WTN: Christmas drinking: Texier, Vall Dolina, von Simmern

Over various Christmas related events I have opened these bottles:

• 2005 Éric Texier* Côtes du Rhône Villages St. Gervais Vieilles Vignes Cadinières - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages St. Gervais
  A lovely wine: dark, sweet fruit which turns bright and more toward the red fruit spectrum with time open. Despite it being a warm year wine and Grenache, I would still call it elegant. Full bodied but quite high in both ripe tannins and acidity so despite being a warm year wine it is very refreshing, lively and moreish rather than cloying. Excellent.
• N.V. Masia Can Tutusaus Cava Vall Dolina Brut Nature - Spain, Catalunya, Cava
  Once again, this proves to be a very charming Brut Nature: dry, grassy, mineral and elegant. Very nice. This was a great find during my recent trip to Barcelona and environs and I have enjoyed several bottles since. Better than the Lavit Brut Nature from Segura Viudas that used to be my go-to Cava before I chanced upon this.
• 1993 Langwerth Von Simmern Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheingau
  14,49€; 10% abv. Sadly my last bottle: lovely, strongly spicy, red toned fruit, petrol - classic mature Riesling. Slightly sweet, steely, red. Perhaps not profound but was cheap and mature and always brought great enjoyment.

Posted from CellarTracker

+ This wine that I posted on in the wine focus

• 1993 Langwerth Von Simmern Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheingau
  14,49€; 10% abv. Sadly my last bottle: lovely, strongly spicy, red toned fruit, petrol - classic mature Riesling. Slightly sweet, steely, red. Perhaps not profound but was cheap and mature and always brought great enjoyment.

RED? Riesling? I don't understand.

I've always liked Langwerth Von Simmern. Especially their Erbacher Marcobrunn Rieslings.

-Paul W.

RED? Riesling? I don't understand.

Yes. I seem to find an aroma reminiscent of all things red (berries, spice even the smell of brick, lol) in many Rheingaus.

Yes. I seem to find an aroma reminiscent of all things red (berries, spice even the smell of brick, lol) in many Rheingaus.

I agree. And not just in the Rheingau.

One of my earlier memorable wine experiences was a half bottle of von Simmern's 1971 Eltviller Sonnenberg riesling Beerenauslese, a wonderfully deep and still pure and fresh bottle that I shared with a friend of mine to celbrate a wine exam that we both had passed, sometime in the end of the 80's. I still keep the bottle in my cellar. Not sure if the estate is up to the same capacity these days.

Cheers,
Anders

As I understand it, von Simmern apparently has been making great wines in past couple vintages (I haven't tasted them unfortunately), yet during the early '90s it was supposed to be in the doldrums. But as David Bueker has noted, I tend to be "forgiving of rough edges" which might be a reason why all the dozen or so bottles of the '93 that I have had I have also found to be lovely. But as DB also noted, that they weren't making wines of the status of the legendayr '70s doesn't mean the '90s were bad wines. AFAIK I have only tasted Simmerns from the bad era, but none have been awful wines, but neither have they been wines that make me swoon - instead they have been good to very good wines. I am content with that.

For some reason, we see a good deal of Von Simmern in this market. I did stock up on a bunch of the 2001s upon release, but haven't opened any since, so I must have liked them back then. The 2005/2006 vintages are still available locally, so I'll pick up a bottle or two, prolly Kabinett, and post a note...not that I'm any sort of expert on Riesling.

BP