Thanks for everyone for coming to the German Riesling wine tasting. We had what I feel was an
extremely varied list of Rieslings from Germany, from 2007 to 1989, from 5 different regions (Mosel,
Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Nahe, and Pfalz), varying sweetness and ripeness levels, and from mostly very
good producers and price points It was a great overview of what this noble grape can do in Riesling’s
spiritual home of Germany. Because these wines beg for sweeter meats and spicy foods, as well as
salty, oily and deep fried victuals, we tried these wines with 4 different flavored potato chips (Chile y
Limone-Regular-Sour Cream and Onion-Sea salt and Vinegar). It was an experiment that I think was fun,
but perhaps a bit too salty on the tongue! One notable exception was the richly flavored, sweeter, and
slightly spicy Spreitzer “303” with the chile y limone chips. Here’s a list of the wines and brief impressions.
1. Kalinda Riesling Sekt (Pfalz) n/v
Light minerals character, dry and frothy! Good, clean, and a sensation only of ripe fruit. Nice clean
sparkler, and a great starter. 11.5%; $18; My score: 88 points.
2. Blue Nun (Rheinhessen)2006
Yes, Blue Nun. I read somewhere that this is the most successful branded wine of all time. This was put
in just for comparison to generic grocery store Riesling that give German wines a bad name. It proved its
point right away: Nasty glue, gasoline notes, some plain sugary fruit added--bland, no finish--
manufactured and it shows. 10% alc.; $7; 84 pts.
3. Kalinda Niersteiner Riesling (Rheinhessen) 2006
This is the K&L Wine label for wine they bring in. Usually good quality at great prices. This is just that.
Good, not special, but a good bargain nontheless. Showing minerals, orange peel, tons of acidity, very
lightly sweet, not bad, mid-range dry Riesling. Not complex, but good finish. 11%; $12; 88 pts.
4. Fritz Haag Estate Riesling (Mosel) 2007
This is a well known very good producer. Even this lower level Riesling shows great purity and
freshness. Clean slate and white peach nose; high toned and lovely nose; bright tropical fruit, especially
nectarine. Also got mandarine orange, great balance with a bit of spritzy liveliness; slate and mineral
undertones as well, and light enough to be a great aperitif. Excellent quality and character for this style.
11%; $21; 90 pts.
5. Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Bischofsberg Riesling SpatleseTrocken (Rheingau) 2006
This was interesting—weighing in at a whopping 13% alc. Note it is a spatlese which is one reason they
obtained such a high alc. level in this. This wasn’t bad, but I think too much alcohol in the nose and
mouth. Had hard peach, some minerals (as usual) svelt body, not bad at first, but later the alcohol had an
obvious presence. Good, but not exactly my style. I’d rather drink an Alsacian Riesling.
13%; $24; 88 pts.
6. Schlossgut Diel Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) 2004
This was an amazing Kabinett and was one of my favorites of the night, (especially in this price range!).
Hard rocks, light peach, good balanced clean sweetness, but airy, slight spicy finish. Excellent balance
between sweetness, minerality, acidity, with nice character. You need to buy this. 8.5%; $24; 91 pts.
7. Dönnhoff Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Spätlese (Nahe) 2005
One of the great producers of Germany, Donnhoff always pleases, although I rarely get a “wow” factor
from Donnhoff, it’s always clean, racy, very fine, and goes down like teflon; pure peach, soft, with a little
spritz in the mouth. Extremely clean, good depth, very well made. Too young still, and maybe even
beginning to shut down. 8.5%; $45; 90 pts.
8. Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Spätlese "303" (Rheingau) 2005
This bottleing is known for having very high ripeness levels at harvest. This one was just that, with plenty
of richness, and lively peach & mineral notes. Really great Rheingau character to this—meaning more
nectarine than peach, slightly earthier, and a touch of SPICE in the finish! Great sweetness, a bit thicker
than the other spatleses, with lots of concentration. I absolutely loved this. This could handle almost any
bold flavors you put before it. Went well with the chile & limone chips! 8.5%; $36; 92 pts.
