2001

Knipser, Himmelsrech, Riesling Spätlese trocken, 2001

torsten — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:10:20 +0000

Usually, if you want to drink aged wine it involves a cellar, a good idea which wines are worth putting away and some kind of idea when you should open them. And then perhaps a decade of doing nothing. Or it may involve spending a lot of money buying an aged wine from a merchant. Sometimes you are lucky though and come across a wine that both looks the right age and is reasonably priced. Today's find is one of them, a ten year old Riesling from a good vineyard site, made by an excellent producer, and sold for less than 15 Euro.

Reinhold Haart, Piesporter Domherr Auslese, 2001

torsten — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 10:20:54 +0000

Reinhold Haart, Piesporter Domherr Auslese, 2001

A good Riesling wine of Auslese quality will usually need a few years before it really shows its potential and some of the outstanding ones may need a decade or more to get there, depending on whether you like them fruitier or a little more sophisticated. The other day, the time for Theo Haart's 2001 Auslese had come, and as it was my last bottle we will never know whether it would have been even more delightful had I waited five years more.

torsten Sunday, 23/01/2011

Marquis d'Angerville, Volnay Premier Cru Taillepieds, 2001

Julian — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:19:15 +0000

Marquis d'Angerville, Volnay Premier Cru Taillepieds, 2001

At the beginning of this new year, we resolved that we would try, seriously try, to understand Burgundy. We've just about let you down so far, so let's get into it without any further ado: Let's get into this bottle of Marquis d'Angerville, to be precise. One of the great names of burgundy, a second-rank vineyard (first rank would be "Grand Cru"), a vintage that should now have reached good drinking age. Should be a safe bet.

Julian Sunday, 24/10/2010

Markus Molitor, Graacher Himmelreich, Spätburgunder trocken, unfiltriert, 2001

torsten — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 17:22:10 +0000

Markus Molitor, Graacher Himmelreich, Spätburgunder trocken, unfiltriert, 2001

When you speak about the Mosel valley in a wine context, chances are that Riesling will be the topic. On occasion though I feel the need to raise my hand and confuse both class and teacher by saying: 'and what about Pinot Noir?' Yes, you have heard correctly, for me the Mosel can also be Spätburgunder (the German name of the variety) territory, at least as far as Markus Molitor is concerned. It must have been around early 2007 when I bought my first Spätburgunder from Molitor, and I have been a fan ever since. A few days ago the time had come to open the last of the 2001 and find out how well it had stood the test of time.

It was in the late eighties that Molitor planted Pinot Noir in some if his vineyards, including the ones near Graach, an area where even today Riesling is grown pretty much exclusively.

torsten Saturday, 09/10/2010

Reinhold Haart, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Riesling Spätlese, 2001

torsten — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:57:21 +0000

If you like aged Riesling, if you want a perfectly balanced, well rounded wine, if you crave the sensation of a wine that makes your palate feel smooth and peachy - go for this gem from the Mosel. Followers of the Wine Rambler will have noticed that we do tend to like the fruity Rieslings Theo Haart makes and this one is no exception. It is, in fact, the oldest Haart we have tasted for the Rambler and it demonstrates the potential of these wines.

Markus Molitor, Trabacher Schloßberg Spätburgunder trocken unfiltriert, 2001

torsten — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:32:11 +0000

Markus Molitor, Trabacher Schloßberg Spätburgunder trocken unfiltriert, 2001

It has been quite a while since I tasted the sibling of this wine, the Graacher Himmelreich Spätburgunder of the same vintage; so sadly, I cannot really compare them against each other. What I can say though is that both are excellent Pinot Noirs.

The Trabacher Schloßberg ('Schloßberg' means 'castle mountain') comes in the massive bellied bottle Molitor use for their burgundy style wines. The Pinot has great colour, a very nice, intense earthy brown. The nose is gentle, very autumnal, but also fleshy; it showcases black truffle, rotten leaves, a hint of tobacco and black cherries, with a pleasant bit of vanilla and cocoa.

torsten Monday, 01/06/2009

Reinhold & Cornelia Schneider, Spätburgunder trocken "R", 2001

Julian — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Reinhold & Cornelia Schneider, Spätburgunder trocken "R", 2001

Surprisingly dark colour for a Pinot. Smells very ripe, black cherries, some marzipan and some smoked bacon. In the mouth well integrated, but still a tad too dominant oak, very dense and powerful, nutty, no signs of age.

Undeniably classy and powerful, this Pinot ranges between the "german" (oak, warmly nutty) and the "french" (tight acidity and tannin, cherries) style. Impressive and very yummy wine from Baden's Kaiserstuhl, but I would have liked it with a bit less oak.

Julian Saturday, 11/04/2009