On September 23d-2010 we visited Daniel Vollenweider for a tasting of his 2009-vintage. The vintage was a ripe one and Vollenweider had a total outcome of 32 Hl/Ha. New for this vintage is that Weingut Vollenweider no longer will make parcel-bottlings of the Goldgrube spätlese. This is due to restrictions given by the authorities. Vollenweider is no longer allowed to label parcel-names on the bottles. Daniel Vollenweider has then decided to blend it all together in one spätlese-bottling and will continue to make one selection, the goldcap. This decision is also due to the fact that there now is several other spätleses available: an estate spätlese and the Kröver Steffensberg spätlese.
Vollenweider has made very good 2009’s. Typically the wines are a little softer than vintages like ’08 and ’07. But the wines are very precise in the fruit-details and very clearly made. The ’09 Goldgrube spätlese is perhaps his best one ever as this has blended in the fruit of all the parcel-bottlings. Also the auslese is for me one of the highlights of the vintage and at the end there is a fantastic beerenauslese.
Vollenweider Riesling trocken 2009
AP: 11 10. The nose shows hints of sweet flowers, slatey notes and fine minerality. Quite sweet nose for a trocken. Quite largely scaled in the mouth. Fine fruit. Mineral approach. Some flowers. Some sweetness in the fruit. Medium acidity. Decent length. Good wine.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling trocken 2009 (barrel-sample)
Some yeast on the nose and some spontaneous notes – most probably because this is a barrel-sample. Fermentation stopped three weeks prior to this tasting. More minerality than the previous wine. Better depth. Slight flowers. Fullbodied and quite round Mosel trocken in the mouth. Again a very fine and precise fruit. Mineral depth. Medium acidity and good length. Very good trocken.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling kabinett 2009
From the parcel Jon. Sweet and slatey on the nose with some minerality. Sour-sweet mouthfeel in the mouth. Fine structure and a fullbodied kabinett. Yet there is a little lightness and kabinett-feel about it. Limey, slatey fruit. Some flowers, some minerality. Good acidity. Citrusy finish. Very good kabinett.
Kröver Steffensberg Riesling spätlese 2009
More slate on the nose and perhaps not as sweet. Some minerality and flowers. In the mouth the sweetness is more noticeable. Again fine sour-sweet balance. Slatey and mineral fruit. Some sweet flowers. Pure and fine style. Fine structure with good acidic backbone. Good length. The Kröver Steffensberg always impress with it’s fine structure and refreshing qualities, more than the depth in the fruit.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling spätlese 2009
Great nose. Lots of minerality and depth. Slate-notes. Some fruit and flowers. Fuller and more concentration in the mouth. Big spätlese with lots of sweetness. Fine fruit. Mineral depth. Complex style. Some sweet flowers and slate. Fine acidity and length. This is a great and young spätlese with better depth than in previous years. It is big and sweet and probably needs some years to lose some fatness. Great wine.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling spätlese goldkapsel 2009
From old vines in the parcels Sonnenuhr, Reiler and Portz. Sweeter on the nose. Lots of sweet flowers, some honey. A very light botrytis-touch. A very big spätlese in the mouth. Lots of concentration and sweetness. The fruit does not show as much as the normal spätlese and has a more sweet flowery and honeyed character. Needs some time to open up. The acidity is fine, but a little rounder than the normal spätlese. Great wine.
Kröver Steffensberg Riesling auslese 2009
128 g/L residual sugar. 7,5 g/L acidity. Smokey, mineral nose. Botrytis and slate. Sweet and some thickness in the mouth from the botrytis. Creamier and heavier style. Slightly raisiny fruit. Slate, flowers and citrus-notes. A little less minerality. A little creamy right now, but great balance. Good acidity and length. Great Riesling from Steffensberg.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling auslese 2009
140 g/L residual sugar. A little closed nose. Minerality, darker mineral notes. Botrytis. There is some very fine depth. Fuller and sweeter in the mouth. Great concentration. This also seems a bit thick and creamy right now. Great fruit. Fine flowery and slatey fruit. Lots of minerality and depth. Fine acidity and long finish. Great auslese from 2009. One of the real highlights of the vintage.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling auslese goldkapsel 2009
180 g/L residual sugar, 8,3 g/L acidity. Nose shows botrytis, honey and tropical elements. Sweet, creamy and beerenauslese-like wine in the mouth. Thick and concentrated. Young and honeyed fruit. Fine tropical elements behid. This needs time to show more. Fine acidity and long taste. Great wine, although does not seem more interesting than the auslese, but time will tell.
Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling beerenauslese 2009
6% alc/vol. 251 g/L residual sugar and 9,9 g/L acidity. Lightly golden colour. Tremendous nose. Sweet and botrytised. Still quite fruity with honey and tropical elements on the nose. Some citrus and anise-notes. Even thicker mouthfeel. Sweet, but with a sour-sweet structure. Fine botrytis-notes in the mouth. Honyed fruit and fine tropical elements. Great precision. Good acidity. Enough to make the finish refreshing and citrusy. Long taste. Tremendous quality.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting notes: Sep-2010