Rheingau Riesling Kabinett 2008

Rheingau Riesling Kabinett 2009

Rheingau Riesling Spatlese 2008

Rheingau Riesling Spatlese 2009

Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Auslese 2008

Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Auslese 2009

(Thanks for the courtesy of Catherine )

未成年請勿飲酒，飲酒過量有礙身體健康。

Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut

Mionetto Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco

Mionetto Vivo Dolce White

Mionetto Moscato Dolce White

MO Sergio Rose Extra Dry

MO Sergio White Extra Dry

Henkell Trocken

Henkell Trocken Kardinal

Other Stories…

The followings are some other informations, but I won’t translate them into Chinese, because my Chinese typing speed is now behind English typing. Besides, it’s also time consuming.

Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei KG is founded by Adam Henkell in 1832, started as a wine merchant store. In 1856, Adam began sparkling wine making. And his grandson, Otto, breakthrough the national and international market with the first brand name, Henkell Trocken. In 1945, the last year of WWII, Henkell became one of the most important sparkling wine company in Germany. In 2007, Henkell acquired Ukrainskoye in Kiev and Mionetto in Italy, so that it became the 2nd largest sparkling wine company in the world, behind LVMH. However, in 2010, Henkell became the largest one.

Prosecco is actually a wine region, and sparkling wines are named as Prosecco, which is the major competitor of Champagne. The method of making Prosecco is Charmat method, but Charmat method is actually invented by Federico Martinotti, not Eugène Charmat. Martinotti invent this method, second fermentation in autoclave tank, by 1895. Charmat improved this method by 1900′s with re-design a larger stainless autoclave tank.

Nowadays, Glera grape is the only permitted variety to make Prosecco. Besides Prosecco, Glera grapes are also planted in other regions for wine making. However, because of the “monopoly”, this grape variety are also called as “Prosecco”. Well, if you want to make things clear, I think Glera is more proper for the variety of Prosecco sparkling wine.

The two sparkling wines from Henkell are “trocken” (mean “dry” in English), but it tasted a bit sweeter than Mionetto. One of my guesses is the weather change, the warmer climate might make the sugarness in grapes higher than before, as the grapes ripe enough to develop enough flavors and aromas. The other guess is that such sweetness is for concealing some shortcomings of the wine. I also asked the representative of Henkell, and his answer is that the sweeter taste tendency might due to the daily cuisine taste of people. As the economy improving, people might want to have more flavored, sweeter, more savory foods and drinks. This answer confused me again, because the COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) of E.U. changed the sweetness classification in July 14th, 2009, and made it “drier”. (See below, ref: [1], [2])

Rating               | Sugar content     | Sugar Content
                     | (after 2009/7/14) | (after 1992/7/13)
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Brut Nature          |                   |
(no added sugar)     | 0–3               | 0-3
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Extra Brut           | 0–6               | 0-6
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Brut                 | 0–12              | 0-15
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Extra Dry, Extra Sec,| 12–17             | 12-20
Extra seco           |                   |
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Dry, Sec, Sec        | 17–32             | 17-35
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Demi-Sec, Semi-seco  | 32–50             | 33-50
---------------------+-------------------+---------------
Doux, Sweet, Dulce   | 50+               | 50+

Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Kabinett 1998

Although it’s 2011, 10+ years older than the vintage, the color still shows young and in medium blond.
Orange, pineapple, vanilla, apricot and light honey, with hints of aged oxidized noses, like roasted almond or aged wood case. With the raise of temperature, shows some bouquet and mineral.
The palate contains rich flavors of tangerine, orange, bouquet, gravel note, honey note, light spicy white pepper note, and pickled prune. The high acidity is very crisp, enriches saliva, and is very lingering with the citrus flavors.
Outstanding.

Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Auslese 1998

Similar color, but a bit lighter than Kabinett.
Distinctly pronounced noses of honey, peach and bouquet of acacia. With sunkiss juice (well, sweet orange), patient fruit and pineapple hints. Still shows young nose.
Honey, bouquet, patient fruit, muskmelon, peach and lemon flavors explode in the mouth. Beneath mineral goes with the smooth, high and crisp acidity. Very lingering and very outstanding.