9. Max Ferdinand Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese (Mosel) 1997
Richter is known to be a more traditional producer, and here it clearly shows. Fermented in big old oak
casks, this wine had a distinct smoky, slightly earthy component that I loved. It was rich, with not as much
class or sweetness as Spreitzer, but great character with darker orange notes (cointreau?--from the cask
fermentation/age), very nice complexity with nice age showing right now. Good stuff and quite a bargain
too. 8%; $23; 91 pts.
10. Hauth-Kerpen Whelener Sonnenuhr Spatlese (Mosel) 1994
We moved on to an even older spatlese, although not quite the pedigree of the others, this wine was
fantastic for its age. It had great high toned mandarin orange notes, tons of acidity, and an orange-lime
finish. The sweetness was well integrated, with a long citrus ending. I loved this character too. Nice age
and liveliness with a nice dose of tertiary aromas, but still rather fresh and lively. Not extremely complex,
but very good nonetheless. Again, the price cant’ be beat. 8.5%; $20; 90 pts.
11. Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Auslese #9 (Mosel) 2005
Now on to the ausleses. This was the clear-cut winner of the night. At over double the price of any of the
others, I guess it’s no surprise, though. Willi Schaefer is a great producer, and hit a home run with this.
Spicy, minerally, peach, rich, fantastic nose, super silky rich mouth but still so elegant. Gorgeous fruit
and complexity with great doses of soft pure peach fructose; long finish, and has a very long life ahead of
it. 7.5%; $80; 93-94 pts.
12. Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Kreuz Auslese (Rheinhessen) 1989
Because we were essentially moving in chronological order, this was our last wine of the evening. It was
much lighter, less sweet, (and much older) than the Willi Schaefer. We all agreed it was a bit over the hill,
with a dark yellow-gold color and slight oxydized aromas mixed in with old soft overripe orange (grand
marnier?). This was not too fruity, very simple, hardly any finish, and clearly past it’s prime, barely
hanging in there! Not a bad wine, but interesting, and fun to see how some wines can develop (although
not at all in the same class with some of the great producers above). 10% alc. (very high for an auslese);
$19; 86 pts.
extremely varied list of Rieslings from Germany, from 2007 to 1989, from 5 different regions (Mosel,
Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Nahe, and Pfalz), varying sweetness and ripeness levels, and from mostly very
good producers and price points It was a great overview of what this noble grape can do in Riesling’s
spiritual home of Germany. Because these wines beg for sweeter meats and spicy foods, as well as
salty, oily and deep fried victuals, we tried these wines with 4 different flavored potato chips (Chile y
Limone-Regular-Sour Cream and Onion-Sea salt and Vinegar). It was an experiment that I think was fun,
but perhaps a bit too salty on the tongue! One notable exception was the richly flavored, sweeter, and
slightly spicy Spreitzer “303” with the chile y limone chips. Here’s a list of the wines and brief impressions.
1. Kalinda Riesling Sekt (Pfalz) n/v
Light minerals character, dry and frothy! Good, clean, and a sensation only of ripe fruit. Nice clean
sparkler, and a great starter. 11.5%; $18; My score: 88 points.
2. Blue Nun (Rheinhessen)2006
Yes, Blue Nun. I read somewhere that this is the most successful branded wine of all time. This was put
in just for comparison to generic grocery store Riesling that give German wines a bad name. It proved its
point right away: Nasty glue, gasoline notes, some plain sugary fruit added--bland, no finish--
manufactured and it shows. 10% alc.; $7; 84 pts.
3. Kalinda Niersteiner Riesling (Rheinhessen) 2006
This is the K&L Wine label for wine they bring in. Usually good quality at great prices. This is just that.
Good, not special, but a good bargain nontheless. Showing minerals, orange peel, tons of acidity, very
lightly sweet, not bad, mid-range dry Riesling. Not complex, but good finish. 11%; $12; 88 pts.
4. Fritz Haag Estate Riesling (Mosel) 2007
This is a well known very good producer. Even this lower level Riesling shows great purity and
freshness. Clean slate and white peach nose; high toned and lovely nose; bright tropical fruit, especially
nectarine. Also got mandarine orange, great balance with a bit of spritzy liveliness; slate and mineral
undertones as well, and light enough to be a great aperitif. Excellent quality and character for this style.
