Achtung! Gas! (2004 Germans)

[MaxH]

Prolog: A friend is an archeologist whose relatives served in Central Powers forces in the first world war (in more than one Power, I think) and left letters and photos about it. Spurred by this connection, the friend collected a virtual museum of everyday artifacts of Austro-Hungarian and German military life. It includes compact, portable hand-crank-operated sirens to warn of gas attack. Restored and fully functional, 90 years later. They are flat and (I’m trying to think of something that everyone reading this will know) roughly size and shape of a detachable computer keyboard. I considered practical uses.

Main story: 2004 premium (QmP) German Rieslings have been arriving on the market. A tasting in California was organized by an experienced fan who had joined an importer on a commercial visit to the winemakers -- this fan speaks German of course -- who reported impressions to us (a "Kabinett-and-Spätlese" vintage; similar weather to Burgundy that year) with comments on wines and producers and trends. We tasted this selection in separate flights for the two weights:

Spätlesen

2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr, AP 7-05 ($31)

2004 von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies’chen Alte Reben, AP 06-05 ($23)

2004 von Schubert Maximin Grünhaüser Abtsberg, AP 17-05 ($35)

2004 von Schubert Maximin Grünhaüser Herrenberg, AP 16-05 ($35)

2004 Josef Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke, AP 9-05 ($20)

Auslesen

2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr no. 6, AP 6-05 ($40)

2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr no. 9, AP 9-05 ($70)

2004 von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies’chen ** .375, AP 05-05 ($31.50)

2004 von Schubert Maximin Grünhaüser Abtsberg .375, AP 19-05 ($24)

2004 Josef Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke * .500, AP 11-05 ($29)

2004 Josef Rosch Leiwener Klostergarten .500, AP 10-05 ($29)

(The last was characterized as a declassified Eiswein.)

Impressions: Achtung! Gas! Prominent sulfur dioxide here, the burnt-match smell (and the bleached colors that warned of it). Especially the Haag wines (I sneezed, another taster had a coughing attack. "Wine-Tasting Asthma Outbreak Sends Three To Hospital," I gasped out between sneezes, mostly joking.) SO2 is in many premium German wines, it helps preserve them; even when young it tends to blow off after time in the glass; but it can be a surprise.

Tasting blind of the Spätlesen I most enjoyed the Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke (1st pick) and von Schubert Maximin Grünhaüser Abtsberg (2nd). That Rosch was also the cheapest wine. Generous fruit acid, and penicillin-like SO2, smells. On taste a sharp frozen-limeade bittersweet citrus. Intense, almost peel-like. Others found peaches and apricots. The von Schubert Abtsberg was viscous; hint SO2, delicate sweet aroma. Taste of generous sugar and acid, almost lemonade. Concentrated. Of the Auslesen the Beulwitz Kaseler Nies’chen was light gold; sweet florality and canned pears in smell; taste of appealing delicate lemony fruit. Minerals and gelatin. The Haag barrel no. 9, though the gas made me sneeze, had spice and fruit. Tasting of a vegetal hint, "7-up" lemon-lime undercurrent, fine mineral finish, more delicate than some. Pricey though. Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke smelled of peach and tasted of very concentrated fruit with softer acid than some. Rosch Leiwener Klostergarten also was very fine: yellow, delicate, floral.

All available in US from importer-retailer Dee Vine Wines in San Francisco (Pier 19, The Embarcadero, Tel. 415 398 3838, colorful catalog, email joe [at] dvw.com -- web site www.dvw.com is not always representative). From other importers too in some cases.

Epilog: Now I have a use for the portable sirens.

-- Max

Note on AP numbers: For anyone unfamiliar with it, the part of the AP Number (printed on German labels) shown here has barrel number and inspection year. Different barrels from the same vineyard, bottled separately, can be very distinct wines, as with the Haag Auslesen here. Note their market price differences.

[budrichard]

?-Dick

[Brad Ballinger]

Max,

$30 difference based on a different fuder? Seems more like a goldcap v. nongoldcap difference to me, given that we're talking auslese. But I'll demur to what you wrote. . .

[MaxH]

Max,  $30 difference based on a different fuder?  Seems more like a goldcap v. nongoldcap difference to me, given that we're talking auslese

You're right about the gold capsule Brad, that is what happened (sorry I did not have the GK designation info when I posted). They had different harvest times, different lots, therefore different AP numbers (which is the legal distinction between the two wines). As you know, the gold capsule is a voluntary producer's rating, beyond the legal categories of German wines (which of course arose in '71 partly because of excesses in voluntary designations -- it is interesting to watch these gradually creeping back by the way, though "gold cap" has been meaningful in my experience). The wines tasted very different, blind (despite common gas -- whew). #9 near my and the other nine tasters' favorite of that group; the #6 near the bottom -- not to say bad wine, it was in strong company.

My own point remains though: Even the same year, producer, and vineyard can make very distinct wines.