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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MOSEL WINES 44 Other Regionals from J. & H. Selbach: GSR-105 Bernkasteler Kurfürstlay Riesling QbA GSR-204 Zeller Schwarze Katz QbA (Screwcap) GSR-304 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling QbA GSR-704 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett GSR-805 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spätlese GSR-605 “TJ” Riesling
selbach-oster mosel • zeltingen We tasted on a (rare) bright early Spring day, and when we were done Karen Odessa and I took a walk in the sunlight. We visited Hans Selbach’s grave, where all the flowers had been nibbled by some critter or other, probably wild boar, which Hans liked to hunt. “Yes, the boar like to visit him too, and eat the flowers,” said his wife Sigrid. “I’m sure he’s down there chuckling at them whenever they come.” Four years ago I remember Hans-Günter Schwarz seeing to the harvest of his supernal 2001s while his wife lay in the final stages of terminal cancer. This year I enjoy contemplating the vision of the Selbach family luxuriating in the most clement harvest they have ever known, day after day of perfect weather, while Hans’ angel looks on. It wasn’t an easy year for them. Not only did they lose their beloved patriarche, they also lost the work he did (and made look effortless), and they dealt with an audit of Hans’ estate (routine but time-draining), but come harvest time it was as if some providence thought to itself “These poor souls have suffered enough for awhile; I’ll just square the weather away so they can have an easy vintage.” I like to think Hans called in his single favor from the angels — it would be like him to want to alleviate the difficulties of others. It is Johannes’ first vintage without Hans. Yet in that curious way the dead abide with us, Hans’ presence imbues everything. It is probably the greatest vintage in the winery’s history, and it’s melancholy to think Hans wasn’t among us to taste it. But, we can tell him of it. 2005 is a fabulous Mosel vintage in general. Great wines were everywhere. Many of my growers had among the greatest vintages they’ve ever had. Yet even so, the 2005 Selbach- Oster vintage stands out, even from 2005’s exalted norm. I’ll try and say why. Most if not all of the `05 Mosels are outsized, with many times their usual density and more layers of intricacy than ever. This is done without Barbara & Johannes Selbach altering their basic shape, without obtruding on their slatey ornery essence, and without coating their bones with ripe-sauce. Selbach’s wines are no different. Yet there is a quality of serenity about •Vineyard area: 17 hectares •Annual production: 9,500 cases •Top sites: Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Domprobst •Soil types: Stony slate, partly with loam •Grape varieties: 98.5% Riesling, 1.5% Weissburgunder them that is nearly beatific. They taste as if they’d been gathered by angels. They have a lovely gloss and glow. They are full of muscle but also a skater’s grace. They seem to be infinitely strong without ever becoming powerful. And there are so many of them. I can’t think of a single wine I “rejected” among the nearly four dozen I tasted. Johannes, who is always antsy and uncertain during these showings, could barely contain his glee. I was the first person to whom the entire range was shown, and I wish you could have been there: my old friend Jo and I couldn’t stop looking at each other, mouths agape, just in batshit-crazy bliss as one insane masterpiece followed another. When I got to the Schlossberg Auslese 2-star I thought I’d wrung out all the emotion of which I was capable — there were already several wines of sublime beauty — and I will never forget, as I stood there tasting that wine, how it seemed to put its gentle hands on my chest and push me down into the chair, and how I just sat there looking utterly stunned at Johannes and said “Dude; what is this?” and he returned my deranged gaze with one of his own and said “I know, can you believe it?” almost as if the wine weren’t his at all. You’ll see it in my notes, how by the end of the tasting I’d gotten to that strange wan place where you’ve numbed the rapture-terminals and you don’t “feel” any more. I felt as if I’d been abducted by some alien race who knew arcane forms of beauty and pleasure. They dropped me off when they were done with me and all I 45 MOSEL WINES
Page 1: terry theise estate selections Impo
Page 4 and 5: ii “Within every effort there has
Page 6 and 7: iv contents Theise Manifesto . . .
Page 8 and 9: vi LET US WRITE YOUR ORDER FOR YOU!
Page 10 and 11: 2 These things coincided with a dec
Page 12 and 13: 4 View of the Mosel. human care and
Page 14 and 15: 6 Continuing New Approach to Tastin
Page 16 and 17: 8 Making the Case For German Wines
Page 18 and 19: 10 I’m sure I didn’t convert th
Page 20 and 21: 12 Principles of Selection in this
Page 22 and 23: 14 Belgium, and they immediately ru
Page 24 and 25: 16 Core-List Wines The core-list, w
Page 26 and 27: 18 to know better) that the great d
Page 28 and 29: 20 How I Approach Wine, or Let Wine
Page 30 and 31: 22 time and lots of flavor. Due to
Page 32 and 33: 24 SHORT-LIST FOR ROCKHEADS: Dr Dei
Page 34 and 35: 26 “Antiques” 2001 has modestly
Page 36 and 37: 28 Ah but this isn’t P.C., you se
Page 38 and 39: 30 How German Wines Age To define a
Page 40 and 41: 32 Label Basics German labels are s
Page 42 and 43: 34 around until he gets fluent in t
Page 44 and 45: 36 Plusses and The Quest For Perfec
Page 46 and 47: 38 sommelier alert GSO-264 2005 Sel
Page 48 and 49: 40 subject: why riesling? A) Becaus
Page 50 and 51: 42 Treking up the Erdener Treppchen
Page 54 and 55: MOSEL WINES 46 could do was sit the
Page 56 and 57: MOSEL WINES 48 A Look At The Vineya
Page 58 and 59: MOSEL WINES 50 THE SPÄTLESEN GSO-2
Page 60 and 61: MOSEL WINES 52 SCHTICKIES! GSO-281
Page 62 and 63: MOSEL WINES 54 Erstwhile cellar-mas
Page 64 and 65: MOSEL WINES 56 it’s confusing. Me
Page 66 and 67: MOSEL WINES 58 alfred merkelbach mo
Page 68 and 69: MOSEL WINES 60 GME-135 2005 Ürzige
Page 70 and 71: MOSEL WINES 62 joh. jos. christoffe
Page 72 and 73: MOSEL WINES 64 GJC-146 2005 Erdener
Page 74 and 75: MOSEL WINES 66 Sleek, feminine, ele
Page 76 and 77: MOSEL WINES 68 he elects not to.
