This Week’s Tasting
Wed June 17 5:00 - 7:00
Lighter German Wines; Lighter Prices

German wines are great for summer, or anytime, as I found out in Germany last month. The wines I selected then will be in later this summer. This week we will have some recent arrivals that I tasted earlier plus a couple of special buys that I couldn’t resist for their prices. They are a pot pourri of the softer, sweeter style of German wines with a couple of outliers, all at prices that won’t strain your pocketbook. These wines are by direct import and are available in only limited quantities.
Our aperitif will be some fizz from Alice Fitz at Fitz Ritter. Long term Federalistas may remember Alice’s tastings here at the store for her Rieslings, Gewurztraminer and sturdy dry Chardonnay, and not know that Fitz-Ritter have been making sekt, or sparkling wine for several generations. Their Riesling Trocken , or dry, is their best, a crisp and minerally alternative to Cava or California at a very reasonable price.
I don’t remember whether the 2008 Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Kreuz Riesling Kabinett was labeled dry. It tasted very slightly off dry to me with much more soft roundness than you normally find in wines of this price. Credit a new young winemaker, nice ripeness in the Rheinhesse in 2008, and sharp pricing on our part.
Mosel producer Bollig-Lehnert’s rich, ripe style and their very fair pricing have made their wines favorites here for several vintages. The best value of their offerings this spring was a Spatlese from the Hofberg vineyard in Drohn. Drohn vineyards are not so famous as those of nearby Piesport because its southwest facing vineyards front not the Mosel, but a small tributary of it. Normally the grapes do not get so ripe.
The very rich 2007 vintage posed no such problem. The 2007 Bollig-Lehnert Dhron Hofberger Spatlese had all the unctuous richness of their more noted vineyards at two thirds the price. A no brainer for your summer deck.
Gerald Grans makes elegant wines from his base in Trittenheim in the mid Mosel. When I tasted his 2005 Trittenheimer Riesling Kabinett, a blend of wines from Altarchen and Apotheke, at his home in 2006, it seemed light tight, and closed. No such problem last week when his importer offered me the last cases at a reduced price. The wine has fleshed out still delicate and off dry with notes of mature Riesling. Eight cases only.
The Wurzgarten vineyard in Urzig rises almost cliff-like above the northern side of a Mosel bend. In the picture version of this email you can see one of its less steep portion. The rock wall makes for sweet stone inflected lush wines that with age develop aromas of the sweet spices that gave the vineyard its name, Wurzgarten, spice garden.
Little needs to be said about Ernie Loosen. Regularly recognized as one of the best German winemakers, his efforts have done much for the reputation of Wurzgarten and its neighbors. His 2007 is shopping an acidity over its sweet lushness which means that it will likely not be at its best for another few years. This is not to say that it is not enjoyable now for its racy stone, good acidity, and discreet sweetness.
The Fitz Ritter Gewurztraminer Spatlese is like no other rendition of the grape that I have tasted. There is always Gewurztraminer’s sweet rosy spice and a touch of sweetness, but always there is a hesitant delicacy and finesse that make for a prettier, lighter hearted Gewurz any other. The 2007 is no exception. Drink with even lightly spiced Thai foods or grilled fish.

Sparkling

Fitz Ritter Riesling Sekt; Aroma: clean light but firm & yeasty; Mouth: clean fresh, pretty and light ; Very Good 14.99; Mixed Case, 13.49; Case, 12.74

White

2008 Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Kreuz Riesling Kabinett; Aroma: pretty, fresh, and clean; Mouth: clean pretty nicely rounded and fruity; Very Good 12.99; Mixed Case, 11.69; Case, 11.04

2007 Bollig-Lehnert Dhron Hofberger Spatlese; Aroma: heady sweet dense thick; Mouth: dense thick, semisweet good acid, firm clean finish; Very Good Plus 14.99; Mixed Case, 13.49; Case, 12.74

2005 Grans Fassian Trittenheimer Riesling Kabinett; Color: light gold green; Aroma: heady fullish, mature Riesling nose, softened petrol; Mouth: semisweet a touch of light stony acid, rich fruit, thick=k in midmouth finishes long with a refreshing sweet acidity; Very Good Plus 16.99; Mixed Case, 15.29; Case, 14.44

2007 Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese; Aroma: Rather light, heady, clean light red slate, ; Mouth: a touch of spritz, light acidity, young, fresh; Very Good Plus 26.99; Mixed Case, 24.29; Case, 22.94

2007 Fitz Ritter Gewurztraminer Spatlese; Aroma: light almost delicately aromatic fleshy, very light spice; Mouth: clean between just off dry to semisweet, balanced clean firm medium, bodied, finishes off dry; Very Good Plus 16.99; Mixed Case, 15.29; Case, 14.44

6/17 German Lights Case: Two each of the above wines at a special price of $176