Aaron Tan

9.1

Wish I could tell you that I tasted the TBA, but silly me (and CW) decided we'd wait until we've tasted all the drier wines before moving on to this... then poof! None left. Sigh. Heard that it's amazing though and the hammer price seems to indicate so - 1020€ 0.375L, 2750€ 0.75L, and 18000€ 1.5L. Insane!

As for the GG, that I did taste. Again, take my notes with a grain of salt given how brief the occasion was. Very fruit driven, ranging from yellow stone fruits to exotic fruits, both on the nose and palate. Nose is beautifully touched by herbal notes. Noticeable sweetness on the palate. Excellent acidity, but I felt the finish was somewhat muted by a touch of warmth in the finish. Needs time to bring more balance. I thought it was a good GG, but trumped by the 18' ADL that it was tasted with on both occasions. 200€ 0.75L

NB: The usual suspects (at least for me) delivered the best dry rieslings at the Nahe VDP auctions. Some brief notes and in order of my favourites:

1) Emrich-Schonleber 18' Auf der Lay: My wine of the auction. Such a beautiful nose - Stone fruits, citrus, just the right amount of greenness (fresh cut herbs and grass), and a real chalky feel. The palate is just so saline, intense, deep, and balanced. Amazing drive. Almost as good as the 17'! 270€ 1.5L and 720€ 3.0L

2) Philipp Kuhn 18' Philippsbrunnen: Wow wow! Surprise of this auction. Precise, elegant, juicy, and so mineral. The nose is airy and cool. Multi-layered palate with sufficient extract. Gentle power comes to mind with this wine. I absolutely adored it and definitely one of the best buys this auction. 105€ 0.75L

3) Keller 18' Pettenthal: What can I say? The terroir is just so strong (taste any producer producing Pettenthal and you'll know) and KP does a great job at turning up the dial to 150%! Admittedly, the doesn't have the electricity of the 17' :( 800€ 0.75L

4) Wagner-Stempel 18' EMT: Better than the 17' I feel, but definitely still on the austere side. Some noticeable phenolics on the palate, but the density and depth is just plain impressive. Excellent value if you ask me. 100€ 0.75L

Lastly, something needs to said about the Wittmann La Borne and Battenfeld-Spanier Zellertal Kreuzberg - I don't get why people are paying so much for these wines (270€ and 210€ respectively). — 14 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

Brief notes from the VDP auctions, so take this with a grain of salt. Classic kabi and one of my favourites this auction. Juicy yellow stone fruits, herbs, racy acidity, impressive length. Very elegant.

NB: Kabi's from this set of auctions have been somewhat disappointing (looking at you Egon), but surprisingly, the Bad Krueznach auction delivered on some really classic and delicious kabi's, most of which went for reasonable prices. This kabi, the Goldloch from Joh. Bapt. Schafer (best value buy imo), the Kirchspiel from Groebe, Kai Schatzel's Pettenthal, and of course, the Keller Schubertslay. From the Mosel, I only really enjoyed the kabi's from Fritz Haag, Clemens Busch, and Grunhaus, but I felt they were playing on a lower level. Would be good to taste all these together again to compare. — 14 days ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Checking in on this one tonight.

Nose has under-ripe peach, tart green apple with the wet mineral notes on high alert.
Palate has clementine peel, under-ripe tangerine and (light) wet slate.

This halbtrocken seems a little ackward tonight, maybe better tomorrow, or in a few more years... — 4 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.2

Last weekend turned out to be a 2011 extravaganza and thankfully, a rather pleasant one. Not my favourite vintage in Europe, with the Mosel churning out many wines that could occupy higher pradikat levels than stated. Nevertheless, the best examples had a ripe delicacy, showing lightness and freshness within the opulence. That was just exactly what the Prum GK portrayed - rich and earthy notes wrapped in crackling acidity. Pure aromas of mango, peach, orange, fresh quince, and cream, with a light honey note and lovely floral qualities. The palate manages to remain very juicy, despite the ripeness and botrytis. Immense weight and finish, as expected of a GK. Complains? I felt the botrytized notes could have come off a little cleaner on the palate. There is slightly too much musky-savoury element, although it does not disrupt the freshness of the wine. MO also detected a slight bitterness in the finish and she felt the minerality could be more pronounced, both points I don't really agree with but hey... she's got a better palate than me. — 3 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

An impromptu meet-up in Stuttgart yielded a little 16' riesling study - Breuer vs. Aldinger. Rheingau vs. Württemberg. Both warmer regions in Germany and from a more generous vintage. Having said that, the Breuer stood out for rising above the appellation and vintage!

