rudy wiest part 2

interesting side note...Pinot Noir is known to have been in Germany since the 1100's where Riesling is really planted around 1400...the other is 2007 was a glorious vintage for these growers some producers got almost 200 days of hangtime which is remarkable given most get between 90 to 120. complete ripeness was achieved not just sugar ripeness

Rebholz from the Pfalz region the name means wine holder??
Pinot Blanc Spatlese Dry Estate limestone and citrus rind. certain roundness but hoping for more
Rielsing Spatlese Dry Muschelkalk petrol on the nose, juicy and minerality all at once.
Rielsing Dry Grosses Gewachs Im Sonnenschein which translates to in sunshine...good for northern vineyard sites.yellow and citrus
Riesling Dry Grosses Gewachs Kastanienbusch which is a vineyard that grows near a grove of Chestnut Trees hence the name. slate and flintstone..very minerally
2004 Pinot Noir Muschelkalk sandalwood and cinnamon

Becker from the Pfalz one of the interesting discussion with this producer was the fact that a lot of their grapes come from France..here the history geek in me is noticing that the area just below their vineyards site is the Alsace which over the last 150 years has been in both french and german control...

Pinot Blanc Dry Limestone... round and citrus..one of the wines I asked to purchase
Riesling Medium Dry Laissez Faire... a term I was familiar with in history, around the end of the 19th century the government of the US took a view that what was good for business was good for the country and they would step back and let them do what they would.,..hands off is the liberal translation soapstone and nice sweet finish but not too big... they just let the natural yeast do its own thing

Pinot Noir B Estate using old wood, this wine has rich colors but a lighter style than the others in the tasting..
2005 Pinot Noir Dry Grosses Gewachs Kammerberg Huge color and big tannin for a pinot ...
2006 Pinot Noir Dry Grosses Gewachs St Paul sweet fruit aromas., almost oregon in nature but a little softer.

Furst of Franken Pinot Noir is 60% of their production
Riesling Dry "pur mineral" lime and citrus not overly exciting
Riesling Dry Groses Gewachs Burgstander Centgrafenberg pine tar resin? interesting but a little offputting
2006 Pinot Noir Dry Klingenberger Spatburgunder the word used in germany for Pinot Noir.. this winery uses a lot of used barrels to hold down the wood tannin but it still is a monster
2006 Pinot Noir Dry Centrafenberg more cranberry and warmer flavors.
2006 Pinot Noir Dry Grosses Gewachs Centgrafenberg. the best sites within Centragrafenberg,, earthy and aromatic.


Salwey from Baden predominately old vines and only Pinot varietals.. no riesling
Pinot Blanc Dry estate lovely ripe and rich..green apple, tropical fruit notes..round and gorgeous
Pinot Gris estate melon and very juicy..good acidity
Pinot Gris Dry G.G. Oberrotweiler Henkenberg.. deep is all a wrote and have no idea what that means.
Pinot Noir Dry estate Deep color and nose of earthy and fruits.. big cherry on the finish.
2006 Pinot Noir. said to be a lighter style yet really rough tannins that the old oak will help soften one day.

Schnaitmann from the Wurrtemberg area known for a more continental climate..colder and hotter...

Rose dry Evoe a battle cry of the Valkerien Women..i think.... with red wine juice for color...of Pinot Noir.. interesting color and flavors
Samtrot Dry Estate old pinot vines.. light color and tannins not so much...
Lemberger Estate dark purple, spice and pepper 2 years in barrel. cherry on the end.. another one I chose to bring in.
Pinot Noir Dry YOung Vines soft, bright fruit, easy drinking..no greeness that oft comes from young vines.
Riesling Dry G.G. Felbacher Lammier given 198 days of hangtime this was going to be a monster in sweetness but vinified dry it was full of mineral and crispness. very intense.

there were 15 other wines that were represented from winemakers in Wiest portfolio... Karthauserhof, Wegeler, Schafer-Frohlich, Robert Weil, Gunderloch, and Pfeffingen, Dr. Heger and Meyer-Nakel. but without representation and being the last of 55 wines they were good but there is so much...several of these producers are in the store already in some form/.

