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| 2003 Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Spatlese “Wolfer Goldgrube” Feinherb AP 02 04 Damn I should have opened this earlier. The first day this puppy is all awkward young big-shouldered crunchy doughy acids. It gains focus on day two as the doughy crunch becomes more vivid in nature, but day three is the time to be drinking this. At this point it is still big and broad, but finally the crystal cut I love in Riesling, juicy luscious banana-raspberry tropical fruits with broad 03 structure, and the crystal cut is not sharp, but it is there. So if it took 48 hours to settle down, does that mean 03 will actually age? 2002 Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Spatlese “Wolfer Goldgrube” AP 03 03 Clearly has less weight that the 03, but interestingly enough is more forward in fruit flavor than the 03, although the fruit is brighter as opposed to the luscious 03. That said, the acids are still too crisp and awkward for me, until 72 hours later, when the sweet mid-weight banana-strawberry fruits with slightly fat residue on the tongue are balanced by smoother juicier acids than the crystal cut of 03. Hmm, wouldn’t have thought the 03 would be crisper than the 02. Any insights out there? 1996 Langwerth von Simmern Riesling Kabinett “Erbacher Marcobrunn” On open shows evolved weight and slight gasoline note but then the broad apple spritzey bubble tells me it needs air. With air it has great weathered dried fruits but the acidic spritz remains, until 48 hours later when it starts to please me more. Yes, spicy cherry apricots, with mineral salt low notes and still such sharp acid high notes, but the weathered dried fruit texture is firmer and closes out on the end of the palate better. Not the best wine. But I liked it for 16£ (Am I getting used to UK prices!). 2000 Antonio Vallana Colline Novaresi Spanna Not bad. Not great. A combination of leathery blackberry notes with dark brambly colors, and sweet pungent floral (rose anyone?) flavors and fragrances, plus don’t forget that tannic bite on the finish. My gripe is that the pungent sweetness is counter-pointed by a watery texture, doesn’t all seem to be singing in the same direction, and didn’t get better over a few days (can’t vouch for Nathan’s two weeks). Not bad for 10£ but I’m not buying more. 2004 Mauro Sebaste Dolcetto d’Alba “Santa Rosalia” Smells young and grapey, not too much tannin, and the tannin that exists is just soooo soft. A soft grapey clean clear Dolcetto bubble. Ok. Perfect to order from mediocre restaurant lists when you need something easy red and wet to drink. | |||
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| I am a fan of Daniel's wines. The only '03 I've tried is the Goldkap Spat. Came real close to buying some, but $22/375 was just a little too dear for my pocketbook. I'm fortunate in knowing the Bay Area importer so I was able to sock away some '01 Portz and '02 Portz and Reiler. I'm loathe to open the '02s, but I have several 375s of the '01. Now if you're a good boy, I just might open one when you darken our doorsteps in the coming year. ;-) I tried the '02 Portz which Peter Ruhrberg brought to a Slanted Door offline. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to linger over it (hey, you know how offlines can be...) | |||
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| quite dark with my frame :) I guess I'll keep an open mind (for now) on this guy.. | |||
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| sometime in the next few days. I'll write a note. However, Daniel plays around so much with selection of fruit from the vineyard that I'd believe what you found without hesitation. Best wishes, John | |||
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| Daniel plays around so much with selection of fruit from the vineyard that I'd believe what you found without hesitation. Is this a reference to my surprise at the more obvious acidity in the 03 in comparison to the 02? How would that relate to his playing around with selections? I wasn't won over by these wines. Are you a fan? | |||
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| ..tries to make many wines out of a very small vineyard. What goes into the 'standard' Spaetlese and the various parcel-labeled Spaetlesen means that styles might vary from year to year. Daniel is fairly new at this--he bought his vineyards just a few years back and is from Switzerland--and I do like his wines very much, but the style has yet to settle down. A fine up and coming house with a passionate owner. Best wishes, John | |||
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| the style has yet to settle down. A fine up and coming house with a passionate owner. Yes, I can see that, and I did like the idea of getting even more specific than the Wolfer Goldgrube to isolate bocks/parcels, but alas, some fear the German wine labels are already too complicated, so he can't mark it explicitly as such can he.. | |||
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| Parcels can be indicated on the label, and are treated as trade names by the German authorities. He does mark them. Best wishes, John | |||
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| e.g. had been led to believe that my 2003 Feinherb Spatlese # 02 04 was from Portz, as opposed to the 02 03 which was a blend, but perhaps it was just primarily from Portz, so if it's on the labels, so much the easier.. | |||
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| to you. None of these sub-wines are easy to find and I've not seen them in my market. Best wishes, John | |||
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| am going from the following report of Arnt, who himself had a first hand visit to Daniel. His notes can be found here But the specific passage I'm referring to is: Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spätlese feinherb 2003, Ap: 02 04 This wine is this year mad efrom the Portz-block in the Goldgrube. | |||
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| I've just talked to Daniel on the telephone---and tasted what wines I could purchase in the US. You are most likely correct. Best wishes, John | |||
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| Gulp. Guess I'm not used to London prices then. Okay, okay, I went back to your note and saw that it was a 1996, which would explain the price...but still. Jeez, can't you afford any of the new wine, the good, fresh stuff? | |||
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| Jeez, can't you afford any of the new wine, the good, fresh stuff? 2005, pot of double cream, best selling thing in the country from what I can tell.. | |||
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| Thanks for posting notes on the Vallana. I'm a big fan of the Vallana Spannas of the 50s & 60s. But a '90 and a '96 left me cold. I saw Nathan's notes, and have of course gotten a dozen CWC mailings. I was getting tempted. But that slightly disjointed, slightly dilute, rather tannic description sounds a lot like the '96 that didn't thrill me (even at $7). In any case despite the hype referencing the long-lived old Vallanas we know that these aren't produced with the same methods (or did they send some trucks down for some Aglianico?). Dale | |||
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| I was getting tempted. But that slightly disjointed, slightly dilute, rather tannic description sounds a lot like the '96 that didn't thrill me (even at $7). I don't asign points, but this falls into my category of drinkable at a party or on a restaurant list when nothing else is available, but even at that price there's so much other stuff to buy for the house.. | |||