Last summer I decided it was time again to try and develop a deeper understanding of German and Austrian rieslings. Last time around they came in blue and black bottles. Anyhow when I look back over my TNs for the past year, I see I have tried far more than I had drunk in the preceding 10 years. I have also taken to reading a bit more on them. Willi Schaefer was one name that keeps popping up as something of a "cult" wine well worth tracking down.
So the Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobut Riesling Kabinett 2007 is the first of Willi's wines to come my way. Essentially an entry point example, I am starting to see why people get so passionate over the German rieslings. By all counts 2007 is a very good year. First up, the colour is a very pale yellow thou with more depth of colour than a comparable high end Aus example. On the nose I got honeysuckle and limes, definitely sweet rich tones. At this point it is worth noting we paired the wine with a couple of soft French cheeses at the beginning of the evening, one of which was a blue. As a pairing this was a superb match. On tasting the wine, the phrase that came to mind was one of a lovely lightness of being wrapped around a great line and length. A more elegant off dry style ofwine than many of the Australian examples I have been enjoying over summer, I found green apples, limes (again) and tropical fruit. The latter reminding me of the banana passionfruit my grandmother used to grow. It is fair to say it was a huge success with everyone at dinner when paired with the cheese
