Had a lovely bottle of the 2007 Rudolf Furst Riesing "pur mineral" and it was showing beautifully. Lovely nose of petrol, apricot, white peach, mineral, fresh grass and some wet earth. Palate was pure and crunchy with lovely acidity and juicy explosive fruit and astounding length. Who says there is no fruit in Trocken? I still think 2007 for Furst whites is a benchmark at the estate.
Had an awe- inspiring bottle of the 2007 Ducroux Regnie. This is a David Lillie import and really is one of the greatest new Beaujolais I have had in a long time. Maybe since I first tasted Descombes. In a easy drinking, lighter style as the cru suggests. Color is a hazy ruby and I know I am in au natural land. Lovely aromas of wild berry fruit, earth and spice. Palate has great acidity and amazing freshness. Woodsy and berry-like flavors with great purity and to steal from Budweiser for a second, drinkability. A steal at $14.99. Good job D-lils!
Had an ok bottle of the 2004 Chateau La Grolet "Tete de Cuvee." I think it needed way more air as this bottling has needed days before. Classic Bourg nose of plum, mineral, earth and some unsweetened cocoa. Palate was good but kind of all over the place. Not much more to say except it was closed and I did not give it a chance to come around.
Had a very uninspiring bottle of 2007 Clar de Castanyer Xarello. It smelled like a pre-moxed white burgundy and tasted like one. Not sure what hey are going for here but it is not working.
Had a stunning bottle of the 2000 Bregeon Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Georgis" which was a wow wine. Really so different than the excellence achieved at Luneau-Papin and the Domaine de la Pepiere. This tastes like an oyster. The fleshy part. Not the shell as most Muscadet taste like. This wine has an incredible creamy, rich, almost white burgundian-like texture while really emanating the salty, sweet thing of a great oyster. Long and palate staining with the expected high acidity. This has years to go needed around an hour to open up. Comes from a unique soil-composition that is heavy on slate. Really impressive wine.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Stereotypical wines
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7 comments:
I gently encourage a second shot at the xarel-lo, Lyle. I really dig that wine, though it seems particularly responsive to service temperature. Poured it the other night for some chef buddies alongside heredia white, coenobium, and some tweaker sherries and it was the surprise star of the meal. Not saying it's for everybody, just sayin'...
We had a customer in the shop a few days back who insisted, vehemently, that all trocken Riesling was without fruit. It was a refreshing change from the usual "isn't all Riesling sweet?" line yet somehow just as annoying.
Alexander,
It seemed like it was going for that style in the wines you mentioned but failed at it. I'l try it again if someone else is buying. I am open to wines like this so I know they can vary in their showings.
David,
Mos def annoying.
I started hearing the same erronious anti-trocken/grosses gewachs weirdness awhile back, too. At the time, I attributed it to folks who took the musings in Terry Theise's catalog a bit too literally. I sometimes think consumers/bev pro's vocalize their disdain for dry riesling (or love of sherry, or rose' before that) as more of a means of winegeek self-identification vs. real palate preference. And whenever something formerly and abjectly "uncool" gets the wine community's thumbs up, then there's an accompanying tidal wave of misinformation and bandwagon jumping. For instance, I actually had a sommelier name-drop tio pepe on me the other day. Go figure.
I'd like to try the pur mineral, and really like Trockens, but this is a key example of what pisses me off most about a lot of them. Based on your rec I checked the prices available with winesearcher and I see in Germany the wine goes for 13 (dollars I think, they usually convert properly) but in the states 33. Really, almost two hundred percent mark-up. Price inflation like that really hurts the chances of good trocken riesling taking much of a hold with the American audience that I think could really like it if given a chance. Or to be even more honest, the would-be market can be damned, I'd just like to have some decent trocken available to me for under twenty bucks so I could drink it more regularly.
Michael,
First of all. In Europe that wine is usually bought from the winery and they don't gauge you like in California. Second you know there is the three tier system etc and that is why the price is the price.
For under $20 try Leitz "Eins Zwei Dry", SF Halbtrocken (which in '07 is very trocken-like.)
In NJ Stirling Fine Wines has an '05 Uli Stein Bremmer Calmont Trocen which is $24.99 and worth every penny.
In NYC at Appellation wines and spirits the Clemend Busch Kabinett TRocken 07 is $23.99.
I could go on but the point is if you expand
$5 up there is a whole new world of Trockens. And yes the Furst wines are pricey here but getting them over here is pricey too.
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