Tag Archives: Germany

April 9, 2013 · 4:09 pm

Dr. Buerklin-Wolf – 16/02/2012

Gaisbohl GC Riesling 2009
A monopol vineyard owned exclusively by the estate, a rich and slightly oily nose, and ripe strawberry lime cordial viscosity and weight, with full texture from a little residual sugar.

Hohenmorgen GC Riesling 2009
A very delicate toasted nut and green minerality, with less intensity of fruit and more mid-palate savoury texture and length.

Pechstein GC Riesling 2009
Similar to the J.L. Wolf I had tasted the previous day, showed the influence of the unique volcanic basalt soil composition. It showed a much darker more intense yet subdued fruit character, was quite brooding for a riesling, had great purity yet many dimensions.

Ungeheuer Riesling Trocken 2003
Retaining very ripe tropical pineapple primary fruit, but picking up some nougat and honey bottle-aged characters, lacking in oiliness though.

Reiterpfad Riesling 1999
Some wild sweet spice subtlety on the nose, and a glazed orange and custard palate, very soft and slightly toasty.

Pechstein “R” 1998
A special sweet wine produced from an outstanding vintage. It had a lovely rich yet haunting nose of kerosene, nuts, caramel and lime, with astonishing complexity and depth on the palate, creamy toasty and earthy at the same time. I was tempted to buy a bottle at only 35€.

Pre-biodynamic wines of Dr. Buerklin-Wolf

Pre-biodynamic wines of Dr. Buerklin-Wolf

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April 9, 2013 · 4:00 pm

Weingut Knipser – 17/02/2012

Blauer Spatburgunder 2009
Quite intense dark fruit, and is more like a cabernet franc than a pinot noir.

Kalkmergel Spatburgunder 2009
Very aromatic, having a red berry and slight leather component, and was quite dense yet supple on the palate finishing somewhat earthy like the Blauer Spatburgunder of the same vintage.

Kirscharten Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2007
Very intense yet subtle, combining forest fruits and black cherry with velvety tannins and persistent length.

Kirscharten Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2008
Much tighter in the tannins and brighter on the nose, showing more minerality and freshness.

Burgweg Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2008
Much softer earthier palate with broader tannins, red fruit freshness and less acid concentration.

The winery also makes wines from other red varieties such as syrah and Bordeaux grapes, but the wines are less consistent and better in warm vintages.

Laumersheimer Kapellenberg Trockenbeerenauslese 2003
Deemed the best dessert wine in the world by Decanter Magazine. It was a rich bronze colour, had a very subtle quiet nose, and on the palate combined walnuts, cornbread, treacle and dried muscatels.

Knipser Burgweg 2008 GG Spatburgunder

Knipser Burgweg 2008 GG Spatburgunder

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April 9, 2013 · 3:52 pm

Reichsrat von Buhl – 17/02/2012

The Pechstein Riesling Sekt I tried, along with the Spatburgunder 2009 were both good wines, but weren’t outstanding examples, just good for the variety and style.

Pechstein Grosses Gewachs Riesling 2010
Floral, ripe and earthy on the nose, and was the most elegant and linear I had tasted from the vineyard and vintage.

Pechstein Grosses Gewachs 2009
Looking very quiet at the moment, much softer and less intense but richer and riper on the palate.

Ungeheur Rieslings 2010
Very tight, lean and concentrated, expressing more tropicality and minerality.

Ungeheur Rieslings 2009
Showing its age nicely with kerosene oily aromas and textures, coupled with vibrant fruit of dried peach and lemon curds. I was surprised that I could detect a difference in the residual sugar between the two vintages, which was only one gram more for the 2010 to balance the acids.

Rupertsberger Reiterpfad Auslese 2010
A very smoky mineralic nose, rich stone fruits on the palate and a very concentrated yet clean and pure finish.

Reichsrat von Buhl Ungeheuer GG Rieslings

Reichsrat von Buhl Ungeheuer GG Rieslings

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April 9, 2013 · 12:19 pm

Freiherr von Gleichenstein – 27/02/2012

Muller Thurgau 2010 trocken
A delicate pear and Asian spice nose with a pleasant and refreshing finish on the palate.

Muller Thurgau Feinherb 2009
Riper and richer fruit characters, but tremendous balance and savoury qualities.

Weissburgunder Kabinett Trocken 2011
There is a nice sharpness and a spritzy clean and dry palate, good ripeness and a slight malolactic edge.

Grauburgunder Spatlese Trocken 2010
Very concentrated and vibrant with good intensity and integrity, with a slight savoury bitterness on the edge of the palate.

Baron Louis Spatlese Trocken Grauburgunder 2010
100% barrel fermented, has a distinct orange and lemon pith aroma, and a candied peel flavour on the palate.

Spatburgunder 2010
Aromatic but not obvious, with everything in balance and nothing to displease.

Eichberg Spatburgunder 2010
Softer and more voluptuous structure, with broader and silkier tannins, but lacks structure and interest.

Premium Spatburgunder 2008
A smoky meaty and volatile hoisin nose, with opulence and tightness at the same time.

Baron Phillip Spatburgunder 2007
100% new barrique matured, wonderful in spite of some strange aromatics.

Taking barrel tasting samples

Taking barrel tasting samples

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April 9, 2013 · 12:01 pm

Weingut Salwey – 28/02/2012

2010 Weisburgunder wines
All quite rich and ripe in their pear and melon characteristics, with some delicate texture from barrel and lees contact.

2010 Grauburgunders
A subtle savoury creaminess which reminded me of freshly boiled pasta from the colander.

2010 Henkenberg Grosses Gewachs wines
Had better balanced and integration but will continue to improve in the bottle.

Reserve Spatburgunder Weissherbst 2010
An interesting barrel fermented rosé style wine which had too much going on for a rosé made from pinot noir.

Spatburgunder wines
2009 wines had great combinations of bright red fruits and savoury earthiness, good mid-palate structure and a clean long finish, whereas the 2010 wines were much deeper and tighter in the tannins and will take longer to open up.

Konrad Salwey

Konrad Salwey

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April 9, 2013 · 11:47 am

Weingut Huber – 28/02/2012

Auxerrois 2010
Very light and crisp

Grauburgunder 2010
Slight pink-grey tinge to it and went much better with the food thanks to its texture and ripeness.

Alte Reben Spatburgunder 2002
Showing some dusty earthy cherry notes, some brightness and silkiness on the palate, and whilst light (possibly from age) was very long and deep.

Reserve Spatburgunder 2001
Mushroomy barnyard notes on the nose, was still very tight and fresh on the palate but was showing some developed game and pork rind complexity.

The Alte Reben Spatburgunder 2009
Very perfumed currants with herb and spice notes on the nose, and on the palate has very silky tannins with fresh acidity to keep things lively.

Bienenberg Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2009
Aromas are more shy, but is much more expressive (and youthful) in the tannins, with a grainy dustiness to them.

Schlossberg Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2009
Very spicy brambly nose which makes me think they used some stalks in the ferment, and whilst very sharp and tight in the tannins now, is very complex with some subtle caramel notes that will develop over time.

Wildenstein Spatburgunder >R< 2009
Made from fruit from a specific parcel within Bienenberg and is thus technically not a Grosses Gewachs wine. It is concentrated and dense yet very subtle and soft. It expresses dark berry fruits with toasty nutmeg and cinnamon, very fine and slightly salty tannins with serious minerality.

Muller Thurgau 2010
Surprised me, as it was not in the least bit thin or watery, but was ripe and full-flavoured with balance and a great tropical freshness.

Bienenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2010
A great varietal example but really doesn’t compete with the wines of the north.

Bienenberg Grauburgunder Grosses Gewachs 2010
A wonderfully complex nose of toasty nutty pear puree, and although forward on the palate was not too crisp but was a little heavy and aggressive in the texture.

Bienenberg Grosses Gewachs Weissburgunder 2010
A little on the oaky side, expressing some creamy vanilla notes which were a little fat and clunky from too much malolactic fermentation.