11%; $21; 90 pts.
5. Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Bischofsberg Riesling SpatleseTrocken (Rheingau) 2006
This was interesting—weighing in at a whopping 13% alc. Note it is a spatlese which is one reason they
obtained such a high alc. level in this. This wasn’t bad, but I think too much alcohol in the nose and
mouth. Had hard peach, some minerals (as usual) svelt body, not bad at first, but later the alcohol had an
obvious presence. Good, but not exactly my style. I’d rather drink an Alsacian Riesling.
13%; $24; 88 pts.
6. Schlossgut Diel Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) 2004
This was an amazing Kabinett and was one of my favorites of the night, (especially in this price range!).
Hard rocks, light peach, good balanced clean sweetness, but airy, slight spicy finish. Excellent balance
between sweetness, minerality, acidity, with nice character. You need to buy this. 8.5%; $24; 91 pts.
7. Dönnhoff Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Spätlese (Nahe) 2005
One of the great producers of Germany, Donnhoff always pleases, although I rarely get a “wow” factor
from Donnhoff, it’s always clean, racy, very fine, and goes down like teflon; pure peach, soft, with a little
spritz in the mouth. Extremely clean, good depth, very well made. Too young still, and maybe even
beginning to shut down. 8.5%; $45; 90 pts.
8. Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Spätlese "303" (Rheingau) 2005
This bottleing is known for having very high ripeness levels at harvest. This one was just that, with plenty
of richness, and lively peach & mineral notes. Really great Rheingau character to this—meaning more
nectarine than peach, slightly earthier, and a touch of SPICE in the finish! Great sweetness, a bit thicker
than the other spatleses, with lots of concentration. I absolutely loved this. This could handle almost any
bold flavors you put before it. Went well with the chile & limone chips! 8.5%; $36; 92 pts.
9. Max Ferdinand Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese (Mosel) 1997
Richter is known to be a more traditional producer, and here it clearly shows. Fermented in big old oak
casks, this wine had a distinct smoky, slightly earthy component that I loved. It was rich, with not as much
class or sweetness as Spreitzer, but great character with darker orange notes (cointreau?--from the cask
fermentation/age), very nice complexity with nice age showing right now. Good stuff and quite a bargain
too. 8%; $23; 91 pts.
10. Hauth-Kerpen Whelener Sonnenuhr Spatlese (Mosel) 1994
We moved on to an even older spatlese, although not quite the pedigree of the others, this wine was
fantastic for its age. It had great high toned mandarin orange notes, tons of acidity, and an orange-lime
finish. The sweetness was well integrated, with a long citrus ending. I loved this character too. Nice age
and liveliness with a nice dose of tertiary aromas, but still rather fresh and lively. Not extremely complex,
but very good nonetheless. Again, the price cant’ be beat. 8.5%; $20; 90 pts.
11. Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Auslese #9 (Mosel) 2005
Now on to the ausleses. This was the clear-cut winner of the night. At over double the price of any of the
others, I guess it’s no surprise, though. Willi Schaefer is a great producer, and hit a home run with this.
Spicy, minerally, peach, rich, fantastic nose, super silky rich mouth but still so elegant. Gorgeous fruit
and complexity with great doses of soft pure peach fructose; long finish, and has a very long life ahead of
it. 7.5%; $80; 93-94 pts.
12. Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Kreuz Auslese (Rheinhessen) 1989
Because we were essentially moving in chronological order, this was our last wine of the evening. It was
much lighter, less sweet, (and much older) than the Willi Schaefer. We all agreed it was a bit over the hill,
with a dark yellow-gold color and slight oxydized aromas mixed in with old soft overripe orange (grand
marnier?). This was not too fruity, very simple, hardly any finish, and clearly past it’s prime, barely
hanging in there! Not a bad wine, but interesting, and fun to see how some wines can develop (although
not at all in the same class with some of the great producers above). 10% alc. (very high for an auslese);
$19; 86 pts.
german riesling tasting
Nov. 7, 2008