Calling card

Hans-Oliver Spanier once wrote on his website website that he was "der einzige Spanier, der etwas von Riesling versteht", or: "the only Spaniard who knows a thing or two about Riesling" (ho ho). This pun has since been discarded in favour of "Liquid Earth". This is all fine and dandy, but how do his wines taste? "My basic wines are my calling card," he continues. Well, here is one of his basic bottlings for starters:

Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier, Weissburgunder trocken 2008, Rheinhessen
An attractive, bright colour, this one. Nose of lightly baked bread. Oh, hold on - it smells of scones and butter! Mmm. Herr Spanier himself might not care for such descriptors (read the second half of this interesting blog post), but please indulge me here. Over time, the nose take on pleasant hints of yellowish apple. For me, the palate is savoury instead of fruity, bone dry but balanced, fresh yet substantial. The finish is tinged with a slightly stony bitterness, but this adds instead of detracts. Overall, a good introduction to the world of Battenfeld-Spanier, I would say.