German Tasting with Dr. Loosen Wines

The memory of some bottles can stay with your for life. While the wine doesn't have to be old and rare, a great old bottle can be like a time capsule, capturing in its flavors and aromas the time and place of its creation.

MIREILLE GUILIANO, French Women for All Seasons
We have a short week this week and another light week next week with only two chances to drink with us next week. 

It’s April and springtime is here in South Florida so we like to give our “Wine Drinking People” the opportunity to taste some refreshing white wines to get ready for the heat.  This may be the last one of our tastings that we have outside in the courtyard.  Tonight we have four different producers here from Germany and a variety of whites along a few reds from the Pinot Noir varietal.

It was only a few short years ago when Germany was making the most expensive wines in the world but a few wars and the taste of many fine wine drinkers going from sweet to dry changed the complexity of the fine wine world the last 100 years so today although the Germans are still making some of the world’s best wines, they are a great value and are some of the best values in the world of wines today.

Join us was we welcome four of Germany’s top producers to a Tasting here at the Wine Watch with Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone making a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines.  The Fee for this tasting is $35 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

German Tasting with Dr. Loosen Wines at Wine Watch
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
7:00 PM

The Dr. Loosen estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. When Ernst Loosen assumed ownership in 1988, he realized that with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany’s best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines. To achieve this, Ernst dramatically restricts crop size, prohibits chemical fertilization, insists on very strict fruit selection, and employs gentle cellar practices that allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of handling.

All of Dr. Loosen’s six major vineyards were designated as “Erste Lage” — equivalent to grand cru — in the 1868 Prussian classification of Mosel vineyards. Only wines from these top-rated sites are bottled with a single-vineyard designation. All others are labeled simply as estate wines.

VILLA WOLF PINOT GRIS 2014   
Price: $12.50       Sale $11.00          Case $128

The Pinot Gris variety was first identified in the Pfalz region. Villa Wolf Pinot Gris is made in a full-bodied, dry style with fresh, unoaked fruit and a crisp texture. Half of each vintage is made in large, neutral oak casks for depth and complexity. The other half is done in stainless steel to preserve freshness and enhance the vibrant fruit. An excellent partner for salmon, chicken or pork.

VILLA WOLF PINOT NOIR ROSE 2014       
Price: $12.50       Sale $11.00          Case $128

The Pfalz is a very warm and sunny region, often called “the Tuscany of Germany,” so all of the Pinot varieties do well here. The Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rosé is a true rosé, made with a brief maceration before pressing to extract color. It is light and refreshing, with deliciously bright berry and fruit flavors and a clean, zippy finish. It’s perfect for holiday meals, especially when ham is involved.

DR LOOSEN RIESLING ESTATE BLUE SLATE 2014
Price: $21.00       Sale $18.48          Case $215

This estate-grown Riesling Kabinett embodies the racy, mineral-driven style of the steep, blue slate vineyards in the middle Mosel. It’s a crisp and juicy Riesling that pairs well with spicy Asian cuisine.

DR LOOSEN ERDENER TREPP KABINETT 2013       
Price: $27.00       Sale $23.76          Case $276

This vineyard is so steep that, long ago, stone steps were built into the hillside to help workers reach the vines. The iron-infused, red slate soil produces wines that are muscular and complex, with an intense mineral finish. Wines from Erdener Treppchen are more like a powerful, hard-body rock climber than the graceful ballet dancer of Wehlener.

DR LOOSEN WEHLENER SONN SPATLESE 2012    
Price: $32.00       Sale $28.16          Case $327

This precipitously steep and rocky vineyard (VAY-len-er ZON-en-ooer) yields some of the most elegant and sophisticated white wines in the world. The classic blue slate soil gives the wine a delicate, crisp acidity that perfectly balances the pure peach and lemon fruit. It’s a charming wine that dances gracefully on the palate.

J CHRISTOPHER PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE 2012
Price: $31.25       Sale $27.50          Case $319

This is the flagship J. Christopher wine. The 2012 is blended from excellent vineyards in four of the Willamette Valley’s AVAs: Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills. Made with native yeast fermentations and up to 18 months of barrel time, this is classic Oregon Pinot Noir.

Matthias Muller from Weingut Wittmann (RHEINHESSEN)

The Wittmann family has been growing grapes and producing wine in the small Rheinhessen village of Westhofen since 1663. Today, the estate cultivates 62 acres of vines in the rolling limestone hills found in the southern part of the region, just west of the Rhine river valley. They have been pioneers in developing the full-bodied, well-balanced style of dry wines for which the region has become known. And they were early adopters of organic (1990) and biodynamic (2004) viticulture.

