Over the past few evenings, Jean has sought an aperitif in the form of a ready-to-hand Riesling. The culmination of this process was tonight's comparison of two cheapies:
'06 "Clean Slate" Riesling (M-S-R) nose: hint of white peaches, sulfur palate: off-dry verging on sweet, lightly fruity with balancing acidity
'08 Zilliken "Butterfly" Riesling QbA (Mosel*) nose: limes, stones palate: racy acidity, citrus, almost dry
Both wines had been purchased for a little less than $10 per bottle and the Zilliken was our clear favorite. When compared, the Clean Slate tasted overly sweet, something that wasn't evident when it had been tried on its own. Since there is also a difference in vintage, it is a tad unfair to label this as a strict comparison of producers, but given Zilliken's house style, the results came as no surprise. The bottle of the '08 Saarburger Rausch Kabinett from Zilliken in our cellar now takes on an extra luster, as does the '08 vintage in general.
*Since this wine is actualy from the Saarland, the recent switch from a Mosel-Saar-Ruwer designation to the less informative Mosel takes on an extra note of irony.
Mark Lipton