Austria, Alsace, Germany - |
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Notes and impressions from several Austrian, Alsatian, and German wines - Saturday, April 21, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-one wines were poured for a tasting fee of $19. |
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Overall impressions: here was an interesting opportunity to taste through nearly a dozen Austrian wines, along with several Germans, and a few Alsatians. Among my favorites were the F. X. Pichler, which was a beautiful Riesling, but it was also $65. Personally, I'd rather have 3 of the J.J. Prum's for nearly the same price. Also, Schoffit just continues to turn out fabulous Tokay-Pinot Gris. Bargains under $20 in the flight include the Jamek Gelber, the Reinhold Haart, and the Monchhof - which is very nice for an under-$10 wine. All of the wines were tasty, with no real disappointments or major surprises. There were a few odd, gassy noses in the bunch, but I think for the most part, these will resolve themselves with time. |
1999 Freie
Weingartner Gruner Veltliner SmaragdAchleiten - Wachau, Austria.
$14.99. Light
gold color. Nose of sweet lemon and citrus peel, with almost a bit
of soapy quality to it. Tasty mouthfeel, with a touch of spice,
lots of citrusy sweet lemon-lime flavors, and a medium-long lemon
peel finish. 1999 Loimer
Gruner Veltliner Spiegel-Alte Reben.Kamptal, Austria. $24.99.
Light gold color. Nose of spicy/bitter citron with some green
apple, ad a clean lemon/lime peel note. Chewy mouthfeel, with a
fruit-ball center, and a citrusy latter palate, leading to a citrus
peel-flavored medium-long finish. Old vines. 1999 Hirsch
Gruner Veltliner Lamm-Alte Reben - Kamptal, Austria. $19.99.
Light gold color. Sweet lemon candied LifeSaver aroma, clean and
crisp. Tasty, smooth, slightly sweet and spicy mouthfeel, with a
clean chewy long finish. Old vines. 1999 Jamek
Gelber Muskateller - Wachau, Austria.$18.99. Light yellow
color. Very fleshy and spicy nose, with a lush fruity quality. Clean,
crisp and tasty mouthfeel, very nice balance, maybe a touch light
on fruit from mid to latter palate, but a very nice wine. 1999 Freie
Weingartner Riesling Federspiel Terrassen -Wachau, Austria.
$8.99. Light yellow color. Slightly stinky and petrol-like nose,
with green stemmy background notes. Chewy pulp texture, clean and
crisp lemon-lime peel flavors, that get a little sweet/sour toward
latter palate. Interesting mouthfeel, if seemingly a bit underripe
in fruit. 1999 Brundlmayer
Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen - Kamptal, Austria. $15.99.
Medium-light yellow color. Spicy, off-sweet fruity nose. Clean and
crisp mouthfeel, with off-sweet slightly spicy fruit and a bit of
peel, good balance, with a long sweet/sour finish. 1999 Schloss
Gobelsburg Riesling Zobinger Heiligenstein - Kamptal, Austria.
$19.99. Light-medium yellow color. Crisp and clean in the nose,
and more to the citrusy side of Riesling fruit. Only moderately
fruity in mouthfeel, but very tasty, with a clean and crisp long
finish. 1999 Freie
Weingartner Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg -Wachau, Austria.
$22.99. Medium yellow color. Fragrant, floral, and lightly spiced
fruit. Off-sweet mouthfeel, with a bit of citron and lemon/lime
peel flavors, and a very long clean finish. 1999 Nigl
Riesling Privat Sneftenberg Piri - Kremstal, Austria. $29.99.
Light yellow color. Slightly restrained nose of spiced fruit,
with a bit of raisin, floral and stem aromas. Tasty mouthfeel, with
a fruity and almost wheaty quality to the mid-palate, and a very
long finish and nice aftertaste. A very nice wine, that will probably
develop some more aromatics as it opens up. 1999 F.
X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg -Wachau, Austria.