Schlossberg Chardonnay 2009
Wonderfully toasty and flinty, with a very concentrated but subtle caramel and vanilla with citrus and stone fruit palate. This is by far the best (of the few) chardonnays I have tasted in Germany.

The Huber spatburgunder wines

The Huber spatburgunder wines

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April 9, 2013 · 11:30 am

Weingut Bercher – 28/02/2012

Weissburgunders Spatlese Trocken 2010
Slightly more texture and a green vegetal component.

Schlossgarten Grauburgunder Kabinett Trocken 2011
Very delicate and yet sharp and bright, and is more in the Italian pinot grigio style.

Feuerberg Grauburgunder Spatlese Trocken 2010
Bolder and fuller on the palate, with a little more texture but still fairly grigio in style.

Chardonnay 2010
Classically varietal in style; great peach and nectarine fruit, good acid and texture balance, light and fresh yet not simple.

Spatburgunder 2009
Typical light style of pinot noir, with fresh red fruits and acidity, god flavour but little longevity.

Barrique Spatburgunder 2008
Less is most definitely more in Baden, as for the second time the fruit was totally obscured by oak and appeared dull and lifeless.

Feuerberg Spatburgunder Grosses Gewachs 2009
Much denser and more concentrated, with fuller flavour and texture and much better balance, and a mellow silkiness to finish.

Next to some large casks in the cellars of Weingut Bercher

Next to some large casks in the cellars of Weingut Bercher

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November 22, 2012 · 9:21 pm

The Vintage Experience

After two months an important part of my trip has concluded. Important not just because I learnt a lot about wine, but also as I needed work to get a working-holiday visa to remain in Europe all year. After 10 months of solid visits to wineries with a few brief intermissions, I was grateful for a break in wine when I travelled through the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands and Northern Germany before returning to wine, this time on the other side of the fence. Another thing I was grateful for was some money and the chance to stay somewhere for free for a few months, thus saving me some money that I didn’t have. It is with all sincerity that I thank first the Hasselbach family from Weingut Gunderloch in the Rheinhessen, and second Annegret Reh-Gartner and her team at Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt in the Mosel, for their generosity in welcoming me and allowing me to gain first-hand insights into German riesling.
Picking grapes in the Rheinhessen

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November 22, 2012 · 7:28 am

Vintage 2012 – Weeks Eight & Nine

My final two weeks of vintage were for the most part uneventful as the harvest concluded and the vast majority of work was cleaning and checking the fermenting tanks. I was very generously taken out for dinner and lunch by the domestic sales manager and the owner respectively, and on both instances got to eat some lovely German food. There were a couple of dinners to celebrate the end of vintage; first with the Romanian vineyard workers and then the cellar team who are all locals. The winery also welcomed a journalist and they opened some bottles going back to 1983, all of which I had the chance to taste as well.

Bernd working hard pressing botrytised fruit to get juice with high sugar content.
Niklas compacting grape marc for future distillation to make schnapps.
Range of wines tasted going back to 1983.
Freshly and heavily hand-pruned vines in the Scharzofberg vineyard.
Old shoots clinging to the trellis wire. Always reminds me of snakes.
Just so you know who owns this vineyard.
This is Alexandra, one of the Romanian friends I made in the vineyards.
Walking up those steep slopes pruning requires a rest break.

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November 4, 2012 · 5:14 pm

Impressions of Germany, better late than never

It occurred to me having returned to Germany to work the vintage at a few wineries that after spending about four weeks here back in February, including attending the Prowein trade fair in Dusseldorf, I had neglected to write my general thoughts about wine here. It is a strange feeling returning to wine regions that I visited about seven months ago since travelling to regions all over Europe, particularly the Mosel which was the first region I hadn’t visited before in Europe. In spite of the gap things seem very familiar, and I am often reminded of some of the things I noticed. Now I am better able to compare Germany with other countries I have visited and commented on in Europe, so it seemed like the perfect time to chronicle my thoughts.

A welcome sight in the Mosel Valley

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