Follow the litre

Unless wineries send me freebies to taste (I'm not Stuart Pigott, alas), commenting on myriad wines via the medium of a blog can be a potentially expensive pastime. I have to ration my purchases.

It was with this in mind that I stood in the supermarket wine section this evening looking for a red wine. The supermarket in question (in Weil am Rhein) has an excellent selection of German wines to choose from, including some good reds over and above the 20 euro mark - well above my normal price range.

So, forget about the €22 Spätburgunder by Schlossgut Istein that I'd been contemplating longingly. I thought I'd apply some "reverse kidology" and go back to basics instead. Back to litre basics, to be precise.

For the most part, wine by the litre is a quaintly Germanic phenomenon. At their best, these wines can be delicious. Like the eye-opening off-dry Portugieser rosé by Darting I once had. Admittedly, some other examples I've tried were barely worth the price of the bottle. They've tended to be of the mass-produced variety. However, if ye seek, ye shall eventually find some good litre bottles. These tend to be estate-bottled and thus subject to little bit more care and attention than your average specimen. They can be good, clean, uncomplicated, honest wines. Nothing more, nothing less.

The two estate-bottled litre wines I eventually purchased are by the aforementioned Schlossgut Istein and Blankenhorn (whom I mentioned yesterday). I cracked open the former this evening. Notes on the latter will follow at a later date.

Schlossgut Istein, Isteiner Kirchberg Spätburgunder trocken 2007, 1 L
I chose to chill this slightly before opening and let it warm up in the glass. Typical cherry aromas, but in no way perfumed or confectionery. For a wine of this price class (€6.20 - that's €6.20 per litre), this is promising. The nose carries to the palate with cherry and redcurrant - noticeable tannic backbone that almost puckers the lips, but everything is clean. Acidity is omnipresent but well integrated. Most importantly, this wine has character. It would definitely stand up to some good pasta dishes. In the "one litre" stakes, this is a great effort.

To be honest, all my previous Schlossgut Istein experiences have been positive, so I was fairly optimistic before trying their most basic wine.

The Schlossgut Istein wine estate itself is an oddity in that, until recently, it was state-owned. For many years, the winery was expertly run by Albert Soder. However, due to health reasons, the Soder had to hand over the reins at the end of 2006 to owners Landkreis Lörrach. The Lörrach government were eventually able to sell the estate to Royal Vinum Verwaltungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft GmbH in 2007.

GG Sonnenstück

Something I missed recently:

Weingut Blankenhorn, from Schliengen, Markgräflerland, have released their first ever Grosses Gewächs (grand cru) bottling: a 2007 Spätburgunder from the Schliengener Sonnenstück vineyard. As yet, there is no mention of this vineyard in the official list of Baden "GGs" on the VDP website, although I expect this will change. As VDP members located south of Freiburg are limited to Blankenhorn in Schliengen, Lämmlin-Schindler from Mauchen (joined in 2006) and Schlumberger in Laufen (joined in 2006), it's not that surprising that Markgräflerland is somewhat under-represented in terms of official GG terroir. Potential grand cru vineyards in the region might also include Weiler Schlipf, Ötlinger Sonnhole, Efringer Ölberg or the steep, south-facing parcels of Blansinger Wolfer - and that's just from Basel up to Schliengen, barely halfway to Freiburg.

Maybe if wineries like Schneider from Weil or Ziereisen from Efringen-Kirchen joined the VDP, the terroir down here would get the recognition it deserves. But on the flip side, prices might then shoot up.

Petrol and oak

This bottle was purchased at the Alte Wache (Haus der badischen Weine Freiburg) solely on the basis that this is a Riesling from Durbach, probably the only wine village in Baden genuinely famous for wines from this noble grape - as opposed to the Burgundian varietals.

