2001 Weingut Bollig-Lehnert: Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese *** (Mosel, Germany)

2001 Weingut Bollig-Lehnert: Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese *** (Mosel, Germany).

I opened this pristine rare bottle of German Riesling, from the legendary 2001 vintage. I love the detailed traditional picturesque label! Light gold, 8.0% alcohol. An enchanting nose of fine honey drizzled over wet slate, lime, fresh peaches and apricots. With air, yellow and green plums come through the nose. The off-dry mouthfeel is perfectly balanced, the fine vein of sweetness kept fresh by the acidity. Brilliant now, this will age and evolve for many years to come.

Nice note. I actually have a bottle of their 2001 Trittenheimer Apotheke Auslese *** in the cellar. I think I will open it soon. I could never find much info on this winery.

Thanks Brian. Crack open your bottle and post a TN.

I am in a similar situation (but I actually tasted a couple of their 2001s early on at a store wine tasting). I have a bottle of 2001 Bollig-Lehnert Trittenheimer Altärchen Riesling Eiswein. Nicos, you have given me the impetus to open this up to try it. Hopefully it does not smell of red English cheese and horse hair - or was that English cheese and red horse hair, I cannot remember.

Happy Saturday Howard. I am happy to hear that I continue to positively inspire your wine journey. When will you visit London again so that I can open some properly mature Burgundies for us to try? No blue cheese and sweaty horses hair in these bottlings…

Nicos, I do remember very fondly our dinners together in DC, Malvern and the wonderful dinner in London. I was supposed to be in London next week - we were supposed to be on a cruise right now from Lisbon to London (stopping in Porto, San Sebastian/Bilbao, and Bordeaux among other places) and then spending a few extra days in London. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

You do continue to positively inspire my wine journey. I always have loved your enthusiasm for wine. And, I hope you remember that the night in London when we had dinner at St. John’s I predicted that within five years you would be a Burgundy lover. Come back to DC when people can travel (and eat in restaurants) again.

By the way, the Burgundy you did not like that night was a 1999 Domaine Michel Gaunoux Corton-Renardes. I think I also brought a Truchot Clos de la Roche that you found to be too light, but I don’t remember the vintage.

Howard, thank you for your kind words. I too have fond memories of our dinners together.

I clearly remember your prediction about me becoming a Burgundy wine lover within 5 years. I am grateful for my friends in Burgundy and elsewhere who have ignited and nurtured my passion for Burgundy in particular.

Thank you for reminding me of that bottle. I have since been buying Corton-Renardes bottlings from other producers, and have learnt that Renardes means ‘fox’ in French, which could have multiple meanings (not just a ‘foxy’ smell).

I have also found some truly fun and generous friends in Burgundy who have made my journey that much more exciting.

I do hope that we can have dinner again, and St John would be a perfect venue. I still dine there occasionally and was there a few days before the lockdown for a most civilised 4 hour luncheon with a friend. One of the bottles that I took was a 1999 Remoissenet Beaune 1er Cru Greves (museum release from the Domaine).

It is just nice to know that once in a great while I can be correct.

My prediction was not just based on the fact that I love Burgundy. It was more based on what wines you were starting to like at the time (somewhere between 10-15 years ago). You had recently started liking wines that were less fruit forward and were more reflective of where they were made. If I remember correctly, you had just kind of fallen for German wines (I cannot remember what I had for dinner last night but I do remember that Rainer brought a wonderful if not better JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr GKA 1983 that night) and that you were starting to really like Loire reds. So, it seemed to me that you were on a path towards Burgundy.

Rainer Guntermann always brought great wines to the dinners that I was fortunate to attend. I will never forget the 1966 Domaine Leroy Chapelle Chambertin that he brought to a dinner I organised in honour of Andrew Jefford many years ago.

German rieslings make up a significant part of my wine drinking and buying, as does Burgundy (white and red). Having tried a decent number of Loire reds over several visits there, I now have only one producer and vintage.

I still love my Rhone reds.

The Padawan has grown into a full Jedi knight.

Now we can get together, drink German wines and Burgundy (red and white) and talk about your latest Chinese conquests.