The last bit of info is the age of the winemakers..most represented were under the age of 40 and wanting to push boundries of expected german wines in both quality and varietal.

rudy wiest dry wine tour

Tuesday at noon 55 wines...8 winemakers or representives from the german properties and most but not all spoke adequate english. they had just come from a new york tasting the day before so I felt somewhat privileged to be attending.

these wineries represented many of the lesser known regions of germany... even though i taught geography a map on the wall would have been somewhat helpful in better appreciating the determinate climate and conditions. it was cute when Mr W had a interchange with one of the winemakers in german, i believe he was berating him but he could also have been saying pleasantries too..my german extends to a course my freshman year in college that started at 730am needless to say i didnt do well

Franz Kunstler from the Rheingau.
all the whites were from the 2007 vintage unless noted otherwise.
Riesling Dry Estate crisp and green apples
Riesling Dry Old Vines a little rounder than the first wine..and nice
riesling dry goldcap Hochheimer Kurchenstock comes from a vineyard near a chuch(kurchen) gold caps are thought to be better by the producer than typical..this had a pretty nose but not a lot of difference in fruit for the price
Riesling Estates Gewachs Hochheimer Holle , estates gewachs is a designation of grand cru or premier growing sites...much like the Premier Cru or Grand Cru in Burgundy. Holle is Hell but really means hill...i think, it was hard to understand this young lady
2006 Pinot Noir Tradition red fruit and earthy finish..

Von Buhl from the Pfalz region they seemed to have a little more fun with their wines and the naming of such.
Riesling dry, Hergottsocker beautiful nose, florals and cloves one of my favorite from the whole tasting actually.
Riesling Medium Dry Maria Schneider Jazz we carry this in the store.. named for the jazz muscian because of her nervosity and jazzy style.
Rielsing Dry Grosses Gewachs Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad limestone and ripe. reiterpfad is the horse briddle which was main transportation when the vineyard was planted
Riesling Dry Grosses Gewachs Forster Ungeheuer Big bold and not what I would call sweet..interesting. a monster white wine
2006 Pinot Noir Dry Estate light color but huge flavor almost burgundian in style and just a sample of the Pinot to come in the rest of the tasting

Wirsching estate from the Franken region. they are known for their traditional bottle shape which Mateus took for their wines.. and believe me these are no mateus wines.
Silvaner Dry Estate sweet nose but dry and minerals and lime Silvaner lesser known white varietal of germany.
Scheurebe Kabinett Dry Iphofer Kronsberg this grape is a cross of Sylvaner and Riesling. fruity on the nose and palate but dry finish.. lots of spice and reminds one of a gewurztraminer
Riesling Spatlese Dry from the Iphofer Kronsberg vineyard. lots of mineral and acidity.
Riesling Dry Grosses Gewachs Iphofer Julius Echter Berg a vineyard site named after one of the first bishops of the area. GG means the best part of the estate or vineyard site. soft nose, but good acidity
Silvaner Dry Grosses Gewachs Iphofer Julius Echter Berg Beautiful, sweet but again not sugary so...a touch bitter on the finish...this vineyard comes from a gypsum soil which gives it the character it has. which allows better drainage and minerality to appear

random monday wines and single malt

From premier cru.

Pfeffingen estate dry riesling 2006, a touch of mineral and honey, but mostly light and not very compelling..

Oberon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 soft and non herbacious...tasted after the riesling though so didnt really get its true colors.

La Planella from Montsant a very juicy, and earthy wine at the same time. real bright cherry flavor after a few minutes in the glass... this will fit into the corner for sure. 89 parker


from bommarito
Aia Oakville 2004 a cab from the miner family that is their second label. pretty cedar on the nose and lots of juicy tannin...great steak wine.

castle rock zinfandel 2006 Mendocino a little green or herbal for me..some briar may need some time to settle down...or grow up

Michel Bouzereau 2006 Bourgogne its hard to think of 2006 being as a good value after the excellent 05 vintage but this wine was very nice... bright yellow in the glass..good chardonnay fruit on the tongue without a lot of oak or ml to ruin...a touch of asparagus on the end but not a deal buster.

McCarthy Single Malt Whiskey from oregon via scotland...a sort of peaty style with more of the Iodine than I care for without the pretty smoky nose. it uses peat bogs brought in from scotland but it just misses the mark for me... a touch of mocha and orange on the finish which was nice.

southern starz wines lee folkes

a wine company that specializes in australian wine
nugan esate chard 2006 in the store..very ml and caramel and creamy tropical fruit

reillys barking mad riesling 2007 a touch petrol and not very interesting... light weight and no

nugan estate 2005 shiraz bing cherry, not used to that taste in shiraz

waterwheel memsie red 2006 great purple blend...lots of sweet fruit on the nose and palate...very nice

st mary's bells and whistles 2005 being a huge fan of the movie I wanted to like this wine...smooth, juicy and a light finish..ingrid would not be happy.

old wine with a new distributor

the winery silverado which has been around for quiter some time is now with Garco instead of Glazers. robert brought by three of their wines to try... i already had the chard and cab in the store.

Silverado Merlot 2004 juicy, medium weight not overly exciting but not bad either... dark fruits and nice finish.

Silverado Cabernet 2005 cassis on the nose, dark color in the glass...mocha, milk chocolate...black fruits, nice bottle.

