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

PFALZ WINES
162
board; these were the wines of a mature vintner who
sought honesty and expressiveness. I found myself wishing
I could stay longer and go deeper. My notes are scribbled
in an inexplicable shorthand onto the tasting sheet
he provided. At some point I knew I was hooked. I
looked over at Kevin Pike and said, Hey Kev; it isn’t just
me is it? These are really wonderful. He grinned and nodded.
“I was already filling out the forms, babe.”
dr. deinhard at a glance: 1st-quality Pfalz estate available in the U.S. at last;
big range of Grand Cru sites rendered in a genial
and intelligent way, AND (yay!) enough wine.
Dense and minerally, with focused fruit and with
how the wines taste:
almost unerring BALANCE in a range of styles. Gentle
and charming more than forceful and shoulder-grabbing. Imagine a cross between
Minges and Biffar!
GDD-020L 2005 Riesling Halbtrocken, 1.0 Liter
Unchaptalized. Friends, this is a completely agreeable wine. You want to slurp it from
a bucket. No adjectives required!
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 0 (now-6 years)
GDD-019 2005 Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Kabinett Trocken
Complex fragrance of miitake and porcini — clean, fresh earth. The palate is elegant and
moderate, filigree and pointillist; there is little to fascinate but much to satisfy; a lovely
companionable wine.
SOS: 0 (now-4 years, again 11-14 years)
GDD-004 2001 Deidesheimer Grainhübel Riesling Spätlese Trocken
Great polish and detail; a fine smoky Grand Cru with more cut than the 2002; this is not
at all unlike a Nigl Privat. And it is wonderful to see it with a few years on its fine
bones; sommeliers especially should grab the chance to offer a Riesling out of diapers
(the wines, not the somms).
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 0 (now-5 years, again 12-15 years)
GDD-021 2005 Deidesheimer Mäushöhle Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken
Lovely nose of Jarlsberg and Mirabelle; palate is endlessly juicy and charming, with
palpably thick extract and a gardenia sort of floweriness; but sheer refinement and
tastiness is paramount here. 100/100 on the yum-o-meter.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 0 (now - 5 years, again 12-16 years)
GDD-022 2005 Deidesheimer Herrgottsäcker Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken
Brilliant, zippy mineral density; rye-toast and, oddly, white-corn tortilla chips! (Will
this survive bottling? I hope so.) Spice and vitality and complete and utter goodness.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 0 (1-6 years, again 12-17 years)
GDD-006 2001 Deidesheimer Herrgottsäcker Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken
This won an important prize as the Halbtrocken wine of the vintage for 2001. It’s round
and detailed, what the French would call fondue (i.e. amalgamated or “married”),
entirely smooth and winsome; an utterly elegant, granular Riesling. A final crack at a
great 2001.
SOS: 0 (now to nine years)
SOMMELIER ALERT!
GDD-009 2002 Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling Kabinett
Perfect clone-90 Riesling, with a slim 95° Oechsle (!!!); fresh, lively, serene, long; how on
earth could it be any better? We bought every drop he’d give us. A year later I still think
it’s perfect Pfalz riesling. I’ll show it as long as it exists!
SOS: 2