Bert Simon Serrg Wurtzberg 1998 Riesling Spätlese

Medium blond.
Tangerine skin, light honey, bouquet, wet soil with fresh grass, light smoky, mineral, light almond tea nose, light pepper and anise note, and a little bit of oxidized nose.
Palate contains patient fruit, light unripe guava, light fig, pear, light smoky, light petrol and citrus. Medium-hight acidity brings smoother mouthfeel. Very good.

Hanz Lang Riesling Spätlese1998 Rheingau

Medium+ blond. Lots of tartaric acid sediment.
Honey, over ripe starfruit, creamy, nuts, apple juice and oxidized nose.
Citrus and pineapple, light honey, light roasted nuts, over ripe apple, honey hint in palate. High acidity.

Friedelsheimer Gerumpel Riesling Ausles 1997 Pfalz

Medium amber.
Honey, caramelized pineapple, mineral, lemon, celery, light milky and oxidized noses of roasted nuts and coffee. Shows more notable cocoa nose after breathing.
Palate includes chocolate, ripe tangerine, light caramel, light mint and aged tea. Ends with pickled prune and tangerine medium-high acidity with citrus skin, light licorice and white pepper notes. Lingering.

Burg Layer Schlosskapelle Kerner Auslese 1989 Nahe

Medium+ amber.
Caramel, chocolate, mineral, smoky wood, light floral honey and light volatility nose. The noose is a bit looser than the previous one.
Palate includes light honey, nuts, light caramel, orange, grapefruit, and lasting medium-high acidity.

Ockfener Bockstein Rieshing Auslese 1990 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Medium+ amber with brown hue.
Smoky wood, coffee and pickled squash at the beginning. After breathing, over ripe orange, light mint, soil, more hazelnut and more coffee and more caramel. Very attractive.
Medium-high body with over ripe orange, caramel, vegetable note, aged tea and light spice bitterness. The high acidity mixing fresh pineapple and over ripe pomelo flavors. Very good.

Joh.Jos.Prum Graacher Himmelreich Rieshing Auslese 1990 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Medium+ amber.
Bouquet, stone and mandarin herbal medicine at the beginning. After breathing, distinct burned plastic pipe (火燒塑膠水管, probably concentrated from the typical Riesling petrol note) with caramel and almond and petrol noses, very very interesting.
The palate shows active and no-aged flavors. Medium+ body with high acidity. Honey, maple sugar, caramel, pineapple, bouquet, petrol, almond, and the interesting burned plastic pipe. Very good!

In early 19th centery, Peter Nicolay had his own restaurant business in Bernkastel of Urzig, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, and was famous of wines and delicious dishes. Peter Nicolay gave his business as inheritance to his niece, who got married with Carl Hubert Berres. In early 20th centery, Peter Nicolay winery was quite famous all over the world and their wines were treasureies that European royals kept pursuing.

Carl Hubert Berres’s grand-daughter married to Dr. Peter Pauly, who is the grand-son of Zacharias Bergweiler-Pruem, the owner of Dr. Pauly Bergweiler winery. After that, these two famous wineries were merged.

Peter Nicolay and Dr. Pauly Bergweiler winery were graded as 3 grapes in Gault Millau Germany Wine Guide in 2004. Dr. Pauly Bergweiler was graded as 2+ grapes in 2010. Peter Nicolay was not graded in these years due to Peter Nicolay was merged.

Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling trocken 2007

“trocken” means “dry”.

QBA. Vineyard Region: Urziger Wurzgarten. 12.5%.
Left sugar/Acid: 5.6/7.4 (g/L)

Clear, medium, Blonde with light green hue.
Clean medium nose includes ripe pear, honey, peach, and pitaya (火龍果). The noses of pitaya and ripe pear decrease after about 30 mins.
Medium body palate, light grapefruit acidity. Mineral, peach, honey.

Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg-Riesling 2007

Großes Gewächs (G.G.), I’ll introduce this in the other post.
Vineyard Region: Bernkasteler alte Badstule am Doctorberg.

12.5%. Left sugar/acidity: 15.8/6.8 (g/L)

Clear medium blonde with green hue.
Clean medium nose. Petrol (decrease), light lemon
Semi-dry. medium body. medium length chewy palate with apricot and citrus flavor. The medium citrus acidity increases with temperature goes high.

