Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – German Wines

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

A full house (12) joined me at Mayfair Lane in West Perth for this month’s tasting. The theme? German Wines – any style, grape variety, colour and vintage. Not surprisingly, we ended up with lots of Rieslings.

We started with the dry (Trocken) white wines:

Wittman 100 Hugel Riesling 2022 (Rheinhessen 11.5% alc). Pale lemon colour. Green and yellow apple on the nose, with lemon blossom, Mayer lemon, and touches of musk and lanolin. The palate shows tart green apple, lemon, lime, lychee, pineapple and green melon. One taster noted buttered caramel, and, for a trocken, it is slightly sweet. Juicy acidity and moderate length. Well regarded by the group.

Gut Oggau Gewurztraminer 2021 (Oggau, Austria, 13% alc): Yep, someone didn’t read the label. Lemon and cloudy. Red apple, cider, lager with lime on the nose, and a couple of tasters noted prosciutto and musk. More lager/lime or cider on the palate, with bruised apple, brine and supporting acidity. A taste of soda water towards the short finish.

Seehof Riesling 2021 (Rheinhessen 12.5% alc): Pale lemon colour, bright and clear in the glass. The nose shows red apple skin, lemon blossom, slate, minerals, rhubarb and melon. There’s tangy, lemon/lime on the palate with a good depth of fruit. High acidity and good length. Tasters considered this would age well, and was reminiscent of Australian Rieslings.

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Schafer Frolich Hallenberg GG Riesling 2021 (Nahe 12.5% alc): Very pale lemon with green tinges. The nose shows lemon/lime, green apple, orange blossom, and a little musk and Parmesan cheese. There’s gentle lemon and lime on the palate (slightly tangy towards the finish), with one taster noting hazelnut and another a green fruit cluster. Tasters also noted the purity of fruit. Long-ish finish and well regarded by the group.

Markus Moliter ‘Tradition’ Riesling 2020 (Mosel, 11.5% alc): Yellow colour. Initial kero on the nose, followed by lemon, lime, lychee, honeydew melon and musk. The palate shows apricot, citrus, nectarine and a touch of honey. Medium acid and showing the start of development. Short finish.

Schafer Frolich 'Schiefergestein' Riesling 2014 (Nahe, 12% alc): Pale yellow colour. There’s grapefruit, honey / beeswax, and lemon compote on the nose. A touch of sweetness and spritz introduce the palate, followed by white peach, grapefruit, and preserved lemon. High and tart acid and medium length. Highly regarded by the group, and dry white wine of the night by the smallest of margins.

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Dr Mayer Remstal Riesling 2011 (Remstal, 12% alc): Actually labelled Kabinett Trocken. Sealed under Vinolok. Deep golden in colour, and indicating oxidation. Caramel, honey and lime marmalade on the nose. The palate reminded some of us of aged champagne, and showed butterscotch, lime cordial, and baked apple. High acid and medium length, but clearly prematurely aged.

Next we moved onto the sweeter white wines. You guessed it – more Rieslings:

Schloss Volrads Winkel Riesling Spatlese 2021: (Rheingau, 8% alc, 77g/L residual sugar): Pale yellow with green tinges. Red apple, lemon / lime, honeydew melon and tinned pineapple on the nose. On the palate, tasters noted the fruit purity and a little spritz. There’s a little viscosity despite clean acid and a non-cloying finish. Very well balanced and well regarded by the group.

Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese 2010 (Mosel, 7% alc): Deep golden colour. Caramel, lime marmalade and beeswax on the nose. Sweet fruited lime cordial on the palate, with apples and fruit salad. Luscious and viscous, with high acidity balancing the sweetness. Well regarded by the group and sweet white wine of the night.

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Pieroth Munsterer Konigschloss Riesling 2009 (Nahe, 9% alc): Deep gold with brown tinges. The group debated whether this was corked, oxidised or both. A stripped nose, with burnt orange. A flat palate with hints of fruit amongst the sugar and acid.

Schafer Frolich Hallenberg Spatlese Riesling 2009 (Nahe 7.5% alc): Deep gold. Developed nose, with citrus, honeycomb, and bruised apple. The palate shows a good balance between sweetness and acid. A little spritz, gentle citrus, honeycomb and glace pineapple. Most tasters, however, considered it a little over the hill.

Finally, a bracket of reds. There’s a number of red grape varieties produced in Germany, but I should have guessed. Spatburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) was the only red grape variety we saw:

Franz Keller Spatburgunder Com Loss 2022: Ruby colour. The nose was fresh and interesting, with charcuterie, roses, maraschino cherries, tar, rosemary, thyme and raspberry. The palate showed juicy red fruits, sour cherry, and light oak influence. Fine but spiky tannins, medium-high acid, and medium weight. Astringent finish and many tasters considered this unbalanced.

Shelter Winery Hans-Bert Espe Spatburgunder ‘Une Silke Wolfe 2016 (Baden): Astute readers will observe that there are two bottles of this in the photos – yes, we copped a duplicate. This was always likely given the paucity of German reds available in Perth bottle shops.
Ruby colour. Cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruits on the nose, smoked meats, menthol, a little milk chocolate, and dried herbs (thyme, oregano). Bright red cherries and strawberries on the palate. High acid and moderately grippy fine tannins. Modest length. One of the bottles may have shown a touch of brett.

Benedikt Baltes Grossheubach Spatburgunder alte reber 2016: Ruby colour, slightly daker than the previous wine. Menthol, red and dark cherries on the nose, with milk chocolate and some balsamic vinegar. The palate shows light juicy red fruits supported by a little chocolatey oak. Modest tannins and length.

The vote for red wine of the night was skewed by having two bottles of the same wine (which attracted different levels of support), so I cannot award this one.


Given that most of us don’t see too many German wines (in Perth, especially, without travelling to Germany!) this was an interesting tasting, if lacking in variety in terms of grape varieties. Many thanks to all who attended and contributed wines, comments and in some cases, bad jokes.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

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[Ian S]

LOL at the lederhosen - a superb effort from that attendee!

I find myself still very much attached to old school (sweet) german riesling, especially at Kabinett level. It delivers something unique, a wonderful summer wine, but refreshing all year round. Would I pursue dry german rieslings if I had access to their Aussie equivalents? I doubt I would.

I have tasted one blindingly good german pinot noir, but have struggled to pin down styles. It's not a favourite grape, so my experiences are too far apart to get a feel for what's what in Germany.

[Waiters Friend]

G'day Ian and good to hear from you.

I have to agree with your preference for the sweeter German rieslings, and this is a style that Australia rarely does as well as Germany. I will also admit that Australian dry rieslings can sometimes be overly steely and acidic when young, and I have a cellar that allows me to drink older examples regularly.

Compared to the German rieslings, however, Australian rieslings are an absolute bargain (well, in Australia anyway), and there's a few I buy a six-pack of every year - despite the fact that my partner doesn't like dry Australian riesling (with the exception of some Tasmanian rieslings).

There were a couple of very good wines in the lineup of this tasting (and my tastes don't necessarily align with what were group tasting notes), but generally I expect my investment in German riesling wil continue to be modest without a significant inheritance or lottery win.

As far as the reds, the opinion of the group by the end of the tasting was "if it is Pinot Noir - drink French!"

Cheers
Allan