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

PFALZ WINES
156
THE NOT-DRY WINES!
GMC-095 2005 Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Kabinett ++
Grand Cru aromas; wild herbs and six kinds of blossoming trees; the palate careens between
high and low tones; key-lime, spices; manic energy, and obviously no kind of “Kabinett”!
SOS: 2 (5-18 years)
GMC-096 2005 Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Spätlese ++
Picked both later and from a lower-lying parcel, and the wine has lower notes; more
cherry-pie; a very clean-botrytis saltiness and an old-school sweetness; entirely long
and ethereally vaporous. 103º, by the way.
SOS: 3 (9-26 years)
GMC-097 2005 Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese +++
In fact from Breumel (but the label can’t identify this because it’s too “sweet”; oh just don’t
even get me started . . .); the fragrance alone here is more complex than most wines in their
entirety, and no I don’t think I will string together all the nuances; the palate just melts into
a hundred rivulets you won’t live long enough to delineate, yet the gestalt, the basic shape,
is alluringly beautiful and thoughtfully shaped and structured, playing a polychromatic
chord in three octaves. German Riesling at its most trigonometric complexity!
SOS: 2 (8-25 years)
GMC-104 2001 Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese ++
The first of two re-releases of Hans-Günter’s final vintage, touchingly. The wine is an
utter dream; it has more stomach and has left its first youth, and it offers a quality of
experience for which no equivalent exists in wine. If you’re new to these wines, I’m
happy for you `cause you’re in for a rare treat. If not, buy it again; I did!
SOS: 2 (7-23 years)
GMC-098H 2005 Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Auslese, 12/375ml +
From a mid-November harvest (“involving insane selection!”) and showing a ton of
(healthy) botrytis, and a splendid high vaporous spiciness; it hardly seems sweeter than
the Spät, but the BA-fig-caramel mid-palate tells the true tale.
SOS: 4 (12-30 years)
GMC-086H 2004 Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Eiswein, 12/375ml ++
170° Oechsle. This is a lower and more caramel-y version than many `04 Eisweins, but
splendid all the same; a concentrate of stone and wisteria and lily-of-the-valley, with
saltiness and penetration.
SOS: 4 (between thirteen and thirty-two years)
SCHEUREBE!
GMC-099 2005 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese +
Hoo boy; a powerhouse, huffing and snorting; part of it is like chewing currant leaves,
licking rocks and spooning butter-fried sage leaves from the skillet (not to mention
popping a couple mirabelles and a forkful of pineapple); it’s forceful and stony and not
all that sweet, and sage lingers into the finish.
SOS: 2 (now-13 years)
GMC-074 2004 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese ++
Fennel, fennel-seed, a rare overtone of Scheu aroma at first. Then it becomes absolutely
hypnagogic and kinky, with all the ore and pepper of `04 Scheu; the palate shows
classic cassis, and shimmers and twinkles into a dry finish, part a confiture of bergamot
and cassis, part a wild verbena-like penetration. If you gargled with this your breath
would leave 100 colors of confetti on the air.
SOS: 2 (now to twelve years)
GMC-100H 2005 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese, 12/375ml +
Oh I didn’t wanna like this, but I mean come on, what fruit. Yes of course botrytis but
CASSIS! QUINCE! Crazy salty length and OK I give up — more please.
SOS: 3 (1-15 years)