The fourth annual Klitzekleine ring took place in the Julius Kayser-cellar in Trarbach on September 27th. The vintage up for tasting was the highly proclaimed 2007. The 10 members of the Ring was this year joined by the guest Weingut Ingmar Püschel. Another new and interesting producer from the area. We started with tasting the Bergrettung-wines which are a collaboration between all members of Der Klitzekleine Ring.


Der Klitzekleine ring

The vines for the Bergrettung comes from a parcel in the Enkiecher Ellergrub that the members of Der Klitzekleine Ring has renovated. The parcel will now be sold and they will start the work to renovate a new vineyard. The '07 are very different from the wines in '06.

Bergrettung riesling kabinett feinherb 2007
Mineral nose. A bit shy, but pure and fine. Light in the mouth. Typical feinherb style with a light sweetness. Mineral and pure style. Good, but perhaps a little anonymous. Fine structure and length. Perhaps needs a little time. A totally different animal from last years wine. Good.

Bergrettung riesling auslese 2007
Fine nose. More depth. Flowers, minerality. A slight touch botrytis. Fullbodied and sweet wine in the mouth. Fine and pure fruit with some sweet floweryness. Crisp acidity and long taste. Very good quality.

Bergrettung riesling auslese 2006
The auslese from last year has a more intense and sweeter nose. It shows much more botrytis on the nose with a touch of earth in it. Fullbodied and sweet wine in the mouth. Light fat upfront. Quite a lot of botrytis-notes. More honeyed and sweet mouthfeel and quite thick. Lower acids and more creamy. Again very good, but also very different.


Weingut Richard Böcking, Traben-Trarbach

Riesling V qualitätswein trocken 2007
The nose is quite simple and aromatic with hints of flowers and earth. Quite full QbA riesling. Lightly mineral fruit with hints of flowers. Not the most concentrated wine. Fine acidity and length.

Trarbacher Burgberg riesling spätlese trocken 2007
A little shy nose on this one. More mineral depth. Again not the most concentrated wine in the mouth. Fuller style, but showing little of the fruit. Mineral and fine acidity and length. Not much more interesting.

Trarbacher Burgberg riesling kabinett feinherb alte reben 2007
From 60 years old vines. 25 hl/Ha. More fruit in the nose here. Some mineral depth. Light flowers. Fine balance in the mouth with light sweetness and good acidity. A little simple, but fine fruit. Good length. Good kabinett.

Trarbacher Ungsberg spätlese feinherb 2007
More intensity on the nose here. More minerality and interest on the nose. Flowers. Finer and more elegant and racy style in the mouth. Lightly sweetish riesling with fine balance and quite light on it's feet. Good depth and fine minerality. A touch of flowers and anis on the finish. Good length. Very good.

Trarbacher Burgberg riesling auslese feinherb 1992
A much more older wine with an aged character on the nose. Hints of faded flowers, firn, blackcurrant-leafs. Some earth. Medium bodied and evolved riesling in the mouth with a little touch of sweetness. Fine fruit, typical of the grape, although not the deepest wine. Fine acidity for this vintage and good length. Drinking well now. Good.

Böcking is on the track making a good vintage this year. The 2007 seems to fit in the style of this producer. There is no doubt more depth and interest to be found in the Ungsberg which is the best wine from Böcking on this tasting. It was fun to taste an older wine that shows that these wines can age.


Weingut Johann Lenz, Pünderich

Pündericher Marienburg riesling kabinett trocken 2007
Sweet flowers on the nose. Dry and lightly flowery riesling in the mouth. Light and not concentrated. Clean and fine. Good acidity and decent finish. Quite simple and forgettable and a little too lacking in concentration.

Pündericher Marienburg riesling kabinett halbtrocken 2007
Sweeter flowers on the nose, but quite similar in style. Again light and low concentration in the mouth. Clean style with hints of flowers. High acidity and a decent finish. A tad sweeter and fuller than the previous wine.

Enkircher Ellergrub spätlese trocken "alte reben" 2007
Flowers in the nose with s slight touch of a minerality. Drier wine in the mouth with riper fruit. A little better concentration. Sweet flowery fruit and there is a touch of minerality here. Fair quality, but could use more concentration.

Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese feinherb 2007
Again this shows sweet flowers in the nose. Riper, but lacking the touch of minerality of the previous wine. A little fuller in the mouth with simple and flowery fruit. The acids shows some bitterness on the finish. Green and hard. This lacks some precision and selection.

Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese 2007
Again simple and flowery nose, lacking any further depth. Sweet wine in the mouth with little concentration. Very simple style. As with the previous wine this has hard and green acids. Making the finish bitter and unpleasent.

This year was not a good year for Johann Lenz. The wines seems to represent all the troubles that 2007 might have. Too low concentration and a tendency to have green bitter acids might show that there should be a greater will to keep the yields down and select the grapes better.


Weingut Melsheimer, Reil

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling trocken 2007
Flowers and pure slatey nose. Dry riesling in the mouth with a medium concentration. Simple fruit. Flowery, some slate. Fine acidity. Decent wine, but not very exciting.

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling kabinett feinherb 2007
Slate on the nose. A little shy. Little fruit. Quidry and slim feinherb in the mouth. Slatey fruit. Not showing that much. Is there more? Will it show with more time? Seems a bit on the light side. Fine acidity. Decent.

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg "Kellerchen" riesling spätlese trocken 2007
Finer nose. Again slim and slatey. But with more minerality and depth. Pure style, but again a quite light wine. Fine acidity and length. Good wine.

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg "Pfefferberg" riesling spätlese feinherb 2007
Sweeter nose with hints of flowers, slate and currant. Slim and drier than expected in the mouth. Fine fruit. More flowers and hints of currant and slate. Lacking a little the depth of the Kellerchen. Simpler style. Good acidity, crisp. A touch of bitterness in the finish. Decent quality.

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg "Schäf" riesling spätlese 2007
The nose shows some wool, flowers and slate. Sweet riesling in the mouth with a fine balance. Honeyed and slatey fruit with fine depth. Fine acidity and length. Young and refreshing style. A bit slimmer than normal for this wine. Very good.

Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling auslese #67 2007
Sweeter on the nose. Sweet flowers and botrytis with some honey. Clear and pure style in the mouth. Sweet riesling with a fine botrytis. Lacking a little the depth of the Schäf. Decent acidity and good length. Very good wine.

The lineup shows good and pure wines from Melsheimer this year. They are a bit on the light side and to me they lack that extra bit of intensity I found in the '06-vintage. While of course the '07 offers the vintage-characteristics of pure and refreshing tastes, so did the '06 from Melsheimer. A little step down in quality from last year. The Schäf is as always my favourite. Also the Kellerchen should be mentioned. A pure and mineral style of dry riesling.


Weingut Artur Mentges, Wolf

Wolfer Sonnenlay riesling kabinett trocken 2007
Shy nose. Slightly minerality. Very light riesling in the mouth with little fruit. Thin and lacking concentration. Good acidity and a slight touch of bitterness in the finish. Not good.

Kinheimer Hubertuslay riesling spätlese trocken 2007
More sulphure on the nose. A touch of earth, but again shy nose. A little fuller and more fat in the mouth. Again very low concentration and a wine that leaves a lacking feeling. Dry and with good acidity. Not good.

Trarbacher Taubenhaus riesling kabinett feinherb 2007
The nose shows a touch of flowers. Very light riesling in the mouth with a little sweetness. Slight hints of a floweryness. Good acidity, but short and thin.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese feinherb 2007
Light nose with hints of flowers. In the mouth this wine shows more sweetness and a touch of flowers in the fruit. Little concentration and simple style. In the finish the acids are hard and bitter.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese 2007
Quite earthy Goldgrube on the nose with a touch of sulphure. Sweet wine in the mouth with a light fat. Flowery, but again very light and lacking in concentration. Decent acidity. Thin auslese.

Trarbacher Taubenhaus riesling beerenauslese 2007
Sweet flowery nose with a slight touch of botrytis. Sweet and light beerenauslese in the mouth. Pure and clean style with flowers and a touch of earth. Slightly rustic, but a nice effort. Good acidity. Good.

The selection from Artur Mentges shows perhaps an example of the downside of 2007. These wines need desperately more concetration and precision. In this vintage such faults gets very obvious. The beerenauslese was a decent exception.


Weingut Paul Moog Nacf., Traben-Trarbach

Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling kabinett trocken 2007
Some flowers in the nose, but quite shy. Light and dry riesling in the mouth with a touch of flowers and a light minerality. Simple wine with a decent acidic structure.