Silverado Sangiovese 2005 a little brickish on the glass, natural for the grape. bright red fruit, typical for calital or as I call them italifornians. they want to be old world but they just get too ripe... nice acidity and a good food wine...not truly what sangiovese from italy would taste like.

wine with cirran

retasted some items.
next riesling 2006 by king estate...i found it dry, uninteresting and a dull finish..next indeed

picket fence chardonnay russian river 2006 nice creamy texture, with the round finish it is not overly oaked or malo'ed. nice little hint of caramel at the end.


next pinot noir 2006 pinot in a bordeaux bottle. interesting concept... definite pinot nose with a hint of green on the back. sign of youth?? nice red fruits in the bottle good acidity with a quick finish...

NxNW 2005 cab blend. from king estate.. bright color but strange nose, cassis fruit, and a quick finish...

AVV Cab Franc 2006 smoky nose a little green herbal on the finish.. dark color and juicy a touch of cola on the finish.

jk wines with klaus wittaur

I love the job because of the visitors I get...yesterday someone came in the store from Australia today they came from Austria... i guess I can travel vicariously. This supplier brings wine from just outside the well known regions of Austria, which means good quality but not the higher price...usually

Meinkling Pinot Gris.2006 crisp, tart almost sweet... a little too sweet citrus for my taste,

Meinkling Pinot Noir 2006...I had this bottling last vintage so was surprised at how light this was... no tastes of cola, mushrooms, any of the markers of pinot noir..just a light, slightly green

Meinkling Frizzante Blanc de Pinot Noir nv the best of the bunch..a pretty pink color with strawberry in the nose and that tart flavor in the mouth.. great acidity and just a pleasant wine all around.

Josef Bauer Riesling Prarrleithen.. a touch petrol like the alsace wines have.. lush and fruity, very nice. pfarrleithen means late picked.. i think

Bauer Riesling Hengstberg beautiful yellow , fruit but dry finish. these wines come from the region of Wagram, which is next door to the region of Wachau the most famous of Austrian growing.,

rainy day wines

today tried a few wines from different distributors.

Avignonesi Desiderio Merlot 2004 not being a sangiovese it had a lot of that character..this producer best known for it Vino Nobile de Montepulciano has had consistent wine from merlot.. good red fruit on the palate and some tar and smoke on the end....nice if pricey

the cruscade blend 2005 cab and other things blended from the south of france...sounds really good but just missing in the fruit dept.. dusty nose and flavors... second time trying this and still will pass

66 cotes du roussillon 2005 concrete tank fermented...deep rich color and flavors...very nice wine for the money...inexpensive cote du rhone style.

Yann Chave Croze Hermitage 2006 the poor neighbor to Hermitage it still can produce nice wines at half the cost of hermitage. dark and brooding, iodine, light mid section but nice finish...just a touch of bacon fat....

d'arenberg wines from australia

had the pleasure today of seeing ric anderson the general manager for d'arenberg from australia with his accent.

stump jump white 2006 riesling, sauv blanc, marsanne and roussanne an interesting blend to be sure..first whiff was of stony slate and petrol then became more floral or even tropical. fresh ...

hermit crab 2006 Viognier Marsanne blend. bright yellow color, not overly sweet or floral in the nose, a touch of burnt caramel on the finish. forgot to ask why they called it the hermit crab... i know they said they like to have fun with the wine once it is in the bottle.

stump jump red 2006 grenache, syrah mourvedre. pretty, dark fruit on the nose, grenache predominates in the flavor profiles, maybe finishes a touch green .

the custodian 2005 grenache...ruby color, old vines, cotton candy on the nose, but not that sweet on the finish. an example of old vine grenache that really works... and its not a fruit bomb.

d'arys original shiraz grenache blend...2005 dark purple in color, minerals., a touch of white pepper...very comforting wine.

the footbolt shiraz 2005 named for the horse that helped the family originally finance the winery back in the early 1900's. mcclaren vale..not a fruit bomb but restrained and not elegant but nice for the money. a little bing cherry on the finish....

big names from napa

Today I was visited by Duckhorn and Raymond.
Judith Britt supplier rep for duckhorn in the midwest.

The only white that duckhorn does is a Sauv Blanc 2007 , with a touch of semillon , had a touch of the herbacious quality you find in Sancerre but missing a little in the mid palate. Not overly oaked and a slight creamy quality.

2006 migration Pinot noir anderson valley... dark color for pinot, but bright red fruit, a touch hot, cola tea and fruit tannin on the tongue...not a wimpy pinot

2006 Decoy as was described to me not a set blend, can change each year, and not necessarily made every year. basically a blend of wine that didnt quite fit the bill for their napa bottlings.
as with most of these wines I detected a very fruit forward style without a lot of tannin from oak, some cedar but just a pleasant table wine.

2005 Paraduxx Napa Valley cute label of different types of ducks... mostly zin but also no set varietal mix. this had some cab in it that gave structure and comes through in the nose with a little bit of pencil box...perfect for the start of school... it has the nose of zin with briary undergrowth but more elegant..

