WTn: Dr. L

Germany, Mosel, Loosen Bros.,"Dr. L" Riesling 2007, $12.99 at BevMo. Definitely sweet, some lemon, not much of interest. Slightly alcoholic lemonade. Screw cap. 8.5% alcohol
Screw cap wasn't the problem. I could do better with something from South Africa for around $7.99.
I like riesling and I like the real Dr. Loosen rieslings, mostly. This was one of those bottles where nobody was home, and it cost way too much to make up for its lack of quality.

John

John, I have read similar comments on UK sites. Seems earlier vintages were more up to snuff eh.

I actually thought the 2007 was my favorite Dr L in many years, although I think $9 was most I paid for it (at one point Zachys had for $7)

I actually thought the 2007 was my favorite Dr L in many years, although I think $9 was most I paid for it (at one point Zachys had for $7)

Ditto. I've had Dr. L. from '04, '05 and '07 and of those three vintages, the '07 was hands down my favorite. It's not going to displace Dönnhoff in my affections, but it was a perfectly acceptable '07 QbA.

Mark Lipton

I've only had the 2006 (at $10), which I liked very much, but this discussion raises a question for me. I imagine that the Dr L is pretty widely distributed and produced in quantity. Though quality producers focus on quality, does the scale of production for a wine like this translate into higher degree of bottle variation?

I'd expect high production wines, especially under screwcap, to show rather less bottle variation than "artisan" wines. Perhaps my dismay was a matter of expectation rather than the quality of the wine itself. I was hoping for a stony or steely quality, sort of Kabinett-ish, to go with a petrale sole souffle, and I didn't get what I expected. There was nothing wrong with the bottle, and it did taste better with food than by itself - the food moderated the sweetness - but it seemed closer to old-fashioned Liebfraumilch than a real hard-edged Riesling. Maybe I just guessed wrong in the store.

John

I enjoyed the '07 Dr L as well. However, I had some bottles that I purchased later, and these didn't seem to perform as well (the earlier bottles seemed to have more of a green apple and lime snap to them than later bottles). I have to wonder whether it's created in enough volume that there's some notable variation.