Hans Wirsching is one of the more well-known estates in Franken. With more than 70 hektar of vines and being a family-run estate since 1630 they are not only a qualitatively leader in Iphofen. To me Hans Wirsching is an estate that shows wines with a classic and transparent character. These are wines to learn from and to experience the differences of Iphofens two great climats; the Kronsberg and Julius-Echter-Berg. 2007 was a great year for Wirsching. Already focusing on the terroir and the small differences you find in the terroir, 2007 was a vintage with long hanging time that enhanced this character. So in a way 2007 is the ultimate "Wirsching-vintage". Here are the notes from the tasting:
Iphofer Kronsberg silvaner kabinett trocken 2007
Light straw colour. Slightly flowery and quite aromatic silvaner. Some minerals showing. Acidic driven and clean and pure wine in the mouth. Pretty wine, but quite simple and easy-going character.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg silvaner kabinett trocken 2007
Equal colour. The nose shows more of the minerality. Yet the underlying fruity notes have a more tropical character. In the mouth it shows more of the fruit and with a fine and interesting minerality. The acids are lower than the Kronsberg, but the structure is very nice. Good length. This is a more interesting wine than the Kronsberg and with enough structure to take on some age. Very fine kabinett.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg silvaner spätlese trocken -S.- 2007
Equal colour. This shows even more minerality and light complex notes. Hints og green leafs. Thicker and more powerful in the mouth. Mineral approach. Young fruit. Good acidity and structure. This is a very fine Silvaner S from Wirsching. It will need time.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg and Kronsberg.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg silvaner Grosses gewächs 2006
The nose here shows riper fruit. More honey and a touch of botrytis. It is a bigger and riper wine in the mouth. The fruit is not as pretty and focused. Honyed and ripe, escaping the fine mineral depth of the '07 S. It has lower acidity and the 14,5% alcohol is showing on the finish.
Iphofer Kronsberg silvaner Grosses gewächs 2007
This has a fine nose with hints of honey and fine mineral depth. In the mouth it is fullboded silvaner with some ripeness showing in the fruit. Honey, fine minerality. It is a rounder style of Kronsberg. Still with good acidity and structure. Nice, but I prefer the S with a lower price.
Iphofer Kronsberg riesling kabinett trocken 2007
Fine underripe nose. Mineral fruit. Light and lively wine in the mouth. Clean and fine summer-wine with cleansing acidity ang long dry finish. Uncomplicated and fine.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg riesling kabinett trocken 2007
Fruitier nose with more minerality showing. A little bigger kabinett in the mouth. More minerality and intensity. Slight touch of tropical fruits. Good acidity and length. This has more depth than the Kronsberg.
Iphofer Kronsberg riesling spätlese trocken 2007
This is a fruitier style than the kabinett. Riper, but with fine depth and minerality. It is thicker in the mouth, but this is a dry riesling with good acidic structure. FIne minerality. Citrusy finish. This is a very nice Kronsberg that equals the next wine in quality.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg riesling spätlese trocken -S.- 2007
Mineral nose with hints of tropical fruits. Flowers. Fine and elegant. In the mouth this is a dry and mineral approach to JEB. Young and with the aromatic touch of tropical fruits. Fine acidity and good length. Needs time and will be very good.
Iphofer Kalb riesling kabinett 2007
Fruity, aromatic nose. SImpler and with an earthy touch. Simple and lightly sweet riesling in the mouth. Quite elegant with fine and lively acidity. Good structure. Decent.
Iphofer Kronsberg riesling Grosses gewächs 2007
Riper nose than the normal Kronsberg. White fruits, mineral, citrus. Fine and mineral effort. Riper also in the mouth. Fuller style, but not giving as much. Slim, young, citrusy fruit with fine aicidity. A touch sweetness from the residual sugar. Good and perhaps in need of more time. But to me not better than the straight spätlese.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Grosses gewächs 2007
This also shows a riper nose than the –S.-. But also with a deep and fine minerality. Powerful Riesling in the mouth with here also a touch of the residual sugar noticeable. Good concentration. Seems a little more hollow in the middle (lower acids?) and with a touch more alcohol on the finish noticeable. Very good, but I think I prefer the –S.-.
Iphofer Kronsberg Riesling Grosses gewächs 2006
The nose shows more earth, honey and botrytis-notes. Powerful and ripe Riesling in the mouth. There is a mineral depth here, but ripe fruits and earthiness and some botrytis seems to get in the way. Decent acidity and alcoholic end. Decent ’06, but the vintage is not at all up to the ’07 in quality.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Grosses gewächs 2006
Fine nose that shows some development. Firn, minerality, honey. Ripe fruits. This is a big Echter-Berg with a tropical and honeyed fruit. Lower acidity and too much alcohol in the finish. But the aromatics here is finer than the Kronsberg. Good.
Iphofer Kalb gewürztraminer spätlese 2007
12,5% alc/vol, 22 g/L residual sugar. Quite grape-typical nose of spice, intense flowers. Some lychee, but not so ripe notes. Fine gewürztraminer in the mouth. Spicey, flowery and a touch of minerality. Good acidity for this grape and more refreshing style. Good length. Ure and fine. Good.
Iphofer Kalb.
Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling auslese 2006
9,5% alc/vol. The nose shows botrytis, quite fine botrytis. Good selection. Hints of apricot, but nose remains a bit shy. Fullbodied and thick auslese in the mouth. Sweet with a little low acidity in the balance. Careful fruit. Apricot, botrytis. Young, not showing that much this day. Good, but no great auslese.
Wiqem 2005
This is an auslese-like cuvee with some oak-aging. The grapes are Grauburgunder, Scheurebe and Gewurztraminer. Oaky wine on the nose with hints of tropical fruits. Lots of fruit. Quite interesting nose. Fullbodied wine in the mouth with lots of sweetness. Again quite a lot of oak and tropical fruits. Full style. I don’t know if it tries to act like a Sauternes, but to me it tastes more like a passito with oak. Good, but not great.
Spätburgunder -S.- 2005
Later that evening we had this wine with dinner. The spätburgunder had a red colour. The nose shows obvious much oak. Also some finer notes of red fruits and florality. In the mouth it is also more oaky than it needs to be. There is some fine fruit. But the oak makes it harder than necessary. Fine acidity. Decent quality, but not a type of Spätburgunder I want to drink.
There is a purity and transparency in Wirschings wines that I like very much. To me they are today perhaps the finest wines from the Keuper-soil in Franken. The wines highly show the place from where they come. They yet have an intensity and a concentration that makes them perfect wines to age. But the transparency also makes vintage-characters obvious. So in a vintage like 2006 the wines tend to be ripe with too much alcohol. The 2007s are much better. Long hanging-time, finely balanced wines and an extra depth of minerality and terroir. Looking at the -S.- and the Grosses gewächs, the difference seems to be an added ripeness in the Grosses gewächs. They also seems a little higher in residual sugar. To me the -S.- is more classic Franken in style and I think I slightly prefer these.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Sep-08