Trarbacher Schlossberg riesling spätlese feinherb 2007
More slatey nose with a touch of flowers. Off-dry riesling in the mouth with a litte depth in the fruit. Slatey, flowery. Better balance and acidic structure. Fair quality.

Trabener Gaispfad riesling spätlese 2007
More shy nose here. Hints of flowers and slate. Slim wine in the mouth. Some sweetness. Flowery fruit. A touch of minerality. Bitterness in the acids and the finish. A touch green.

Trabener Gaispfad riesling auslese 2007
Sweet flowery nose. A light touch of botrytis. Sweet and lightly fat in the mouth. Flowery fruit. Some botrytis showing. Again a green finish with bitterness and not very pretty acids.

There is a better concentration in these wines from Paul Moog. Yet they lack depth and the sweeter wines lacks in precision and in selection. The best wine of these was the feinherb that showed a better balance and a nicer mouthfeel.


Weingut Martin Müllen., Traben-Trarbach

Trabener Würzgarten riesling spätlese trocken 2007
Aromatic nose of flowers and spices. Medium bodied riesling in the mouth. Dry. Fine fruit. More mineral than expected from the nose. A little wild and spontaneous flavours. Good acidity and length. Nice dry wine from this einzellage. Good.

Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling spätlese trocken 2007
More minerality and complexity on the nose. Clear mineral style. Fullbodied and powerful wine in the mouth. Mineral stle and typical pure style of the vintage. Young wine. Good acidity and length. Very good wine.

Kröver Paradies riesling spätlese** trocken 2006
Riper nose with more yellow fruits and flowers. Some evolvement. Powerful wine in the mouth with lots of fruit. Ripe floweryness, naphtalene, marsipan. Lower acids in the balance and more alcohol at the end. Good.

Kröver Paradies riesling spätlese** Alte reben 2007
Young fruity nose. Sweet flowers, slate-notes. Powerful and sweetish riesling in the mouth. Fine fruit. Flowery and mineral. Great depth. Fresh and crisp acidity. Long taste. Great wine.

Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling auslese 2007
More apricot on the nose. Slate and minerality. Sweet in the mouth, but a slimmer and lighter style of this wine. Fine mineral character. Transparent and clear. Good acidity and length. Great wine.

Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling auslese* 2006
Riper nose with more sweet apricot, earth and botrytis. Powerful and creamy Hühnerberg in the mouth. Sweet. The fruit shows botrytis, earth, apricot. Decent acidity and length. This is a very typical '06 in it's more powerful and not so clear style.

The 07's from Müllen shows a lot of promise. It is a vintage for him. The contrast with the two '06's shows the great difference between these two vintages. The Paradies spätlese** alte reben is a great wine for the price.

Weingut O., Traben-Trarbach

Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling kabinett feinherb 2007
Flowery, slatey nose with a slight perfume. Medium bodied Riesling feinherb in the mouth in a clear and transparent style. Slim and slatey fruit with hints of flowers and a touch of kräuter. Refreshing acids and citrusy finish. Good length. Very fine standard-wine.

Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling spätlese trocken 2007
More aromatic nose with hints of flowers and spice. Slatey background. Dry Riesling, but also more aromatic and a bit riper in the mouth. The floweryness and spice makes the wine perhaps a little simpler, lacking a little of the fins slate-notes of the kabinett feinherb. But this is fuller and with a great and refreshing acidity. Good length. Very good.

Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling spätlese 2007
Wilder wine, more spontaneous. Sweet flowers, slate and a complex background. Riper and sweeter in the mouth. Aromatic fruits. Spice and flowers, some slate. Fine fruit. Again refreshing and fine acidity and good length. Finer than the trocken. Very good.

Trarbacher Ungsberg riesling spätlese 2007
Also wild and spontaneous nose. More mineral style with hints of sweet fruits and some flowers. Slimmer wine in the mouth. Clearer and more mineral and complex. Interesting fruit. Sweet, but with fine refreshing acidity. Long taste. Great wine. The Ungsberg once again shows class and this is the most interesting wine of the range.

Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling auslese 2007
Slatey auslese on the nose. Hints of flowers. Sweet ’07-auslese in the mouth. Thick and clear style. Quite aromatic fruit with fine slatey notes and a touch of botrytis. Great balance. Refreshing taste. Good length. Finely tuned auslese that is aromatically less exciting than the Ungsberg. Very good.

