Matthias Müller, Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay, Riesling Spätlese, 2005
Straw-coloured. Fairly understated smell of candied citrus peel, camomile tea and a hint of petrol.
The taste is so much fresher and more open: Wonderful rich sweetness, elegant ripe pineapple notes, the world's fruitiest camomile tea, the tiniest hint of caramel, good stable acidity, a mineral background. What makes this Spätlese wonderful is that it has the complex flavours of maturity (the typical lemon, peach and apricot aroma of young riesling is almost completely gone), but is still vibrant and fresh. It seems that, out of pure luck, I have opened it at a very good point in its development.
From a region not often talked about, a producer to watch out for.
Comments
Matthias Müller and Mittelrhein
Just wanted to comment that my wife and I have very pleased with Matthias Müller wines. We are by no means experts. We moved to the Taunus area outside Frankfurt less than a year ago, and the time since, have sampled from the nearby regions of Rheingau, Nähe and Mosel. So far we have not figured out why the Mittelrhein is held in such low regard. Matthias Müller is located in the town of Spay, on the same street as another producer we have enjoyed, Weingut Weingart.
In reply to Matthias Müller and Mittelrhein by Zack
Enviable
Many thanks for your comment, Zack. It's enviable to be able to do wine shopping and exploring close to home. I have never had a Weingart, maybe I should change that. To be perfectly honest, we're no experts ourselves...
Tasted again
Tasted again, and fallen in love all over again: Pineapple, camomile, caramel, you magnificent flavours!