Weingut DZ-Danner, Riesling Typ 2, 2007

This has a fair lick of petrol on the nose. I'm slightly surprised, given that 2007 is the vintage. I stop swirling the wine and let it settle. After a few minutes, I poke my nose into the glass and, what's this? Oak? But then I remember what I read while researching the wine on the Internet after we got back from Freiburg:

This winery has a very clear concept behind its product line. Firstly, it categorises those wines which have been vinified in stainless steel as Typ 1 (Grauburgunder, Riesling). Next comes Typ 2 (Grauburgunder, Riesling, Pinot Noir) which refers to wines that have - for wont of a better description - spent time in large(r), "German-style" style barrels. Finally, Typ 3 wines (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) are matured in traditional barriques.

So, this "category 2" Riesling really has had a dose of wood.

There is a mineral core on both the nose and the palate. To me, the fruit component tastes like a compote of some type. In a leftfield sort of way, it reminds me of my mother's best rhubarb crumble. A day after opening the bottle, I taste the wine again, and the oak seems better integrated and the fruit is more apricot - or at least something along those lines.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of this oak-aged Riesling to begin with, but I think it's an acquired taste. I think I appreciated it more after tasting it again 24 hours later. There is barely any sense of sweetness in this wine, so I think it would be best suited to the dining table. Definitely thought-provoking.

A blog I've enjoyed

The creator and author of Schreiberswein signed off his blog today. A German-language wine blog which has been a pleasure to read over the past couple of years. I don't know Herr Breidenreich personally, but I wish him all the best in his future endeavours, whatever they may be.

Alexander Laible, Riesling trocken ** 2007

The first time I've tried one of Laible's wines. Alexander Laible is the ARTVINUM young winemaker of the year for Europe, no less.

A petrolly nose which turns increasingly minerally. And the palate follows in the same vein: a mineral core, but then hints of ripe, maybe canned, peach. Quite a chewy texture. The acidity is fruity and refreshing, while the alcohol - at a sensible 12%, given today's tendency to produce 13.5-14% behemoths - is well integrated. And the finish is long. After a while, I can detect honey blossom, or at least something suggestive of honey, although the wine is basically dry tasting.

Very good, and it definitely lives up to the hype.

Johanniter

Local winemakers Claus and Susanne Schneider, from Weil am Rhein, are currently on the up and up thanks to their wonderful Pinot Noir. However, they also make great white wines. This is what I wrote about them in my old blog:
"Their range of wines covers Spätburgunder, Gutedel, Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder and Chardonnay, but thanks to the chalky soil of the Weiler Schlipf vineyard, it's the Burgundy varietals which you could call their specialities. Steep limestone slopes - very reminiscent of Burgundy terroir - and a favourable climate lend both reds and whites tremendous elegance and minerally character. The wines also offer great value for money."

Johanniter is a relatively new grape varietal (a cross-breed between Riesling, Ruländer (Pinot Gris), Gutedel and Sayve-Villard). An absolute rarity. Weingut Schneider are responsible for the only bottling from this grape I've come across.

Weingut Schneider, 2008 Weiler Johanniter Kabinett trocken
Muted opening on the nose. Immediately, though, this wine shows the characteristic which seems to run through the Schneider collection like a golden thread: minerality. This sensation is particularly intense in the white wines. The aromas gradually take on a vegetative nature but there is also a discernable squeeze of lime (must be the Riesling part of the cross-breed!). Bone dry with furry, mildly bitter tannins on the palate - a pithy citrus pip taste, but not unpleasant at all, I hasten to add. I've noticed this in other Schneider white wines and, I must say, I like it. I give the wine more air, and pure citrus fruit now emerges from the ever-present, crushed chalky limestone rock. There is a lovely purity about this wine. I try to make comparisons with other, more common single-varietal wines, but it's hard to pin down. Maybe there's even some likeness to Weissburgunder, albeit a Pinot Blanc without the creaminess and of a more refreshing style. In any case, it's very much a food wine, and was a perfect match with the salmon, broccoli, spuds and carrots I cooked this evening.

Very good indeed.

A bridge too far

This has been picked up in both the German and international press and on countless wine blogs for quite a few months: plans to build a huge viaduct over the Mosel river which could damage one of Germany's viticultural gems for ever. For more information, click here.