There is a very fine range of wines from Weingut O. in 2007. Again the Ungsberg shows itself to be the most exciting of the two einzellagen from this producer. The 07 spätlese is a great spätlese. The more aromatic wines from Kräuterhaus shows a very fine auslese and the feinherb kabinett is a playful little wine.


Weingut Staffelter Hof, Kröv

Magnus Riesling trocken 2007
The nose shows pear and flowers. Light, dry and fruity Riesling in the mouth. Correct, uncomplicated and refreshing style with fair concentration and a fine acidity. Good.

Riesling alte reben spätlese trocken 2007
This shows more minerality and interest on the nose. Hints of flowers. Dry and a little bit bigger style in the mouth. A fine minerality. Good acidity. A touch of bitterness in the finish. Good wine.

Kröver Letterlay riesling spätlese halbtrocken 2007
Sweeter on the nose. More flowery character. Some slate. Medium bodied and off-dry Riesling in the mouth with a fine balance between sweetness and acidity. Qutie simple flowery, lightly slatey fruit. Good, but lacking the interesting minerality of the alte reben.

Kröver Steffensberg Riesling spätlese 2007
Even sweeter on the nose with more pronounced flowers. But also more slate and minerality as a background. Sweet wine in the mouth. Flowery fruit with some minerality and slate showing. Again fine balance. Great acidity. Very good.

Kröver Steffensberg Riesling auslese 2007
Riper nose here, but clear and fine style. Some botrytis, slate and flowers. Sweeter and quite thick auslese from this vintage. A little simpler fruit, more flowery and some botrytis. A touch of slate. Clear style of auslese. Fine acidity. Very good.

Kröver Steffensberg Riesling trockenbeerenauslese 2007
Golden colour. Ripe, tropical notes. Fine and clear botrytis-notes. Fullbodied and fruity styled TBA in the mouth. Sweet wine with high acidity. Pure and tropical fruit with a slatey background and fine and clear botrytis-notes. Very precise and pure TBA with a long taste. This is one classic TBA of high quality.

Staffelter Hof shows a better overall quality in 2007. The wines are generally good. The real star of the range is definitely the TBA, which is a faboulous TBA and one of the great stars of the 2008 Klitzekleine ring.


Weingut Daniel Vollenweider, Traben-Trarbach

Schimbock riesling trocken 2007
Wild and complex nose. Mineral, citrus, flowers. Earth. Yeast. Smells of it's spontaneous fermentation. Dry and citrusy wine in the mouth with a highly complex minerality. Old-fashioned style. Big and concentrated style. Well balanced alcohol (13%). Great dry Mosel-riesling.

Wolfer Goldgrube spätlese feinherb 2007
Slatey nose with hints of sweet flowers and a touch of honey. Some sweetness in the mouth. Open fruit. Slatey, some flowers. Fine acidity and citrusy finish. Long and clear finish. Great feinherb from Vollenweider. Perhaps his finest ever.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese 2007
Riper nose. Sweet flowers. Slate. Bigger and sweeter wine in the mouth. Still maintains a slimness with it's fine and crisp acidity. Pure and fine fruit. Flowery, sweet, slate-notes. Good acidity and citrusy finish. Good length. Very good, but I prefer the feinherb.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese Reiler 2007
A touch fruiter and greener aromas. Flowery, slatey, citrus. Hints of minerality. A fatter style in the mouth with more opulent fruit. Hints of tropical elements and sweet flowers. Fine mineral depth. Fine crisp acidity and some spritz. Sweeter feel on the finish. Fine depth and an opulent style. Great wine.

Shimbock riesling 2007
Complex nose. Spontaneous, almost a little stinky. Obvious botrytis-notes. More old-fashioned and open style. Sweet, dark fruity and great complexity. Earthy elements. Dry extract on the finish, even some tannins. A different animal. Not as pure, but more complex. Great wine.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese Portz 2006
Obviously riper nose with more botrytis. Thick, rich, creamy wine in the mouth. Young, flowery and botrytised fruit. Hints of earth. Not much evolved. Medium acidity and a touch of dry-extract on the finish. Great auslese from 2006.

