I don't know how they plan the weather for their tastings, but temperatures approaching 80 degrees, a nice breeze, and cloudless skies in November meant a lovely walk from the Embarcadero in San Francisco to Pier 19 and a Dee Vine Wines tasting. A great beginning with Beaujolais about which I know little and was delighted to learn more about. First up the 2006 Domaine Monternot Beaujolais Villages Rouge smelled quite vibrant with violets and lovely candy and tasted quite rounded with heavy rose, strawberry and some crisp dirt on the finish. A bit rustic but in a very seductive way and less than $14. The nose on the 2006 Bernard Santé Chénas (Cru Beaujolais) was less expressive but the mouthfeel had a wonderful roundedness with paired nicely with the intense and pointed precision of flavor here, with just a touch of spice on finish. Precise, precise, very nice and less than $17. A bit more of a nose on the 2006 Domaine de la Roche Saint Martin Côte de Brouilly (Cru Beaujolais) yet more subtle and softer than the Beaujolais Villages. Similarly the tastes returned to primary fruit of blueberry and such, but less precision and with a grape finish that was not endearing—less than $18 here. The 2006 Bernard Santé Moulin-à-Vent (Cru Beaujolais) had a bit of lurking nature to the nose—made me think of a cold cellar and tastes here returned to the delicate, the elegant, with a touch of a tart good grip and wonderful spice—and some mud, not dirt, but mud. Very very likable and only hitting the 20 dollar mark—I'm liking these prices. Moving on to German reds, the 2007 Robert Koenig Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder QbA Trocken (Rheingau) was mighty pale and a bit funky on the nose with a touch of fish about it. A bit of movement about it—starts sweet, goes fruity but then ends up feeling like completely unsweetened jam with a harsh interior grip to the flavor. I didn't care for it and a price just shy of $20. The 2007 Robert Koenig Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder Spätlese Trocken (Rheingau), however, had a harsh interesting flinty nose and was softer, more elegant, with some fruit, but more pointed and precise expression. It made me think of a fruit compote on a Thanksgiving table—but power of suggestion, who knows? Slightly less than $30 doesn't make it a steal, but I thought it a rather nice wine. The 2007 Robert Koenig Assmannshäuser Frankenthal Spätburgunder Weissherbst (Rheingau) on the other hand was really odd—yellow wine, taste was sweet and flat with fruit cocktail with a dollop of vanilla—I don't think I've ever had a German weissherbst/rosé like that before—seemed very old skool. $17 for that one. A cleansing rinse before moving on to the rieslings was the very compelling 2006 Solter Rheingau Brut Sekt, which I believe is a riesling sekt. Light and elegant on the nose with just a light touch of honeycomb and wonderful mouthfilling fruit of lemon/kiwi/peach. Certainly fruity but with a really appealing savory element as well and elegance I wouldn't expect in the mouthfeel. One of the nicer German sekts I've had in recent memory and doable at $21.
The 2007 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs (Rheinhessen) wasn't saying much today and there was chatter about it being closed down. The nose was bare, but nice enough with hints of honey and lemon, but the taste indeed was about structure and little else—tart, odd entry, sharp yet smooth, some quality but images too faint for me to evaluate. Bit of heat and such showing through at the moment. Possibilities underneath, but $65 is pretty steep. The 2007 Knebel Von den Terrassen Riesling Qualitätswein Trocken (Mosel) pretty much served as an introduction to dry wines from the Mosel—of which I've had little. Not the most endearing experience, but interesting. The nose has honeyed and thick, which made the skeletal, firm, bare, tart taste an even more jolting experience. I have adored trocken rieslings I've encountered from other regions in Germany, but this indeed was more freakish than delish. But reactions varied among participants, so perhaps the under $23 pricetag makes it a fun experiment for some. Back to the Rheinhessen for the 2007 Keller Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs (Rheinhessen) which really raised the level of discourse a bit. Immediately on the nose was more depth, more savory notes, more fantastic. Taste was light, more pointed, with great range and lots of expression within a tart orientation. Great balance, great expression, one of the lovelier wines of the day, but $78 is steep indeed. Edging away from the driest expressions, the 2007 Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Kabinett (Mosel) had a roundy/hayish nose, plenty of green and nothing sweet about it, but the taste was soft, with light sugar and yummy fruit. What a bizarre trick is going on here. A bit less than $26 there. The 2007 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Kabinett (Mittelrhein) was one of my few experiences with wine from the Mittelrhein so I was curious indeed to see what it would be like. The nose was soft with some sugar but no honey and many suggestions of leaves (no idea how something would smell like leaves). And a lovely, lovely zip upfront. I thought it acid, but the staff thought in more likely I was picking up some minerality. In any case, the cranberry, the lime – this is a turkey wine if ever anyone needed one. Nice and $20 makes it a very doable kabinett.
After a bit of a break of wandering around (and finding a Hans Wirsching Scheurebe from Franken of all things in the stacks) I returned to try the 2007 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Spätlese (Mittelrhein) which had a recessed yet Muscaty (which I'd consider anything but recessed) nose. Sounds odd and I guess it is, but I was intrigued and it worked for me. Slightly thick but very drinkable indeed—nonhoneyed sweetness combined with a very elegant fade and lasting deliciousness, yum for $27. The 2007 Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Spätlese (Mosel) was winning converts left and right—which always makes me wonder what's going on as I found it spicy—neat enough—but almost completely unbalanced with high alcohol (which was 11%). Nothing endearing at all here for me and $33 made it an easy pass. The 2007 Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben (Mosel) on the other hand had a rocker cheesier nose and offered delicate and precise acid upfront with honey shifting in and really showcasing the amazing artful balance you can get from delicate wonderful sweetness with amazing light-on-its-feet qualities. Reminded me of incredible/wonderful fruit I never buy from the Berkeley farmers' market (too rich for my blood) that really expresses that amazing 'god of small fruits' kind of feel about it. The 'old vines' element of it is 60-80 years old, from what I heard, and is on original rootstock. But $51 is rich for my blood here as well. The 2007 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel (Mittelrhein) enraptured me so much with the nose, I'm not sure I ever got my head out of the clouds. Lots of depth, felt like I was running through fields in bloom—with no Julie Andrews spinning in earshot. Taste was delicacy combined with a quiet firmness, flavors were light, but their fleeting nature paired very nicely with the weight in the wine. This was a very, very nice wine for me, even at $60 (wherefore are thou half bottle?). Ah, here it is in the 2007 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Beerenauslese (Mittelrhein) which was nice honey with nice depth on the nose (less interesting than the auslese at the moment—though I'm sure the BA could develop very nicely in the future). Good balance on display here—honey, drinkablility, light spice, light finish. This wine is eating dessert—which is lovely, but most dessert I eat don't cost $90 for a 375ml bottle. Nonetheless, very lovely stuff—I imagine lots of interesting development down the road.
A very nice 10 year retrospective offered a great opportunity for aging education for folks like me, with three Prädikats and three regions from 10 years ago. The 1997 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) offered a full, floral nose, and was light delicious and spicy—offered wonderful drinking at the moment. The 1997 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese (Mosel) had tons of movement on the nose, offering depth and then exploding in glass with a peach-lime combo—entice entice going on here. Taste was more of a buttery spice component, maybe a fruit compote or cobbler or some such going on here. Neat, but not my favorite—perhaps more time will bring things more my way. The 1997 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese (Rheinhessen) had a pretty nifty weird nose—not sure what to type beyond that. Light, elegant, warmly bound, with persimmons and pumpkins—a pretty appropriate wine for the season. Intense and interesting. Unwaxed corks made opening the 1996 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Steinberger Riesling Eiswein (Rheingau) quite a challenge. Browned and thick coming out of the bottle and immediate quince and honey on the nose. The entry was light, but intensely delicious. Spicy, sweet, with intensity and lightness and a bit of caramel crisp. I could drink a lot of this—the easy flow made appreciating this wine a welcome pleasure.