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Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling 2018

Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling 2018

Dr. Pauly Bergweiler’s 2018 Noble House Riesling offers up a classic nose of yellow apple, pears, and a whiff of kerosene. It’s lightly sweet on the palate, balanced out by snappy acidity and a lively with a touch of lemon curd and yellow peach at the close. A nice value for its price point. 10.5% […]

Fitz-Ritter Riesling Sekt Extra Trocken NV

Fitz-Ritter Riesling Sekt Extra Trocken

Apricot, dewy pear and a whiff of diesel and laurel leaf anoint the nose. Delicately embroidered bubbles play off tightly coiled acidity that gathers at the sides of the tongue—Fritz-Ritter’s Riesling Sekt is the very picture of lightness—chalk and slate-flecked minerality burbles along, twining a pretty streak of candied pink grapefruit on the finish. 12.0% […]

Sybille Kuntz Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2016

Sybille Kuntz Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2016

Highly recommended, the 2016 Sybille Kuntz Riesling Spätlese Trocken slowly unfurls as it opens in the glass, revealing layered aromas Bosc pear, kerosene, stargazer lily, lemongrass, and a buoyant top note of chamomile tea. On the palate, citrus notes converge against a nervy acid spine. It reads as nearly dry, with leesy mid-tones adding texture […]

Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2015

Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2015

The Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2015 is pale lemon yellow, with classic Mosel aromas of kerosene and rubber pool toy followed by lemon drop and ripened pear. Medium-weight on the palate, but nicely offset by a jaunty burst of acidity, fruit emerges on the finish with yellow peach and apricot buoyantly weaving in and […]

Haubs-Barzen Erben Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese 1997

Haubs-Barzen Erben Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese 1997

A nice little find from Garagiste—where it’s sometimes possible to pick up an aged wine like this one, direct from the producer. The 1997 Haubs Barzen Erben Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese requires some coaxing as far as aromatics are concerned. A good swirl of the glass reveals fleshy yellow peach, pineapple, melon, dried mint, pea […]

Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling 2015

Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling 2015

Billowy, rapturious aromas of white flowers, pine, high-altitude breezes, line-dried linen and white peach waft from the glass. But for me, that wasn’t the most compelling aspect of the Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling, no—it’s definitely the acidity. A nervy electric cord of pure lemon pith that cuts through this Mosel Riesling like sewing […]

Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Riesling Spätlese 2015

Heinz Eifel Riesling Spätlese 2015

A terrific value Spätlese from Heinz Eifel, made from late-harvest grapes grown along the steep, slatey banks of the Mosel. Luscious aromas of yellow peach, Bosc pear, lemon drop, Snapple, and an ethereal kerosene top note. It’s fairly gentle on the palate, and round, with a citrusy burst of acidity that gives as much balance […]

Weingut Dr. Heyden Silvaner Qualitätswein Trocken Alte Reben 2015

Weingut Dr. Heyden Silvaner Qualitätswein Trocken Alte Reben 2015

Lemon yellow in the glass, Dr. Heyden’s 2015 Alte Reben Silvaner Trocken is indeed quite dry, as noted on the label. The nose is a heady mélange of pear, musk melon, lemongrass, and lily of the valley. In the mouth, these descriptors orbit around a sturdy acid spine—that citrusy acid note is present from start […]

Schäfer Riesling 2015

Schäfer Riesling 2015

The Schäfer family have been organically farming their vineyard parcels in Mettenheim (Schlossberg) and Bechtheim since 1709, and really, when the wine is good, what more could the savvy wine consumer want for $13.00 per bottle? A kerosene top note leads into weighter expressions of white peach, poached pear, and lemon drop. It’s medium-bodied on […]

Schäfer Dry Rosé 2016

Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich Dry Rosé 2016

Spring is on the way. Heirloom rose petal pink, Schäfer’s 2016 Dry Rosé opens with vivid aromas of delicately spiced pie cherries, strawberries and apple blossom. Medium-bodied, this fresh organic rosé of Pinot Noir features a lean, tensile acid spine that crescendos with a burst of delicious pit fruit bitterness and oyster shell. 11.6% ABV […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com