are very different. This wine seemed more mature, with less overt fruit and tannin – and yet it provided greater “deliciousness”. (Photo is from 2021).

Drink soon, and 92 points.

Two continents, two styles

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2007 haart gt spatlese

2007 Reinhold Haart Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese AP#15 8%
Piesport, Mosel 85 g/l rs.

Bright gold colour, this wine struts out with red apple, nectarine, a melange of mixed tropical fruits and the distinctive regional tell-tale petroleum, smoke and mineral signs.

The rich and viscous palate reflects the fruits above; everything is poised to demand more sampling; it’s a beauty – the apparent sweetness hints that it’s drying out, but in reality it’s just seamlessly and gracefully melded into the acidity. Delicious and so easy to indulge. I have not tried a Haart wine since early 2017, so this is immensely encouraging about quality and cellaring longevity!

Drink to 2030, 93 points

1990 morris vp

1990 Morris Vintage Port 19.2%
Rutherglen, Victoria

73% Shiraz, 37% Bastardo (Google suggests Trousseau, but more likely Touriga).
A recent auction purchase, the cork has done its job- just – so there will be better bottles held by enthusiasts. Deep dense ruby with some bricking but no browning; Lots of mocha, crema, marzipan, dark fruits; the palate is sweet, still with significant tannic grip, amiable high quality spirit, with cleansing acidity, this is very good drinking. But it just doesn’t provide enough real thrills or highlights to take it to the next level. Mind, its 33 years old, and in really good shape for an Oz fortified of that age.

Drink to 2028, 88 points

better mixed sweets

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2016 pressong matters r139

2016 Pressing Matters Riesling R139 9.2%
Coal river valley, Tasmania

Pale colour, lime, pear, apple, ginger biscuit. The winery specialises in the unusual combination of Pinot Noir plus assortment of Rieslings at varying sweetness levels (R0, R9, R69 and r139) with many wine show successes and a wine club that offers regular museum releases. This wine is a cracker. With the crisp Tasmanian acidity, it has the magic combination of varietal definition, botrytis and purity. White peach and lime, thrilling acidity and it just lingers gracefully. Special!

Drink to 2030, 94 points

2015 ca' d'gal vv

2015 Ca d’Gal vite Vecchia Moscato d’asti 5%
Piedmont, lightly sparking (frizzante) packed with icing sugar, musk, and grapiness, spices and texture. The muscat character shines.  Around 90g/l residual sugar, and >$100.

Not as stellar as the 2008 tasted about twelve months ago, but its vitality will utterly revive jaded palates, and confound many with its delicious, bracing freshness.

Drink to 2027, 92 points

2004 jj prum zs auslese

2004 Joh Jos Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling 7.5%
Mosel, and a startlingly pale colour for its age. Showing white flowers, herb, apple and pine/nettle. The palate is full of minerals and phenolic grip. More modern vintages are riper and sweeter, but even though this wine was served straight after the Ca’ d’Gal, it didn’t seem to have the level of Auslese sweetness (my guess was Kabinett) A rare, relative disappointment from this producer.

Drink to 2026, 90 points

Another batch of rushed (mostly blind) impressions

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2007 jjchristoffel uw spatlese

2007 JJ Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling spatlese Ap#5 7.5%
Mosel.

Deep gold colour- wax, lime, lanolin, assorted sweet spices. Texture. A dash more acidity would have been welcome, but no mistaking its origin or variety, and merrily consumed over several days. But drink up!
90 points, drink to 2025

2011 Zilliken Saarburger Rieling Kabinett 8% AP#6
Mosel, from two half-bottles, one better than the other, but not by much.

59.9 g/l residual sugar (no wonder I assumed spatlese). Great colour for age; minerals, limes, texture and rampant tropical fruits.

91 points, drink to 2027

1995 Ch Coutet
Barsac. Deep gold colour; orange blossom, dusty botrytis notes, icing sugar and patisserie. Apricot and cumquat flavours. Altogether lovely, and absolutely ready to drink

93 points, drink to 2027

NV Campbells Merchant Prince Muscat
Rutherglen. An old bottling, suspected late 1970s.

