Arrived at Haart very excited after the amazing tasting at Monchhof. We had some wines with an incredible spread for lunch. Lots of little appetizers arranged very systematically on a tray. Theo is a very intelligent man, soft-spoken yet articulate. Theo makes the best wines coming out of Piesport and he got his just deserts this year with his '05 collection getting collection of the year by the Gaut-Milau. As my tasting notes below attest to the Gaut Milau got it right. These wines are big on tropical fruit and packed with extract but have a great sense of place and beauty. Very easy to like. Hart really stepped it up a notch in 2005.
'98 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett - Nose of honey, petrol, peach and a slight creamy element. Nice earthy palate with ripe fruit and great crunch. Silky yet stuffed and drinking great now. Great balanced Kabinett.
'04 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese - Peaches in their own juice on the nose with an overlay of ripe nectarines. Very ripe with creamy element again. Beautiful rich and dense palate with that trademark '04 acidity and perfect delineation. Delicious and has a ways to go.
Lunch was finished and we followed Theo inside his house for the more serious tasting of his '05's and some older wines.
'05 Hart to Hart - This is his estate bottling. Nose of peaches, cream and pears with a dense ripe palate, excellent concentration and very zingy acidity. Excellent estate Riesling.
'05 Piesporter Kabinett - Mineral peachy nose with tremendous grip and intensity. Long, concentrated wine with tons of troipical fruit. Just packed. Great stuff.
'05 Piesporter Spatlese - Nose of intense minerality and orange blossoms. Palate is all silk with tangerine fruit. Suave and refined but stuffed to the gills with huge fruit. Creamy and thick but the acidity gives it great snap. Extremely refreshing wine.
'05 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett - Totally outrageous Kabinett. Creamy, concentrated with huge fruit. Almost oily in extract but acidity gives it great lift. Hint of steeliness on the finish with the fruit being on the tropical side. Really showcases the ripeness of the vintage.
'88 Piesporter Kabinett - Theo threw this in to show how his wines can age. This was blind. No one had a clue it was an '88. Little bit of petrol on the nose with a huge slab of mineral. Great concentration and freshness. Just a tremdendous bottle of Kabinett and at this time this was his most "minor" wine.
'05 Piesporter Grafenberg Spatlese - This is from a parcel within the Goldtropfchen that Haart believes is different and bottled it on its own in '05. Truly phenomenal nose here. A symphony of mineral and tropical fruits. The palate has opacity, length, huge tropical fruit and incredible density. So complex and ripe but juicy due to the ripe acids. Sinfully good now but just wait 10 years.
'05 Ohlisberger Spatlese - The most minerally nose so far. Sleek wine on a lithe frame that is exceptionally detailed. Really gets rich on the mid-palate and finish. Great palate and long finish. Much richer than the nose would lead you on. What a lineup so far!
'05 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese - Big slate on the nose with other minerals and tons of tropical fruit. Incredibly expressive aromas. A concentrated and very extracted Riesling that is absolutely stuffed with fruit. Complex, velvety and creamy. Outstanding length.
'05 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese - Gorgeous floral aromas with some hints of botrytis and slate. This wine just smells like it's gonna be a whopper on the palate and it is. Literally drinksa you. Richness with great elegance. Goes and goes. Brilliant wine. This is just one of many unreal '05 Auslesen I tasted on this trip.
'05 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese GK - The first really closed wine of the trip. Nose is extremely floral...but you know there is more there. Closed but brooding. Palate was hugely constituted but you know this wine has so much more to say. Check back in 10 years or maybe upon arrival to the US.
'05 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese LGK (Auction) - Just a big ethereal nose with a fantastic elegant creaminess. So rich and balanced. A stunner and can see why it's going to Trier.
'70 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese - This was good but not great. Excellent richness and loved what was there. My only qualm was that this was a bit short.
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