German Catalog 2006 USE THIS ONE.qxp - Michael Skurnik Wines

DRY RIESLINGS:
GSD-029 2005 Riesling “Classic” +
Arresting fragrance! Like a thousand cox-orange pippins in an airless room; the palate
is like acupuncture, endless tiny jabs of flavor; an iridescent Winter-sun brilliance; perfectly
balanced; a semolina-”sweetness”; in every way — fragrance, texture, flavor,
structure — a puppy-energy and playfulness. 95º and unchaptalized, by the way. But
BRAVO for this amazing “starter” wine.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 1 (now - 3 years, again 9-14 years)
GSD-033 2005 Pittermännchen Grosses Gewächs ++
The most celestial of a very strong trio of GGs, and stunning Riesling by any standard.
It’s my DRY RIESLING OF THE VINTAGE though inside Germany they’d fuss it “isn’t
really dry”. No, all it is is stunning: slate and blackberry fragrance; it has the still, silvery
clarity and focus of the best of Nigl, with a serenity of fruit stopping just short of
exotic; the high-definition structure shows every pore of flavor. If this is the new world
of dry German Riesling then my arms are open. But — if!
SOS: 0 (now - 4 years, again 12-18 years)
GSD-034 2005 Goldloch Riesling Grosses Gewächs +
My intent was to pick my one favorite of the three. Made sense. In fact a case could easily
be made for all three, and I simply had to show you this. I think Goldloch is Armin’s
secret favorite, maybe because it’s so solidly baroque and lavishly fruity; in any case
this is a baroque cathedral of Riesling; swollen aromas of apricot; the palate is all kinds
of rich and pitted-fruity, but the solidity is striking — you eat it as much as drink it, and
the powdery minerality pours into the finish; yet another dimension.
SOS: 0 (now 5 years, again 15-22 years)
“CLASSIC-FRUITY” AND “NOBLE-SWEET” RIESLINGS:
GSD-015 2004 Riesling Kabinett
Again the 2004 green (lime, tarragon); a genre-defining wine, permitting entry into a
rarefied world for an affordable price. Clean, frisky everyday Riesling.
SOS: 2 (between four and sixteen years)
GSD-016 2004 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Kabinett +
This would almost be lurid if it weren’t so zippy and solid; like a garden of geology
beneath a flowering wisteria tree; elegant, expressive, bordering on quirky, with a wry
piquant charm.
SOS: 2 (between six and twenty-two years)
GSD-035 2005 Scheurebe Spätlese ++
After stringent selection there were only 30 cases of this amazing Scheu, so hurry. And
excuse my intemperate language, but this is just a total mind-fuck Sheurebe; so pungent,
with massive sage and grapefruit aromas; it’s as subtle as a runaway train; there’s
a vixen-lick of salt and lavender leading into an immense finish. Hans-Günter
Schwarz’s spirit lives on: GOD SAVE THE CAT.
SOS: 2 (now-6 years)
GSD-036 2005 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Spätlese ++
This is about as regal as an utterly seductive wine can be; a heart-rending, love-baby,
soul-expanding wine; talc, white peach and lemon-balm aromas; a murmuring woodsy
touch on the mid-palate; spicy jasmine grip, and a sort of arch sideways grin — the
seducer knows she’s snagged you — but most moving is the sweet-lees relaxed woodsiness;
a wine of adult, knowing beauty.
SOS: 2 (12-29 years)
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NAHE WINES