WineLovers Discussion Group

Last night 18 enthusiasts gathered together for a German Wine Society sampling of a rather large number of wines from the Franken region of Germany. I did not take notes, but I can say that the overall tasting was fascinating. Here's the lineup (listed by producer, though we really lined them up in a more logical way)

Hans Wirsching
1997 Iphhöfer Kronsberg Kerner Spätlese
2001 Iphöfer Kronsberg Rieling Spätlese
2001 Iphöfer Kronsberg Scheurebe Spätlese Trocken
1997 Iphöfer Kronsberg Silvaner Kabinett Trocken
1997 Iphöfer Kronsberg Bacchus Kabinett
1996 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Trocken
1997 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Kabinett Trocken

Juliuspital
1997 Würzburger Pfaffenberg Riesling Kabinett
1997 Randersackerer Marsberg Silvaner Kabinett
1994 Juliuspital Weißerburgunder Trocken
1997 Eschendorfer Lump Silvaner Spätlese Trocken
1997 Rödelseer Schwanleite Müller-Thurgau Kabinett Trocken
1997 Würzburger Stein Müller-Thurgau Kabinett Trocken
1994 Juliuspital Silvaner Trocken
1997 Würzburger Silvaner Kabinett Trocken
1993 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Müller-Thurgau Spätlese
1996 Würzburger Abstleite Müller-Thurgau
1994 Juliuspital Riesling Trocken

I was totally bowled over by these wines. I expected typically lean, austere trocken, and I got something with a lot more body and richness that was almost always truly enjoyable to drink (the '96 Wirsching Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Trocken was an incredibly acidic exception, but what a wonderful, smoky nose).

Personal favorites included the 1994 Silvaner Trocken from the Juliuspital and the 2 2001s from Wirsching. The 2001 Scheurebe Trocken from Wirsching was my wine of the night (fresh peach and apricot - floral as well), and would have been a great accompaniment to almost any meal. I would be happy to answer questions if there are any.

Only one corked wine out of all these plus some interesting wines from Baden and Wurttenburg and a 2004 August Perll Kabinett Trocken (forgot the exact site).

Perhaps Bill (who was there as well) will throw in some impressions.

Thanks to Charles and Glenna (for again hosting) and to Ken Mason for providing the vast array of Franken wines that he had hand carried back to the USA from Germany.

I was toying with naming this thread Franken Sense or Oodles of Bocksbeutel .

This was certainly an interesting and educational night. I tried two grapes I never had before, bacchus and kerpen, which is always a fun thing to do. I can't say I was as blown away as David, maybe because I don't appreciate trocken wines as much as I do the higher residual sugar Germanic wines.

That said, my faves of the night were the 1997 Juliusspital Wurzburger Pfaffenberg Riesling Kabinett (which was a comparable sugar-bomb to all the trockens but in reality had very little r.s.), and also the 2001's. Of the Wirsching Scheurebe Spatlese trocken (which was wine #11 of the scorecard) my notes read "pretty nose. Oh! Surprise! There is fruit in this one". And I liked the 1997 Wirsching Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Kabinett Trocken mostly for it's intensely rich, aged riesling petroly nose.

And I was very surprised by the body weight of the 1994 Weißerburgunder and Silvaner trockens. Regarding the 1996 Riesling trocken, the nose to me wasn't so much smokey as it was "skunk in a gas can".

Another fascinating (albeit off-topic) wine was the 1989 Baumard Coteaux du Layon demi-sec gratiously poured by our host. What a super honeyed, roasted almond nose, rich unctous density, yet only slightly sweet.

And the Perll kab trocken was from Bopparder Hamm (22 05). I just cant recall it was labeled Feuerlay or Mandlestein but I'm prettysure it was Feurelay.

It was a definitely an enjoyable night with special thanks to Chairman David for organizing, to Charles and Glenna our wonderful host and hostess, and to Ken Mason for uncorking so many interesting wines and for teaching me about a region I was totally unfamiliar.

Sounds like a fun night. I can't say I've ever really been thrilled by a Franken wine, but I also have only had a few and I'm not sure they were top producers.

Perhaps I overstated myself. I wasn't blown away in the manner I was when I tasted the regular 2001 German vintage, but based on expectations...

David, do I remember right from travelling (and drinking cheap wine) in Germany, that the Frankens tend to come in short round bottles?

Yes they do Jenise. They are called bocksbeutels, and they look like a Mateus bottle.

I've found Juliusspital to be a fairly dependable producer - I don't have massive experience with it, but a few bottles every now and then have appeared in tastings. So I was overjoyed to hear that the Riesling Kab came to our monopoly. But true to our monopoly's lousy standards they of course got the worst vintage ever: 2003. I'll say it outloud, though it is an unpopular sentiment: I hate 2003. I hope they keep the wine long enough that we'll see 2004.

I'm not a big fan of 2003 either. There have been a few exceptions (mainly in the auslese range), but in general...blech.

You know what "bocksbeutel" means in German?

Actually it does not quite mean that. We had a rousing debate among hte GErman speakers, and they agreed htat it was not intended to be "that part of the goat."

David M. Bueker wrote:Actually it does not quite mean that. We had a rousing debate among hte GErman speakers, and they agreed htat it was not intended to be "that part of the goat."

Another source of amusement down the drain...

Dave Erickson wrote:

David M. Bueker wrote:Actually it does not quite mean that. We had a rousing debate among hte GErman speakers, and they agreed htat it was not intended to be "that part of the goat."

Another source of amusement down the drain...

Nah. The conversation was VERY amusing.

The Juliusspital website gives credence to the goat definition.
Along with possible roots in bugsbeutal (water bottle) or bookesbeutal (prayer bag)

[quote="Bill Buitenhuys"]The Juliusspital website gives credence to the goat definition.
[quote]

Which would explain a lot about the Muller-Thurgau.