Wolfer Goldgrube riesling trocken beerenauslese 2003
Luckily enough this is the fourth time I get to taste this extreme wine with 300 Oechsle, 5,8% alc/vol and more than 500 g/L residual sugar. Fine nose. Botrytis, dark notes, earth, red fruits, anise. It's is really violently thick wine in the mouth. As viscous as you can get wine. Sweet and creamy. The fruit is still far too young, but is showing it's complexity and power like a coming earthquake. Citrus, botrytis, anis. Complex taste. Fine acidity. Never-ending taste. Perfect TBA.


Weingut Weiser-Künstler, Traben-Trarbach

Enkircher Ellergrub riesling spätlese trocken 2007
Shy nose. Some slate. Minerality. Dry, slilm and mineral style in the mouth. Highly dry and demanding style. Clear fruit. Mineral, slate. Fine acidity and good length. Good dry Mosel-riesling.

Riesling feinherb 2007
Slatey nose. Touch of sweet flowers. Sweeter wine in the mouth. Off-dry, slightly sweet style. Nicely balanced wine with a slatey fruit and a touch of sweet flowers. Good acidity and length. Simple and refreshing wine. Very good.

Enkircher Ellergrub riesling kabinett 2007
A bit reductive and sulphury nose. Fine slate-notes and minerality. Pure and clear style in the mouth. Sweet, but transparent style of Mosel-riesling. Pure, slatey fruit with a touch of minerality. Fine and crisp acidity. Good length. This is a great kabinett.

Enkircher Zeppwingert riesling spätlese 2007
More opulent on the nose. Fruity and sweet flowers. Sweeter also in the mouth with riper notes. Sweet flowers and peach. But also here fine notes of slate and minerality. Clear style. Good acidity and length. Very good wine.

Trabener Gaispfad riesling spätlese 2007
More sulphure on the nose. Slate and minerality underneath. Sweeter and a bigger wine in the mouth than the Zeppwingert, but also more structured style. Fin fruit. Peach, more slate and some minerality showing. Cripser acidity and a structured style. Great wine.

Trabener Gaispfad riesling auslese 2007
Riper nose here. A bit reductive nose with some sulphure showing. Hints of honey, light botrytis-notes. Sweet and slightly thick auslese in the mouth. More honeyed fruit with botrytis-notes. Hints of sweet flowers, slate. Fine acidity and length. Another great wine and a fine auslese.

2007 is a great succuess for Weingut Weiser-Künstler. There is a remarkable overall quality to the wines that are made in a very pure and clear style. They are all recommended, but my two favourites of the tasting are the Ellergrub kabinett and the Gaispfad spätlese.


Weingut Püschel, Traben-Trarbach/Hürth

Kröver Steffensberg riesling spätlese trocken 2007
Wild, spontaneous, mineral nose. Some flowers and spices. Medium bodied and dry riesling in the mouth. Lightly wild fruit with a touch of flowers and lightly earthy notes. Minerally interesting. Fine acidity and good length. Very good.

Kröver Steffensberg riesling spätlese 2007
Flowery nose. Not to depp, but a fine minerality and some spices. Sweet and fullbodied '07-spätlese in the mouth. Fine fruit. Quite flowery, but fine minerality. Quite round and fine style. Good acidity and length. Very good wine and better than the trocken.

Kröver Steffensberg riesling auslese 2007
Great nose. Very pure style. Mineral, slatey style with hints of peach. Sweet riesling in the mouth. Quite fullbodied for the vintage. Wild fruit. Mineral,slatey. Fine acidity and length. Great wine.

Kröver Steffensberg riesling auslese 2006
Riper nose with more obvious botrytis-notes. Earthy hints. Apricot. Sweet and fatter riesling in the mouth with a higher degree of Oechsle. Quite clear fruit. Botrytis, honey and some earthiness. Lower acidity. Rounder style. Good length. Great '06 auslese. More dessert-wine style than the '07.

Kröver Steffensberg riesling auslese 2005
Fruitier auslese than the '06. Pure, almost tropical fruit. Clear and fine botrytis-notes. Also quite fat and ripe riesling auslese in the mouth. Thick and fruity. Typical for the vintage. Fine botrytis. Medium acidity. Good length. Another auslese from Püschel that highlights the typicity of the vintage in a positive way.

These are the five wines that has been released from this young weingut. No one should doubt that Ingmar Püschel is serious about making top wines from the Kröver Steffensberg. The style is marked by the wildness of the spontaneous fermentation. And they are aromatically clear and precise wines. Espscially the auslesen from this weingut are very interesting wines. This is one producer to look out for in the future.



Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Sep-08

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