The Nonnenberg's so elegant and juicy. Had more drive and finish than the Aldinger Marienglas. On the nose, grapefuit, pear, hints of passionfruit, white florals, herbs. The palate is crazy juicy with a beautiful mix of citrus and wet stones. Finishes with a zing and a touch of creaminess. It's extraordinarily elegant for the region (as Breuer usually is!) and vintage. Can't wait to revisit this wine after some ample cellaring time. — 6 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.2

97' Egon Kabi Auction. What a treat, but I really got to follow my palate in a blind. Has a real classic kabi feel, but it tasted somewhat too green to me. Kinda like Kai Schatzel's kabi's, but less so. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like it... In fact, I really do but it just could be a touch better. Oozes freshness, energy, and purity - all characteristics which I look for in a kabi. — 10 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.0

Bad cork, but good wine. Aromatically closed (like many 09's atm) which never really opened up as the night progressed, but you can certainly see the quality. Ripe and dense on the palate, with a fruit profile that treads on being bruised and plenty of spice notes, restrained by racy acidity and stony minerality. In comparison with the 09' Koehler Ruprecht Saumagen Spatlese trocken R, this looked rounder. Basically, less elegant and probably more like the Auslese trocken. Like the KR, it finished slightly warm, giving it's vintage away in the blind. There's also a touch of phenolic bitterness and oiliness in the mid-palate, which was a bit bothersome to me. The weakest wine of the night, but I think it will blossom in a couple of years. — 16 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.8

My notes seem a little lacking here. I believe this was the last dry riesling opened in the night and I didn't have much of it. All I could say was this - Whoa. High pressure wine. Superbly elegant balanced. 97.

NB: MFW gave this wine a whopping 99 pts. I'm gonna leave their tasting notes here to make up for my lack thereof.

This offers a breathtaking yet finely sizzled nose made of peach, pear, bergamot, sea breeze, flowery elements, mint and flint stone. The wine proves superbly elegant and refined on the palate. It develops density and a compact structure coupled to juicy complexity. Salty elements add freshness to the gorgeously focused palate. The finish is all about airiness, precision, focus and elegance. The overall balance is that found in the finest of Clos Sainte Hune or some of the mythical bottles of Künstler from the 1990s. This is a modern-day legend in the making! — 12 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.0

The weaker bottle from our impromptu 16' riesling study. I really wanted to like this more. I really did. It was my first time drinking a wine from Aldinger and they're considered the best of Württemberg. I just felt it stretched a little too much power, looking broad and round compared to the Breuer. Nevertheless, there's still much to like about it - nose is gorgeous. Stonefruits, heaps of candied ginger, and some spice. The palate is dense and there's a nice stoney minerality. Quite a bit of phenolic grip. The finish felt cut short by a a sort of oiliness. Not the best example of Aldinger perhaps and will definitely try other bottles when given the chance. — 6 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.9

An absolute privilege to have tasted this drop of liquid history. How well it showed is a testament to the provenance and ultimately, the strength of the terrior. Constantly evolving in the glass. How I wished I had more time with it. I believe my dear friend SC described the wine aptly as follow:

A 1934 Trockenbeerenauslese from Franz Karl Schmitt’s plot on Pettenthal , the same vineyard used by KPK to produce this stunning Nierstein auctioned GG in our days. The long aging time reveals here the potential of the terrior, the expression of the soil stands out and dominate the characteristics of the Pradikat, could be even a red wine blindly. The wine is nearly dry, with a refreshing mix of acidity and tannin-like bitterness (soil characteristics?), so complex and long with unique velvety mouthfeel.

NB: Found in an old cellar, unmoved from day 1 by MH, and also generously shared by him at the Keller household. I can't think of a better way to have enjoyed this wine. — 10 days ago