Deep dense khaki colour with an olive rim. Rum ‘n raisins and the pungency of age. Very viscous, very ripe, and very sweet. Muscat certainly, Rutherglen probably. Maker??? There is no doubt the material was old, but I kept thinking that a tweak of freshening would have raised enjoyment to another level. But that’s what happens when the wine has been busy resting in bottle for forty years,

Drink now, 92 points

2004 grahams malvedos vp

2004 Graham’s quinta dos malvedos 20%
Cork very hard to extract (I broke it) – and plentiful sediment – decanting recommended. Malvedos provides the core when Graham’s declares a vintage port, so hopes were high. This wine has a ridiculously youthful dense crimson/black colour; blueberry, blackberry, minerals, spices and pepper. Palate is dark cherry and other dark fruits; good intensity but ultimately less complex than the initial promise. But a good advertisement for the quality of single quinta styles,

92 points; wait three years, then drink to 2030

1951 hardy's show port

1951 Hardy’s reserve bin show port bin M127
McLaren Vale, Shiraz.

Rancio, vanilla, superior brandy spirit. Tawny style, no doubt. 20yo? Mellow, lingering, satisfying. Label states aged in oak for over twenty years. Curiously bottled under screwcap, likely in the mid-late 1970s, so this is another curio that has been resting in bottle for nearly fifty years.

Drink now, 92 points.

Two lovely sweet Rieslings

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2016 pressong matters r139

2016 Pressing Matters R139 Riesling 9.4%
Tasmania- Coal River valley, screwcap (half bottle, a recent auction purchase)

Pressing Matters are known for their Rieslings (R0, R9, R69, R139), and Pinot Noir, with amazing records in Australian wine shows. Limited distribution, so I’m absolutely, shamefully behind tasting across their range. The current release 2019 R139 is $37 for a half-bottle.

Bright gold colour, ripe red Apple and beurre bosc pear, with a frame of spices. Hooray, there’s enough acidity to balance the high residual sugar level, and this is pretty hard to resist. There’s varietal lime and citrus, and a long, and truly satisfying fresh textural finish. Exceptional value here too. The usual caveats with food matches- fresh fruits work; fruit pies will work if gentle on the sugar side, some cheeses will succeed, and some won’t; but the bottle contents will seemingly evaporate regardless. A find!

Drink to 2028, and 93 points.

2007 schloss bjs spat

2007 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese AP#8, 9%
Mosel, 94 g/l residual sugar

Light lemon colour, and then the marvels come. Cinnamon, icing sugar, pear, nectarine. Crunchy apple, flint, creamed honey and beautiful balance between fruit depth, acidity and sweetness. (I wrote about this wine in April 2020, with similar descriptors, scores etc).

This is an absolutely delightful spatlese (from a distinguished site), and my patience has been truly rewarded.
Drink to 2030, 94 points

Two 2007 spatlese from Schloss Lieser

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2007 schloss lieser spatlese pair

Schloss Lieser is one of my favourite Mosel producers, with a track record of providing excellence at a modest price. I have fond memories and notes from a dinner when winemaker Thomas Haag visited Australia in March 2010 – (with a mere 15! wines presented). Neville Yates‘ Eurocentric store has many Schloss Lieser wines available).

Neiderberg Helden wines are typically on the more earthy, minerally end than Brauneberg. These sweet wines of Schloss Lieser were fermented in stainless steel with wild yeasts.

2007 Schloss Lieser Neiderberg Helden Riesling Spatlese AP#7 8.5%
Mosel, 78 g/l residual sugar.

The first bottle was oxidised; so another was located and opened. Pale gold colour, Light spices, fresh red apple and some herbs. User-friendly now, with its lemon/citrus fruited sweetness melded with acidity and good concentration. But there’s no real upside in waiting.

Drink to 2027, 90 points

2007 Schloss Lieser Braunberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese AP#8 8%
Mosel, and a high-for-style 94g/l residual sugar.

Lemon colour, exuberantly bursts out with sweet cinnamon, spices, ripe apple and honey, a dash of lime and brown sugar. Balanced, fresh, and so easy to revel in. The palate is creamy, with white peach notes, oranges and underlying flintiness.

Crisp and persistent. Precise.  Sweet and cuddly, but that natural acidity cleans up beautifully. Ripping quality and value.

Drink to 2032, 93 points

2006 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese AP#41 7.5%

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

From the Mosel, and a famous site. Adequate cork, and the wine is a bright deep lemon colour.

2006 loosen spatlese

There are delightful wafts of honey, spices, tropical fruits – particularly passionfruit- citrus and apple and raisin. The palate, as expected is sweet, clean and there is the magic interplay between acidity, alcohol, and sweetness. However, there is more grippiness than desirable- possibly some slight oxidation?

There may be better bottles, so…
Drink to 2023 and 90 points

2008 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese AP#12, 8%

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2008 haart spatlese

Mosel. Bright deep lemon colour; spices and exotic tropical notes, particularly guava, plus red apples and citrus – oranges and lemon, some petroleum too. The palate is rich and at the sweeter end for a spatlese; honeyed, spice-filled, with the red apple dominant, and supported by racy acidity and stoniness. Its drinking vibrantly, but I feel it won’t improve further.

Drink to 2025, and 91 points