Monthly Archives: May 2010

Riesling remains underrated and largely under-consumed in the U.S., and recently two dozen German Riesling producers and importers descended on San Francisco to offer tastes of (primarily) their 2008 and 2009 vintages.

One of the reasons why German Riesling is so ignored here is likely due to its complicated categorization system, which puts wines into five major categories while also offering opportunities for the producer to add designations representing quality and sweetness level. It’s quite complicated — and not helped by being in thick German — and I won’t even start to try to explain it all here. Give this Wikipedia entry a try if you’re a Riesling novice; it’s not the clearest explanation by far, but at least it’s a start.

As for the wines, it’s rare to encounter a tasting with such a clear favorite, but I was blown away by all the wines of Dr. Loosen, one of Germany’s most awarded Riesling producers. Its best wine was the dry Kabinett Blue Slate bottling, a crisp, perfectly balanced example of everything young Riesling should be, full of fruit, minerals, and just the right level of acid. Some old Rieslings were also being poured, and it was interesting to see how these ’90s-era wines had begun to fade, giving off those telltale petroleum notes as they mellowed over the course of more than a decade.

Tasting notes follow.

Riesling & Co. World Tour 2010 Tasting Report

2008 Prinz von Hessen Riesling / B

2008 Prinz von Hessen Riesling Kabinett / B+

2008 Prinz von Hessen Riesling Kabinett Johannisberger Klaus / A-

2008 Prinz von Hessen Riesling Erstes Gewachs Johannisberger Klaus / A- nice balance, single estate wine

2008 Prinz von Hessen Riesling Auslese Johannisberger Klaus / B

2009 Graf von Schonborn Kabinett Hallburger Schlossberg / C+ cheap finish

2008 Graf von Schonborn Kabinett Hattenheim Nussbrunnen / B- toasty

2008 Jean Buscher Dornfelder Rotwein / C+ a red oddity

NV Jean Buscher Muskateller/Gewurztraminer Dornroschen / B- very strange, like strawberries

2008 G.A. Schneider Riseling Niersteiner / B not much presence

2007 Dr. Fischer Riesling Kabinett Ockfener Bockstein / A-

2008 Dr. Thanisch Riesling Kabinett Bernkasteler Doctor / B- off herbality

2008 Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Blue Slate / A amazing balance, really great combo of fruit, minerals, and body

2008 Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese Urziger Wurzgarten / A-

2006 Dr. Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese BA / A- very rich

2008 Robert Weil Riesling / B- plain

2008 Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett / B+ racier, but on the mild side

2008 Markus Molitor Riesling Haus Klosterberg / B- not a fave, odd character

2008 Markus Molitor Riesling Spatlese Bernkasteler Badstube / B-

2008 Max Ferd. Richter Riesling Kabinett Graacher Dompropst / A-

2008 Max Ferd. Richter Riesling Kabinett Brauneberger Juffer / A- perfumed

2008 Max Ferd. Richter Riesling Spatlese Whelener Sonnenuhr / B+

2009 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling St. Urbans-Hof / B+ fruity citrus

2009 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Kabinett Ockfener Bockstein / B+

2009 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Kabinett Piesporter Goldtropfchen / B

2007 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Auslese Piesporter Goldtropfchen / A-

2007 S.A. Prum Riesling Auslese Piesporter Goldtropfchen / B earthy, meaty notes atop peaches

1997 Balthasar Ress Riesling Spatlese / B- fading

1994 Paul Anheuser Riesling Auslese / B dusty

Why hasn’t this been done before?

The idea is absurdly simple:

1. Pick a winery and buy samples for as little as $10.
2. Wait for your box of 50ml bottles of wine to arrive.
3. Drink up at home. If you like some of them, buy the full bottles of wine online.

Anyone who’s trudged through the California wine country knows how much of a pain wine tasting can be… so why not bring the experience home instead? For the price of a single tasting fee at your typical Napa winery, you can get samples of Trefethen, Grgich, De Loach, or a few other wineries for you to taste in the comfort of your own home. A 50ml bottle is plenty of wine for two people to taste.

I tried the kit from Patz & Hall ($25 for six wines; regular bottles are each $55 to $80 retail), and really enjoyed the experience. The screwcapped minis are fun to work your way through, and a card included offers tasting notes and other information about each wine you’re drinking. Putting wines side by side is the most fun, an experience you don’t often get at a commercial tasting room. And best of all: No pressure to join the “wine club,” a standby at every Napa winery in existence today.

TastingRoom.com is currently working with just six wineries so it’ll be interesting to see if this idea takes off. But even with a limited selection, consider me a fan.

tastingroom.com

Sauvignon Blanc is planted up and down the country of Chile, and in this recent tasting event I had the chance to experience eight wines from five major winemaking areas. Prices for Chilean Sauvignon Blanc are affordable across the board — $11 to $23 — and these wines’ characters are varied and quite different from one region to the next.

While none of these wines bowled me over, my surprise favorite was the #6 bottle, from Cono Sur, a mere $13 for this San Antonio Valley wine, laden with tropical fruit flavor. Also worthwhile was the wine from Santa Rita, one of the largest producers of wine in all of Chile. This bottle, from the Leyda Valley, merits Santa Rita’s “Medalla Real” distinction, also bears strong tropical notes, but a slightly funky finish makes it a close second place to the Cono Sur.

Notes follow.

Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2009 – Complete Tasting Report

2009 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva / B / $11 / racy, a bit skunky on the finish

2009 Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc Queulat / B / $17 / simple, with big fruit and perfume

2009 Undurraga Sauvignon Blanc T.H. / B / $16 / plain, big fruit but quite acidic

2009 Valdivieso Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Wild Fermented / C- / $22 / muscat-like, really stinky

2009 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Medalla Real / B / $20 / tropical fruit character, a little odd though

2009 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc Organic / B+ / $13 / also tropical but better balanced, best of the lot

2009 Haras de Pirque Sauvignon Blanc Haras Estate / B / $12 / thinner, harmless

2009 Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc Cool Coast / C / $23 / fizzy and clearly off target