Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker
Anders Källberg
Wine guru
805
Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:48 am
Stockholm, Sweden
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
Anders Källberg wrote:2009 Enkircher Steffensberg Riesling Weingut Immich-Batterieberg
One of the rising stars in the Mosel.
Anders Källberg wrote:2009 Enkircher Steffensberg Riesling Weingut Immich-Batterieberg
One of the rising stars in the Mosel. The name of the weingut comes from the history of how one of their vineyards, the Batterieberg, was created, or shaped, rather, by blasting.
The nose is rather restrained but unmistakeably Riesling with roses, ripe peaches and a touch of grape fruit zest. A hint of petrol and some sea shore can be also found.
The taste is bone dry and tough, positively oozing with minerals. It is so tough and stony that it reminds me of the experiment Randall Grahm once made by adding crushed stone to his wines to increase their minerality. A bit like chewing seashells. The result is a tough, dry and bitter wine with great lenght. Definitely not charming, but with lots of character. Not a wine for the lover of luscious fruit, but more for the mineral lover. The restrained fruit is a bit surprising since much of the Mosel Rieslings from 2009 are rather driven by a ripe, sweet, voluptuous fruit.
Cheers, Anders
Andrew Bair wrote:Hi Anders -
Thank you for the interesting note. I've definitely liked what I have been able to try so far from Immich-Batterieberg in 2009 and 2010, but have not found the Steffensberg yet in any vintage.
David - I'll agree with Anders and Lars here - this estate is once again a star in my humble opinion. Perhaps you are merely exercising restraint and waiting for a few more superb vintages to put Immich-Batterieberg at this level, which would be understandable.
Tim York wrote:Anders, I notice that you don't quote any prädikat category or sweetness/dryness descriptor like "trocken", which based on your TN would be accurate for this wine . Is this a VDP wine, so that one can assume that it is dry(ish)?
Each time I think that I'm up to date in my understanding of German labelling, there seems to be a new twist which leaves me again confused.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
David M. Bueker wrote:Andrew - correct. I am just exercising restraint. I've heard so any tales of estates coming back to their former glory (how many times has that been said of Schloss Schonborn in the last 15 years - is this time the real time?) that I take it all with a grain of salt.
Not to mention, vintages have been so great lately that the rising tide flaots all boats. Also, I am not so much of an endorser of the trend to dry/feinherb in the Mosel. I buy some of the wines (including Immich), but really do find that the style is better done in the Nahe/Rheinhessen/Rheingau - at least to my palate.
So let's just say that I remain to be convinced.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
David M. Bueker wrote:Lars - I know the history of the word feinherb. I know you like tto be a completist, but I don't have time to write the whole history of every activity.
As for "knowlegeable tasters", I have been at this for nearly 20 years, with deep immersion in German wines for 17. I started drinking dry wines from around Germany with the 1996 vintage.
I remain unconvinced in terms of track record.
As for the Rheingau, you may quibble over style (knowing you, I am sure you will - you have a business interest and prior motivation to trumpet Mosel wine over all others), but I prefer Leitz to just about anything dry/off-dry coming out of the Mosel.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
David M. Bueker wrote:Lars,
A dear friend of mine is very friendly with Annegret reh Gartner (sorry about my spelling). The story has already been relayed to me.
Goodbye.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
David M. Bueker wrote:Nik Weiss and I discussed feinherb (though not the backstory) at some length in 2003. Daniel Vollenweider as well.
Lars Carlberg wrote:Tim York wrote:Anders, I notice that you don't quote any prädikat category or sweetness/dryness descriptor like "trocken", which based on your TN would be accurate for this wine . Is this a VDP wine, so that one can assume that it is dry(ish)?
Each time I think that I'm up to date in my understanding of German labelling, there seems to be a new twist which leaves me again confused.
Tim: Immich-Batterieberg is not a member of the VDP. Steffensberg has neither a Prädikat nor a taste profile. It's a dry Riesling, but Gernot Kollmann prefers to avoid the word "trocken." The main reason is that in some vintages, certain wines might spontaneously ferment only to 15 g/l RS, for example.
Tim York wrote:Lars Carlberg wrote:Tim York wrote:Anders, I notice that you don't quote any prädikat category or sweetness/dryness descriptor like "trocken", which based on your TN would be accurate for this wine . Is this a VDP wine, so that one can assume that it is dry(ish)?
Each time I think that I'm up to date in my understanding of German labelling, there seems to be a new twist which leaves me again confused.
Tim: Immich-Batterieberg is not a member of the VDP. Steffensberg has neither a Prädikat nor a taste profile. It's a dry Riesling, but Gernot Kollmann prefers to avoid the word "trocken." The main reason is that in some vintages, certain wines might spontaneously ferment only to 15 g/l RS, for example.
Why the doesn't he use "trocken" when it meets the rules for that term and "halbtrocken" when he has 15g/l RS? It would help the ignorant like me. Lack of dryness/sweetness information is a permanent subject for rant for me and, when in doubt, I don't buy and I suspect that there are many others who follow the same policy.
Tim York wrote:Lars, there is a body called the International Riesling Foundation which has developed a graphic scale http://drinkriesling.com/tastescale to help to consumer to know how dry/sweet a wine is before ordering. Something like this is urgently needed; it attempts to address the points you are making about subjective elements in perceptions of sweetness. Unfortunately "International" seems to exclude European producers who have mostly snobbed this initiative.
In Alsace where the problem is especially acute, some producers have recognised the need to help the consumer but there seems to be no consensus on the method and most producers continue to prefer vagueness in the same way as Gernot Kollmann. The best known of these systems is Zind-Humbrecht's "indice" number, which has the merit of giving weight to subjective impressions and of recognising two categories of "sec" within the < 9g/RS definition. That said, I have had bottles of "Indice 1" which do not strike me as bone dry but that may be due to Riesling's aromatics which sometimes give a perception of sweetness not supported by analysis.
To revert to the IRF's scale, is there any good reason other than NIH (=not invented here) for not adopting it?
Lars Carlberg wrote: In fact, Maximin Grünhaus has started to use a similar scale on their back labels.
Tim York wrote:Lars Carlberg wrote: In fact, Maximin Grünhaus has started to use a similar scale on their back labels.
Congratulations to Dr. von Schubert. Any help is better than none but real progress would only occur if all producers used the same method.
I find it hard to understand many producers' reluctance to help unless they fear that any wine not labelled "dry", "trocken", "sec" will suffer reduced sales. But that would imply a willingness to con consumers and I can't believe that.......
Incidentally Grünhaus Abstberg produced one of the very few convincing bone dry Rieslings which I have had from the MSR region.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34424
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
Lars Carlberg wrote:I think it's good that some growers, especially on the Mosel, are confident enough to avoid putting "dry" on the label, even if the wine is dry. It makes people taste first, before dismissing a wine.
Lars Carlberg wrote:I think it's good that some growers, especially on the Mosel, are confident enough to avoid putting "dry" on the label, even if the wine is dry. It makes people taste first, before dismissing a wine.
Lars Carlberg wrote:I think it's good that some growers, especially on the Mosel, are confident enough to avoid putting "dry" on the label, even if the wine is dry. It makes people taste first, before dismissing a wine.
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