Except for the last tastings we only had two visits and tastings at winemakers in the Mosel this year. Both to two old friends. The
first was to Daniel Vollenweider where we tasted through the 2006-vintage.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling kabinett 2006, AP: 1 07
There is only one kabinett this year. The wine has a sweet and flowery nose with slightly tropical hints, but also fine hints of slate,
minerals and citrus. It is a cleassic, but fullbodied and sweet kabinett in the mouth. Flowery and sweet fruit, but manages to maintain
a slightly underripe fruit and with slatey hints and citrus in the finish. Fine acidity and decent langth. This is a very fine kabinett
from Vollenweider and a very good wine.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese 2006, AP: 2 07
The blended spätlese has a sweeter flowery nose with hints of apricot. Some hints of slate, tropical hints and botrytis. It is
fullbodied and sweet in the mouth. This is a big spätlese and sweet styled. The fruit is flowery, tropical and soes not shows the same
charm as the kabinett. It gets more ripe and one-dimensional. There is a fine acidity beneath here, but it is a little too sweet
and heavy right now. Give it some more time. Good.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese Portz 2006, AP: 4 07
More botrytis on the nose. But ver fine botrytis for this vintage. Also flowers and slate. This is a big and ripe Portz with a little
raisiny fruit. Sweet, flowery and with a fine selection of botrytised grapes. It is sweet and heavy now, but again there is a fine
acidity. The typical signature of Portz with more dry extract on the finish helps out making this seem more structured and balanced.
As always one of my favorites.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese Reiler 2006, AP: 5 07
Sweeter, more tropical fruits on the nose here. Some apricot, but again there has been a very fine selection of the botrytis. Heavier
and fatter style in the mouth. Again quite raisiny fruit. Tropical aromas and more intense style. Shows a lot of fat right now, but
there is a good acidity underneath, although rounder than the Portz. This one needs time to loose some fat, but will probably be
very good wine too and almost touches the Portz in class.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese goldkapsel 2006, AP: 6 07
This is more like a beerenauslese in style. Fine and botrytised nose with hints of raisins, flowers, light apricot. Thick and fat
wine in the mouth with lots of fruit. But this shows also great finesse in it's richness. The fruit shows beautiful botrytis for
this vintage. A bit raisiny, but fine notes of flowers, citrus and slate. The structure is very fine with good acidity and also some
dry extract here showing on the finish. Excellent wine and Vollenweider's finest from the 2006-vintage.
Shimbock riesling auslese 2006
The Shimbock has a natural more expressiv style. It shows the same botrytised nose with hints of peach, flowers, spice and citrus.
It is a rich and thick auslese in the mouth. Raisiny fruit with fine hints of flowers, citrus and a little spice. The structure is
a little rounder and kinder with acidity lower than the previous wine. But there is a touch of dry extract on the finish. It is
another great effort from this difficult vintage.
Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese goldkapsel 2003, AP: 06 04
For a comparison we tasted a 2003. If memory serves me correct this was the spätlese GK from the original Goldgrube-parcel (there were
two spätlese GK in 2003). The nose showed a lot of flowers with a little more elements of dried roses. Also a fine minerality that
is more pronounced. In the mouth this is very fine and has aged gracefully. Some of the fat is gone and the wine shows more of the
fruit. Flowery, mineral with a touch of petrol. Fine acidity and structure. Good length. Great wine.
Daniel Vollenweider seems to have taken the problems with the 2006-vintage seriously and worked hard with them. The result is a
magnificent collection of wines. They are all a little bit too heavy and thick right now, but that should be better with some aging.
The selection seems to have been very good and there is no problem with unclean botrytis. The kabinett is a very fine effort from
Vollenweider and the star of the vintage is the auslese goldkapsel. The only wine I feel falls a little behind in quality is the
blended spätlese (AP 2 07), which seems heavy and with a more simple fruit than the rest of the wines. At last I will finish with
another wine from Vollenweider tasted the day before at the Klitzekleinen ring. Vollenweider have enlarged his selection with a
Vollenweider spätlese and also an auslese. Both these are more modest wines from the Kröver Steffensberg.
Vollenweider riesling spätlese 2006
The wine has a more pronounced sweet flowery and fruity nose. In the mouth it is a typical Vollenweider-wine with a fine sweetness
well balanced by acidic backbone. The fruit is a little simpler, lacking the depth of the Wolfer Goldgrube and the Shimbock. More
flowers and peach here. Good for a standard spätlese.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
notes: Sep-07