2005 Duckhorn Napa Merlot this merlot is made from vineyards up and down the valley...a truly valley wine, dark color, rich aromas on the nose, with juiciness and some tar and tobacco on he finish

2005 Duckhorn Napa Cab the wine that they are most known for even though the duckhorns wanted to be the merlot property with st emillion as the benchmark. this is a soft cab with silky tannin and with a little merlot added in it seems a good wine to both age or drink now.

not as expensive but as long lived in napa are the raymond brothers.

2006 r collection chardonnay clean, crisp no ml...a little time in oak this is the trend i have noticed in napa chards to be more about the fruit than the oak and butter and vanilla

2005 r collection merlot it wasnt fair to try this after the duckhorn merlot but for the price point it was nice and juicy , maybe a little too hot from alcohol.

2005 r collection cabernet mocha dark cherry, tar and tannin.s

wineblow wines with chris tridle

Mostly known for Italian wines this supplier is branching out a bit to spain.

Monjardin El Cerezo Chardonnay Navarro Spain 2006 Very dark golden color, almost like a sauternes, nice texture in the mouth and very creamy..Cerezo is Cherry tree which supposedly grows in the vineyard... good thing its not stinkweed...pretty butterscotch,caramel at the finish.

Fontana Mesta Tempranillo LaMancha, Spain 2007 nice juicy cherry fruit, soft finish...but there are so many great wines at this price why this one????

Labastida Crianza rioja 2004 very tight nose..dark and brooding, not much flavor...could use some age maybe??

Bruichladdich Rocks Single Malt Islay Jim Beam owned this property and let it lapse , it was bought in 99 by a group who brought it back...originally they had 10 year but with the closing for a few years they will have a period until 2011 when they get the 10 year back. until then they will have the rocks which is ablend of single malts so why they still call it a single malt i dont know...this one is finished in grenache kegs on the south of france..makes you want to be a single malt. light smoky nose which is nice for islay because of things like Lagavullin which if you taste in the afternoon you still smell of smokehouse going to bed... this is an almost sweet definitely light with a slight iodine finish at the end...good for people who want to experiment with islay.

opus one 2005

After a long summer one of the things to look forward to is the annual presale luncheon for Opus One. This year it was at JJ's on the plaza and I have to say the filet I had was great. It was interesting listening to Gina Voci talk about Mr Mondavi and how much of a presence he was in her professional life. The mondavi's have not had control of this property for a few years but the spirit is still there.

The lunch started off with a Deutz Champagne blanc de blanc...lots of creamy mousse and toasty notes but very light and elegant. had to have 2 glasses...

Opus One 2005 a big brusing wine that will need time to decant or sit in cellar. One of the reasons it is so pricey they have little women brought in from the Dominican Republic who sort the little trays of grapes as they come in. Field hands are told not to send any bad bunches or else, and then these little women, 20 according to Stephen Molloy, sort through and pick out any bad grapes in the bunches and they are also destemmed so that there is nothing but natural grape tannin. ok part of this is true...they do sort out very meticulously Dominican or not. they also only use new french oak barrels which are over $1000 a piece..

so they have their reasons for charging as much as they do...and actually compared to things like harlan or screaming eagle or maya or....they are a bargain. this wine should be a 10 to 15 year ager.

hungarian wines from jk winesni

Istvan Flesch from his eponymous business was in town tasting through hungarian wines...looking to fulfill that niche of hungarian wines for the young drinkers who wouldnt want to drink something called bulls blood...

fist off was Torley Grand Cuvee made with chard, pinot noir and riesling. nice color of light gold, good acidity and the finish was pleasant..nice $14 alternative for sparkling wine drinkers.

Torley Fortuna a blend of muscats and a hungarian varietal irsai oliver .cotton candy that turns into caramel red apple that turns into ginger...very interesting..golden color with not over the top sweetness
a group of wines called Craftsman and each bottle has a stylized version of a craftsperson in bold colors. the idea is to help identify the wine by color since the name of the wine is most difficult to pronounce.no merlot here thins like kiralyleanyka which i didnt taste.

Craftsman Zold Veltelini 2006 this is hungarians version of gruner veltliner from austria..which is just gaining some recognition in this market...almost sauv blanc in style...clean and crisp it is a nice wine for this time of year.

Cserszegi Fuszeres a wine that is a hybrid of gewurztraminer and another hungarian varietal.
pretty nose, very refreshing but it fades just a little too fast for me.

Cabernet Franc 2004 light purple in color. smoky and a touch light in the palate... but refreshing and a nice wine for the money.

Harslevelu 2006 one of the grapes that goes into a Tokaj wine. very dark yellow a touch empty in the middle also but lush pretty finish.
I think we will have some soon and also I recommended he taste these at our next tasting which will be Nov 6th.