Page 78 and 79: MOSEL WINES 70 a.j. adam mosel •
Page 80 and 81: MOSEL WINES 72 changing; enterprisi
Page 82 and 83: MOSEL WINES 74 reuscher-haart mosel
Page 84 and 85: MOSEL WINES 76 hoffmann-simon •Vi
Page 86 and 87: MOSEL WINES 78 weingut ansgar clüs
Page 88 and 89: 80 Does this self-evident truth rea
Page 90 and 91: MOSEL WINES 82 carl loewen mosel
Page 92 and 93: MOSEL WINES 84 carl schmitt-wagner
Page 94 and 95: MOSEL WINES 86 karlsmühle-geiben r
Page 96 and 97: 88 Is all taste equally valid? Sure
Page 98 and 99: 90 mittelrhein wines In 1900 there
Page 100 and 101: MITTELRHEIN WINES 92 Bacharach, but
Page 102 and 103:
MITTELRHEIN WINES 94 jost at a glan
Page 104 and 105:
96 nahe wines It is a joy to labor
Page 106 and 107:
NAHE WINES 98 dönnhoff nahe • ob
Page 108 and 109:
NAHE WINES 100 vintage happens befo
Page 110 and 111:
NAHE WINES 102 GDH-172 2005 Estate
Page 112 and 113:
NAHE WINES 104 helmut mathern nahe
Page 114 and 115:
106 the matter of “globalization
Page 116 and 117:
NAHE WINES 108 jakob schneider nahe
Page 118 and 119:
NAHE WINES 110 GJS-067 2005 Niederh
Page 120 and 121:
NAHE WINES 112 Meddersheimer Rheing
Page 122 and 123:
NAHE WINES 114 kruger-rumpf nahe
Page 124 and 125:
NAHE WINES 116 GKF-099 2005 Scheure
Page 126 and 127:
NAHE WINES 118 viti-and-viniculture
Page 128 and 129:
NAHE WINES 120 THE AMAZING TRIO OF
Page 130 and 131:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 122 j.u.h.a. stru
Page 132 and 133:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 124 started to wo
Page 134 and 135:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 126 THE PATERBERG
Page 136 and 137:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 128 wagner-stempe
Page 138 and 139:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 130 GWG-016 2005
Page 140 and 141:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 132 weingut oekon
Page 142 and 143:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 134 gernot gysler
Page 144 and 145:
RHEINHESSEN WINES 136 christian-wil
Page 146 and 147:
138 tasting versus drinking I once
Page 148 and 149:
140 rheingau wines Recently Jancis
Page 150 and 151:
RHEINGAU WINES 142 josef leitz rhei
Page 152 and 153:
RHEINGAU WINES 144 Rüdesheim Viney
Page 154 and 155:
RHEINGAU WINES 146 On August 4th, 2
Page 156 and 157:
RHEINGAU WINES 148 I did, and liked
Page 158 and 159:
150 why does place-specificity matt
Page 160 and 161:
152 pfalz wines In the pretty walle
Page 162 and 163:
PFALZ WINES 154 müller-catoir pfal
Page 164 and 165:
PFALZ WINES 156 THE NOT-DRY WINES!
Page 166 and 167:
PFALZ WINES 158 josef biffar pfalz
Page 168 and 169:
160 scheurebe: what gives? Um, I ha
Page 170 and 171:
PFALZ WINES 162 board; these were t
Page 172 and 173:
PFALZ WINES 164 eugen müller pfalz
Page 174 and 175:
PFALZ WINES 166 GEM-080H 2005 Forst
Page 176 and 177:
PFALZ WINES 168 Messmers use only o
Page 178 and 179:
PFALZ WINES 170 theo minges pfalz
Page 180 and 181:
PFALZ WINES 172 GTM-093 2005 Gleisw
Page 182 and 183:
PFALZ WINES 174 Well, guess again.
Page 184 and 185:
PFALZ WINES 176 kurt darting pfalz
Page 186 and 187:
PFALZ WINES 178 GDR-143 2005 Dürkh
Page 188:
Back Cover Photo: Deer resting in t
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?