Recommendations for Mosel Producers

Tom_Reddick · January 3, 2019, 6:40am

I am a Bassins fan- but remember I live in Texas. Between I and some very trusted friends who luckily are not sick of me asking- there is a lot of CA and NY travel so that things can be brought back in person (and even then, limits are strict), but these days getting things shipped here is just not an option unless it is winery direct and the winery has a specific permit for Texas.

Tom_Reddick · January 3, 2019, 6:41am

A decade ago- that would have been in the cards. 2015 was my first encounter with the wines thanks to a good friend in NYC. But we will see- winding down on Bordeaux and Burgundy is easy with prices what they are- but I might keep on with the Riesling a bit more than currently planned

Jayson_Cohen · January 3, 2019, 8:09am

Thanks for the very informative post, Tom. Do you have any strong preferences on when you drink the wines from the 4 producers you most closely follow? In terms of how long after the vintage (I know this depends on the vintage too) for the different pradikat levels. Where do you think the “sweet spots” are for drinking some of these wines? I know this is subjective but I’m interested in hearing your preferences.

Honestly- I am still experimenting with this. 2007 was the first vintage where I really got into German wines and also purchased at the auctions (though in my early wine days I enjoyed a lot of 1990s Muller-Catoir and Von Schubert wines- but in their youth). I have done some back-filling (very carefully since provenance is tricky with older German wines as many sat on retail shelves for a long time back then), but 2001 is about as far back as I go with very few exceptions.

Very generally I am finding that 10-12 years is a good general barometer for Spatlesen, and a bit longer for Auction Spatlesen from the bigger vintages.

For Auslesen and GK Auslesen, right now I am thinking 15-20 years, and again a bit longer for the Auction wines in the greater vintages. In 2017 I opened a half bottle of 2008 Prum Graacher-Himmelreich Auslese GK Auction, and while it was beautiful, it took hours to really start building and was still on its way up when we finished the half bottle.

That is another point- I have found that unlike with most other wines, when Mosel Rieslings are shut down they are often just very faint- almost watery at times. And then the longer they are open- the more they come out of their shell. It is a very odd thing. With a Bordeaux or Burgundy that is shut down, usually the full volume is there- but the wine is closed. And with airing it may or may not come out. With Riesling, you see nothing. A good Burgundy comparison would be Bonnes-Mares which can seem almost like a rose during its dumb phase, only to emerge years later with an explosion of aromatics and lacey fruit that was barely hinted at 5 years prior.

Eiswein are usually good from day 1 in my experience, and I have found they do not have the staying power of BA or TBA. Not usually anyway. On the rare occasion I buy Eiswein, I do so planning to drink them by the age of 25 or so.

BA and TBA seem like they can last forever- but are always approachable in some measure. I have never had one that was shut down. Sure, the full degree of future nuance is in hiding, but always I have found them jammy and decadent at all ages.

As for the 4 producers I noted as personal favorites- again still finding my way, but in the next year or two I plan to start testing out the Schaefer and Von Schubert 2007s and 2008s first, waiting a bit on Fritz Haag, and even longer on JJ Prum. Prum I think most definitely, on average, will take the longest to reach maturity, and I am finding Schaefer the most forgiving of being opened a bit too soon.

But even that is not a perfect strategy. Last spring I opened a 2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #12, and while it was performing nicely, I thought it needed a bit more time. Around the same time I had the Spatlese Auction and thought much the same. But then a few months ago I opened the Auslese GK #9 (the version that tends to have less botrytis but otherwise just as ageworthy usually), and it was completely mature- and from a vintage where some Kabinetts are still not quite ready. Still, it was not anywhere near decline, so my general guidelines above would have still served me well if I had held the #9 for a couple more years.

Don’t think 10-12 is enough for MSR Spätlesen from vintages with good structure to show their best. 1996-1998 are stunning right now. Especially for my taste, 1996-97. Better than they were in the 2006-2009 period, i.e., 10-12 years out. Although 2001-2002, 2004 are drinking well, in my view there is still upside potential. All now beyond your 12-year window.

The 2007s-2008s are still relative babies from that perspective, despite how good they are.

I would try to backfill if you don’t own German Spätlesen older than 2007.

Claus_Jeppesen · January 3, 2019, 10:49am

Before getting into specifics- let me please offer one piece of advice that I learned the hard way, and which many- if not most- people never learn. I won’t open these wines with certain tasting groups anymore over this issue. That advice is simply to give the wines a LOT of airing. When tasting young wines- especially the Auction bottlings or anything Auslese and above- double decanting and leaving the bottle open overnight is generally a must. You should try the wine right at opening and for a few hours after- but you really should save at least half the bottle for the following day. And if you drink more than a glass or so, you can recork the bottle for the overnight rest period. This is not as essential for Kabinetts and Spatlesen in most vintages- but it still can be a useful exercise.

Similar goes for older wines for that matter. If I am serving older wines in the evening, I will generally open the bottles in the morning, double decant and then assess whether to recork or not.

I say this because I know people with large Riesling collections who absolutely insist on pop 'n pour at tastings, and the wines are consumed long before they even have a chance to show their best. It is maddening.

Thanks Tom
It could never be to often repeated that a half consumed bottle improves after a couple of days in the fridge. This goes for dry wines as well
I would add Hofgut Falkenstein and Karthäuserhof

Ledwards · January 3, 2019, 11:47am

+1