$64.99. Light yellow color. Deep and efffusive nose of riesling
and muscat fruit, with hints of stem and citrus pulp. Smooth mouthfeel,
moderate-full concentration, fabulous balance, and a medium-long
smooth finish. A beautiful wine, but given the price, I suspect
that not too many people will discover this. 1999 Leon
Beyer Gewurztraminer - Alsace. $13.99.Medium-light yellow color.
Spiced citrus nose, with a bit of Mandarin orange in the background,
along with floral and stemmy notes. Sweet uncomplicated fruit on
the palate, nearly chewy consistency, medium-long clean spicy finish. 1998 Domaine
Weinbach Riesling Clos des Capucins CuveeTheo - Alsace. $18.99.
Light-medium yellow color. Very interesting and complex nose of
rose and grape stem, with a slight medicinal quality in the background.
Light in mouthfeel, with a fruit and roasted grain quality, and
a medium-long finish. Substantially stemmy in the nose. 1997 Schoffit
Tokay-Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann-Clos St.Theobald - Alsace.
$37.99. Light-medium gold color. Lightly spiced citrusy fruit,
with hints of raisin and candied lemon peel. Initially sweet mouthfeel
smoothly melts away to off-sweet citrus and spice, leading to a
very long smooth finish and nice aftertaste.
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1998 J. L.
Wolf Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Spatlese Trocken -Rheinpfalz, Germany.
$25.99. Light-medium yellow color. Very steely nose of light
riesling fruit and stem. Beautiful balance, lightly crisp, with
lots of slightly sweet fruit, and a very long crisp finish. 1999 Monchhof
Estate Riesling - Mosel. $9.99. Nearly clear in color. Light
floral, wheaty, and slightly stemmy fruit aromas. Mouthfeel has
a bit of spritz, is somewhat sweet and fruity in taste, with a nice
long finish and aftertaste. Other than the spritz (which I found
attractive), this is a pretty nice riesling for the price. 1999 Joh.
Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - Mosel, Germany.
$15.99. Off-clear color. Nose of meat and rose stem, with a
steely crispness and a hint of cabbage. Lots of rose stem flavor,
with crisp mouthfeel, and a stemmy floral taste to the long finish.
Funny, for all of the odd scents and tastes here, the wine is
tasty. 1999 Reinhold
Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett - Mosel,
Germany. $15.99. Nearly clear in color. Although stemmy, and
conveying apparent CO2, the background aromas of sweet fruit seem
to indicate there may be some potential here. Sweet and stemmy mouthfeel,
the fruit at first appears a bit underripe, but from mid to latter
palate the wine seems to fill out with some nice semisweet flavors,
adding the total mouthfeel. Very interesting wine, the nose is a
bit suspect, and may not pull through. However, the mouthfeel and
flavors seem to more than cover the bet. 1999 Schloss
Saarstein Serriger Schloss Saarsteiner Riesling Spatlese
- Saar, Germany. $16.99. Off-clear color. Sweet and stemmy apple/pineapple
fruit with a twist of lemon-lime. Off-sweet citrusy taste, moderate
complexity, with just a bit of coarseness to the fruit, and a long
finish. 1999 Joh.
Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - Mosel, Germany.
$22.99. Off-yellow color. Spicy, slightly floral muscat-like
nose, with some stemmy and grain-like background notes. Sweet stemmy
fruit, with a slight spritz on the palate, and a clean long fruity
finish. Very nice. 1999 Donnhoff
Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese - Nahe, Germany. $28.99.
Off-clear color. Nose of sweet stemmy fruit, with hints of citron
and wheat. Fleshy mouthfeel, yet crisp acidity and very nice balance.
Sweet, slightly lemony fruit, long finish. 1999 Dr.
Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese - Mosel, Germany.
$17.99. (375ml). Light gold color. Light and spicy nose, with
a touch of raisiny sweetness. Moderate fruity mouthfeel, slightly
sweet fruit, light touch of fruitcake spices, very nice balance,
long finish. Seems a bit on the under-extracted side of things,
but nicely made and very tasty. |
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Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson
