Ah....nothing like tasting with the Haag's on my last day in the Mosel. The first stop was the venerable estate of Fritz Haag followed by Thomas Haag at Schloss Lieser (Part 13 I think!) For me these are the most transparent wines in the Mosel and just scream slate. They are so filigreed and nuanced it is a little bit hard to understand them early on in your riesling career. But as you get to know the Mosel a bit more you see the genius that is the estate of Fritz Haag. They are just perfect. Never heavy....not even at the top pradikat levels and always so filigreed and detailed with perfect flavor hierarchy. Wilhelm Haag is an absolute hoot and I got to spend much time with him during the afternoon at the two estates. He sat next to me at the Schloss Lieser tasting and we had a nice long chat about his first vintage (1957) up to the current vintage which his son, Olivier now makes. Olivier is very ambitious, intense and very well spoken and has a true passion for wine. With some experience at Wegeler and tutoring from the incredible Wilhelm the wines are in good hands and will continue their tradition of excellence. As an aside the view from the porch of the estate overlooking the Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenhur is magnificent. Looks just like the label!
'05 Riesling Trocken - Wonderful nose of chlorophyl, sea salt and chalk. Very trocken on the nose. Very crisp, bone dry and very intense. Shocks your palate into submission. I love it. Better than mouthwash. Much better.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer Spatlese Trocken - Incredibly mineral and detailed nose with loads of dry, chalky slate. Hauntingly elegant on the palate with loads of minerality and crunchy high acids. Almost mouthpuckering in it's intensity but still has clarity and filigreed finesse. I love this stuff.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenhur Spatlese Trocken - Maybe one of the most minerally noses of the trip. Some exotic notes of tea leaf along with a fatter and riper palate than the previous Juffer. A little less filigreed than Juffer but fatter and more while being very very trocken.
'05 Braunberger Juffer Kabinett - My notes just say "Wowsers! Best Kabinett of the Mosel so far." Just classic, transparent elegant Mosel Riesling. Perfect. I am buying a case.
'05 Estate Riesling - Touch of sugary/spice on the nose and even some mint. Gorgeous tetxure and a great crunchy finish with high-toned acids. Amazing clarity and purity for a wine of this level.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer Spatlese - Hugely floral nose with some sweet onion grass, slate, apples and more slate. Incredible aromatic as all of the Haag '05's were. Palate was ripe and a touch austere with lemon peel but that haunting lightness of mouthfeel that Haag is so known for. Classic and beautiful.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spatlese - Another elegant monster. Bigger and more opulent with so much material. The texture is like dust. Brilliant wine. But in '05 I prefer in the Juffer to Juffer-Sonnenuhr. Usually it is the other way around.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spatlese Auction - Ummm.. really good stuff here. Can see why this goes to auction. Absolutely gorgeous nose of filigreed lemon/lime slate and some ripe pears. Fantastic interlacing of acids and ripe crunchy Riesling fruit. Touch of botrytis and a cake-like tetxure. Brilliant.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese - The first whiff is major botrytis so far. Really big and powerful nose with rich fruit and marmalade tones but a big background of slate. Very silky with great concentration and extract. Incredibly long finish. A big winner and one of the best "normal" Auslesen of the trip.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese GK # 9 - Super beautiful nose of hardcore botrytized fruit on a huge frame of apples and slate. Just a wow nose. Pefectly balanced with loads of extract and vivid flavors of quince and slate. Just so damn transparent. A great wine.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese GK # 12 - Less Botrytis than # 9 but incredibly filigreed nose. Juicy perfect palate with elegant fruit and incredible concentration. Just out of sight. Haag's '05 Auslesen are a true triumph of the vintage.
'05 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Berenauslese - The purest fruit of any BA of the trip. Like sucking perfectly ripe Riesling off the vine. So elegant with vivid pink grapefruit flavors. Genius stuff. Long finish. Will last a lifetime.
'85 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spatlese - Wow this was a "young" older wine. Petrol, lemon, custard, chamomile tea and a certain Burgundian leafiness on this highly aromatic nose. Just stunningy aromatic. Great concentration and density with incredibly high acid. Long finish and very youthful. Can last 30 more years?
'75 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spatlese - In the running as the greatest old Mosel Riesling I have ever had. Although Rudi tells me the '75 Auslesen from Haag are even more beguiling. Amazingly pure and deep nose of petrol, lemon custard, mushrooms, leather, truffles and slate. Insane nose! Palate had amazing grip and concentration with some of the most mindbogglingly complex fruit I have ever had in a wine. Long finish that just echoes and dissipates perfectly. The richness allied with elegance is the stuff of dreams. Apparently Wilhelm will only open this stuff for Rudi. Went over the winemaker's head! A true treat and I wine I will never forget.
Well it was off to Wilhelm's other son's (Thomas) gig at Schloss Lieser. It was my last stop in the Mosel before a quick yet amazing visit in Bockenau with Schafer-Frohlich and then to do some damage in the Pfalz.
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