Erdener Treppchen Riesling Q.b.A. Feinherb 2007

Feinherb means “a little bit bitter mouthfeel”.
Vineyard: Erdener Treppchen
10.5%. Left sugar/acidity: 19.9/6.9 (g/L)

Clear medium blonde with green hue.
Clean medium nuts and honey nose. Light petrol hint, but decreases with time. With temperature goes high, brings out litchi nose.
Medium body, comfortable and light acidity, medium length, off-dry honey palate.

Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorburg Riesling Spatlese feinherb 2005

Vineyard: Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorburg
11.5%, Left sugar/acidity: 27.0/7.1 (g/L)

Medium clear blonde.
medium nose dominated by mineral, maple sugar, petrol, honey, ripe apple and longan note.
medium semi sweet palate, light acidity. Maple sugar. Honey at the end. Petrol palate thicken with time. Medium length.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2007

Vineyard: Wehlener Sonnenuhr
9%, left suger/acidity: 52/7.7 (g/L)

medium blonde.
medium to pronounced nose. Durian at the beginning, and turns into lubricant oil.
medium body. Honey, citrus and ripe apple.

Urziger Goldwingert Riesling Spatlese 2007

Urziger Goldwingert is single-owned by Peter Nicolay. This is the smallest vineyard in Germany, only about 1000 bottles per year.
8.5%, left sugar/acidity: 61.2/7.1 (g/L)

medium-deep blonde.
sweet. Petrol. Elegant acidity.

Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese 2007

8%, left sugar/acidity: 137.3/7.4 (g/L)

Very sweet palate from this deep blonde and chewy wine. Raisin and honey.

Bernkastelle Johannisbrunnchen Riesling Eiswein 2007

8.5%, left sugar/acidity: 200.8/10.8 (g/L)

Deep gold. Flower, petrol and honey nose. Very concentrated.
Chewy honey palate.

紅酒醬汁牛排。朋友點的，沒記錯的話是五分熟，熟度很剛好。

羊肋排。也是朋友點的，沒記錯的話有烤過，外面裹的不知道是什麼，我猜是炒過的蒜末？總之羊臊味處理得很好。

酒的部分，第一支是 Chateau Tour de Pressac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2004。雖然冠著 Grand Cru 的名，但實際上並不是 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classes 之一，之所以會冠上 Grand Cru 是因為該酒莊符合 Saint-Emilion 的產區規定(rules of appellation)而已。
黑莓，黑胡椒，一些青椒與皮革。口感不是很厚重，可能跟年份有關。以不到六百的價格來說算是OK，但還不到超值的地步，相比較之下，許多 Languedoc-Roussillon 這邊的酒不比這款酒差。

第二款當餐後來喝的是 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2007.
Urziger Wurzgarten 在 Mosel 區算是不錯的地塊，原本為 Hans Leo 和他老婆一起管理，但在 2001 年後，因為年事已高，所以將葡萄園出借給鄰近的 Mönchhof 酒莊，但基本上還在 Hans Leo 夫婦的 supervising 之下，或許因為持續管理得當，所以在 Gault Millau Germany Wine Guide 都有 3 分(3+ ~ 3-)的評價。
新鮮的果香(略似龍眼、火龍果或山竺)、蜂蜜、青草，口感結尾有不錯的酸度。

Weltachs Scheurebe 2007 Pfalz

This is my first time of Scheurebe grapes. Weltachs winery uses this grape variety to make ice wine, however, I can not find the information of this wine on Weltachs website. So, I think this may be their 2nd wine. (? not so sure)

Smells a little sweet with pineapple hints. Short acidity in palate. As an easy drink, it’s just O.K., but never be a good white.

Green Point Pinot Noir 2006 Victoria Valley

Hints of oak and mineral come up with black berry aromas, freshing tone. The palate contains consistent black berry flavor. The tannin is still young, a little bit thin body.

Luis Felipe Edwards Pinot Noir 2005 Gran Reserva

I think this Chile Pinot Noir is better than previous Pinot Noir from Chile. At the beginning, mint, spicies, and dense black berry aromas come out. With time passes, there are chocolate and a hint of maple sugar. The palate shows supple and matured tannin, begins with slightly sweet black berry flavor and ends with spicy flavors. Lingering and concentrated.

味道很多層次，隨著時間經過，從薄荷、香料、黑莓的氣味轉而出現巧克力與楓糖味道。丹寧熟順且已經成熟，些許甜味的黑莓口感，並帶有香料尾韻。很棒的一瓶 Pinot Noir!