On the 15th of February Jochen Ratzenberger should have been in Oslo, together with Wilhelm Weil, to serve and talk about his wines.
Unfortunately Jochen Ratzenberger had to cancel in the last minute, so his wines were presented by his norwegian importer Christopher
Moestue. Weingut Ratzenberger is situated in Bacharach in the Mittelrhein and most of the vineyards are placed in the valley
going from Bacharach up to Steeg. Meaning the vineyard are south-facing. Closest to the river and the city of Bacharach is Posten;
which consists of crystalline slate that has the ability to warm easily. Wolfshöhle is placed above Posten and most of it longer from
the river. The vineyrad also have crystalline slate, but more clay and not as warm. It is classified as Grosses Gewächs. The next
vineyard Steeger St.Jost is placed even longe from the valley and close to Steeg. So even less warmth here in this vineyard that
consists of clay and slate and a "pastel-colored layer of shifting sand is found in the soil due to the volcanic eruptions of the
Neuwieder Basin more than 10,000 years ago". Due to this Weingut Ratzenberger find this vineyard is highly suitable for giving
drier styled rieslings. Apart from these vineyards Ratzenberger owns vines in the Kloster Fürstental-vineyard placed south of
Bacharach. From here they mostly produce a sekt that actually has a great reputation in Germany, but is unknown abroad.
Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental riesling sekt brut 1999
So we started the tasting with the sekt from the 99-vintage and served from magnum. This was a nice opener and one of the better
sekts I have tasted. Straw colour. Nose shows apple, some honey and minerals. Round style in the mouth. Not the driest brut. But
fine and easy-going quite broad fruit. Honey and minerals. Fine acids and length. The mousse could be finer. Nice. 11 g/L. residual
sugar, 8,8 g/L. acid.
Steeger St.Jost riesling kabinett halbtrocken 2004
Straw, lightly green colour. Flowery and slatey nose with some honey. Quite powerful kabinett with fine balance and a little
spritz. Typical young slatey and flowery riesling-notes. Probably a fine food-wine. Lemony finish. Good for the price.
15,5 g/L. rs, 8,6 g/L. acid
Bacharacher Posten riesling spätlese halbtrocken 2002
Colour same as above. Nose very different, more fat and mint and of course more evolved with firn, flowers and minerals. Again quite
fullbodied style and more evolved fruit. But fatter and lacking a little elegance. Decent acids. Not without interest, but I would
stick with the last wine. 16.1 g/L. rs, 8,1 g/L. acid.
Bacharacher Wolfshöhle riesling Grosses Gewächs 2002
Deeper colour than the previous wine. Lightly petrolly and honeyed wine, but with a more bitterish notes of lemon-peel and
flower-leafs. More intersting. Again good concentration and almost fat style. Obvious less acids. And again the little tart lemony
finish found in the Steeger St.Jost, here a bit more bitter. Fine wine, but the price is increasing.
10,7 g/L. rs, 6,8 g/L. acids.
Bacharacher Wolfshöhle riesling spätlese 2001
Straw/greenish colour. The nose not unlike the wine above. Petrol with a more leafy touch. Quite interesting fruit. More medium
body for a lieblich spätlese with again the apparent lemony tartness in the finish. Finer balance here IMO and a nice wine.
8% alc., 64 g/L. rs, 9,8 g/L. acids.
Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental riesling eiswein 1998
Deep golden colour. The nose is fine and shows orange-peel, spicesm firn and flowers. Amazing mouthfeel here. Sweet-sour eiswein
with wild acids. Good concentration and quite interesting fruit. Caramel, orange-peel and spices. A little evolved. Very long taste.
Great eiswein, buy if you can. According to the importer this has not yet been released for sale.
7% alc., 230 g/L. rs, 19,8 g/L. acids!!!!
Arnt Egil Nordlien
15/02/2006