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TN: Nice Mosel, ok Burg Blanc, not so good Rioja

Tuesday we had lemon sole, bok choy, and red cabbage (hey, cabbage 2 ways). Wine was the 2009 Matrot Bourgogne Blanc. I only had a half glass due to driving - found it tight, soft, with a little matchstick. Went to the city to meet a group of college students and give out some stuff to those in need, drove back through snowstorm. Decided I'd have a midnight glass to relax. Sulfury edge was gone, had opened up, but I still didn't love. Classic pear/apple Chardonnay fruit with a little hint of oak, but softer acids than my wont. Decent Bourgogne, but not the "baby Meursault" I hope for with Matrot, and this won't be my normal multiple bottle buy. B-

Wednesday was all snow shoveling and work, when I got home I looked forward to the short rib with horseradish broth Betsy had prepared (with potatoes and salad). I went to grab a red, ended up with the

1996 Dominio de Conte Rioja Reserva. I had purchased this because I read it was a traditional producer, which is usually my preference in Rioja. I think in this case some tradtions should pass. There's a dill note that I assume is traditional American oak, but this wine is mostly about VA, very ripe plums (actually a few maybe fell off tree and started rotting on ground), and (welcome) dilution. With some time a bit of ashtray emerged. Bad storage or bad wine? C-

Tonight striped bass with an avocado sauce along with leftover vegetables, and the 2009 AJ Adam Hofberg Kabinett. Spatlese sweetness/ body, white pit fruit with a touch of citrus, floral, hint of spice. Works great with the food, though on it's own I'd prefer it to have a touch less honied sweetness. Still, excellent wine. A-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Reply to
DaleW
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"Bi!!" wrote in news:f14d1f2c-d320-47da-8178- snipped-for-privacy@k13g2000vbq.googlegroups.com:

I disagree with your statement that a Kabinett should be pretty darn dry, for a certain residual sugar is needed to counterbalance the acidity, specially if you need what the Germans call "ripe acidity" (which means that grapes arrive to phenolic ripeness which is usually associated with must weight.

When I drink a Kabinett I want a very balanced wine that does not leave me a sweet aftertaste, but that's different from being dry. I hope I managed to express myself.

Most Mosel Kabinetts are now harvested at Spatlese levels, specially from big vintages (which usually are which appeal the American market). It might be an issue with global warming, better knowledge of vineyard management or other causes but it is quite a fact.

If you look for true Kabinetts, my suggestion is to look for vintages such as 2004 or 2008 where it was actually possible to make them.

Another option is to look for the "Feinherb" or "Halbtrocken" designations in labels. Kabinett Feinherb or Kabinet Halbtrocken usually hit the spot for me nowadays.

Some Mosel Kabinetts are also made in a "Trocken" style and they are pretty darn dry as you put it, but I usually find them unbalanced, with a character in the sourness that is not of a big appeal to me. I favour the Feinherb.

I guess

Not a bad idea, but the problem here is that it can be misleading. The RS alone is not the only parameter to take into account, and a wine with higher RS can taste dryer than one with lower RS.

Normally, every Weinhaus or Weingut tries to make a wine that resemble what a Kabinett should be, but the degree to which they sucess is related to what Nature provided that harvest.

Best,

s.

Best,

Santiago

Reply to
santiago

I agree with both of you! Seriously, I agree that it can be a little confusing, but actually if you know producer and vintage, you can guess pretty accurately. Maybe more so than in Alsace, where folks like ZH are all over the place. I actually find the "Spatlese masquerading as Kabinett" to be great with spicy Asian dishes. Auslese (or in vintages like 2005 & 2006 "Auslesen+ calling themself Spatlesen) are harder matches for me. Great with cheese, but beyond that.... Of course once they age a decade plus they do well with......spicy Asian dishes. :)

------------------------------------------ Before they privatized the system, the government liquor control board stores here classified the wines by sugar content from 0-20. Naturally, all the dry, table wines were 0 or #1 and many of the German wines were 2 or higher. The trouble was that , to my taste, #3s were dessert wines. Graham

Reply to
graham

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