2012 Christmas Tasting

Pouring the wines for everyone doesn’t leave me with a lot of free time, but with the help of my wife, I did manage to scribble some notes on many of the wines we tasted.  My three favorites of the evening were the Spreitzer, the Karthäuserhof and the Selbach Oster.

Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Spätlese

Rheingau

This wine showed a rich palate entry with a creamy middle that tasted like stone fruit.  The finish was short.

Spreitzer Winkeler Jesuitengarten Spätlese

Rheingau

The Spreitzer was a bit spritzy which is unusual for a Rheingau.  The palate was quite concentrated with flavors of peach and orange.  The finish was short which  complemented the richness of the palate quite nicely.

1976 von Beulqitz Kaseler Nieschen, Auslese, Mosel

1983 Monchhof Urziger Wurzgarten, Auslese, Mosel

1985 Dr. Crusius Traiser Bastei, Auslese, Nahe

I try to have a wide variety of styles and vintages at the tastings to please everyone.  Members will always discuss their preferences with me at the tastings, and our members’ preferences cover a wide spectrum:  some prefer dry wines, some prefer sweet wines, some prefer older wines, some prefer younger wines, etc.  My preferences run towards the younger and drier wines.  So, I should probably recuse myself from reviewing these older wines but what fun would that be?  The only flavor I tasted in the’76 and the ’83 was melted butter.  The ’85 simply had no flavor on the palate at all.  I did not like any of these wines.

2010 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg, Auslese

Mosel

This wine was juicy and rich with flavors of apricot conserve, apple pie spice and cardamom.  The finish was very long.  A magnificent wine although we drank it far too young.  I’d love to revisit this one in ten years.

2010 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich, Eiswein

Mosel

I absolutely love Selbach Oster’s wines and this one did not disappoint.  It was not as sweet as one might expect from an Eiswein and it had a luxurious, silky plate.  The flavors included honeyed apple and floral notes and were backed by a firm acidity. 

2003 Reinhard and Beate Knebel Winninger Röttgen, Trockenbeerenauslese

As one would expect from a TBA, this was incredibly decadent.  The palate was so rich that I almost laughed when I tasted it.  Their was a honeyed overlay on the palate which included flavors of mince pie, orange peel and caramel.  It was a bit rich for my palate but a fantastic example of a TBA.