Riesling is the dominant grape variety, accounting for 65% of the estate’s vineyard area. They also produce the three Pinot varieties (Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir), as well as Silvaner. In addition, small quantities of Scheurebe, Chardonnay and some minor varieties are grown.

The estate has as its foundation the pursuit of balanced wines that have tension, depth and intensity, but at the same time fresh and elegant. Philipp Wittmann looks for natural balance in the vineyards, in order to slow the ripening process and harvest grapes that have fully developed flavors, but are not overripe. The Wittmann family has developed a deep bond with the land they cultivate. This respect for nature and commitment to quality earned Philipp Germany’s Winemaker of the Year 2014.

WITTMANN SPATBURGUNDER 2013 (PINOT NOIR)         
Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00          Case $383

Elegant, classical Pinot Noir, fine aromas redolent of dark berries and a herb finish. Very compact and mouth filling, with an elegant acidity and soft tannins. Even in its youth shows a timeless style.

WITTMANN 100 HILLS PINOT BLANC 2014 (DRY)               
Price: $18.50       Sale $16.28          Case $189

Tis an admirable, and difficult thing, we think, to make a poised, distinctive and balanced Pinot Blanc, but that is what Philipp Wittmann, of Westhofen in southwest Germany, has done. It is a grape that is notably lacking in acidity and needs its gentle nutty and orchard fruit flavours patiently coaxed out. But then Mr Wittmann does have 350 years of family history making wines in Westhofen’s fertile hills on his side. Still, pretty impressive all the same.

WITTMANN 100 HILLS RIESLING 2014 (DRY)        
Price: $18.50       Sale $16.28          Case $189

A modern classic. Elegant with invigorating freshness of grapefruit and peach. Amazingly juicy and fresh with lively acidity and a fine minerality. An essential everyday Riesling to be enjoyed with seasonal salads, fresh vegetables, white meats or fish.

Nicolas Pfaff from Weingut Robert Weil (RHEINGAU)

Founded in 1875, Weingut Robert Weil is considered to be one of the Rheingau’s younger wine estates. It is located in the heart of Kiedrich, a village first documented in the year 950. Kiedrich Turmberg and Kiedrich Gräfenberg, the estate’s top vineyards, are among the finest sites in the Rheingau.

The estate cultivates 90 hectares (222 acres) of vineyards, of which 100 percent are planted with Riesling. Today, Wilhelm Weil, the great-grandson of the estate’s founder, carries on the tradition of uncompromising, quality-oriented vineyard and cellar practices – a tradition that has been the hallmark of the winery for four generations.

ROBERT WEIL RIESLING TROCKEN 2012 
Price: $24.00       Sale $21.12          Case $245

Made with the same exacting standards and meticulous attention to detail as the single-vineyard wines, the estate cuvées from Robert Weil are the starting point for the vinous journey into the best of the Rheingau. The fruit for these wines comes from Kiedrich Wasseros and Sandgrub, good-quality vineyards that are adjacent to the estate’s top sites. The deep and medium-deep soils of the vineyards consist of stony, fragmented phyllite mixed with loess and loam.

ROBERT WEIL RIESLING TRADITION 2013              
Price: $23.00       Sale $20.24          Case $235

The philosophy at Weingut Robert Weil is to combine modern ideas with the long tradition of viticulture in the Rheingau region. This wine is the estate’s classic rendition of the traditional off-dry style that made the Rheingau famous. It is a cuvée from parcels that neighbor the estate’s top vineyard sites in Kiedrich and Eltville. The mineral-rich soils of these vineyards consist of medium-deep stony, fragmented phyllite mixed with loess and loam.

ROBERT WEIL RIESLING KABINETT 2012 
Price: $36.00       Sale $31.68          Case $368

The Estate Kabinett is sourced from parcels that neighbor the estate’s classified single-vineyard sites. But it also includes fruit from pre-selections in the top sites, which gives the wine an extra dimension of fruit and mineral intensity. It is made with the same exacting standards and meticulous attention to detail as the single-vineyard wines, and is designed to showcase the traditional, lighter style of Riesling Kabinett.

ROBERT WEIL RIESLING SPATLESE TRADITION 2013          
Price: $42.00       Sale $36.96          Case $429

The Estate Spätlese is sourced from parcels that neighbor the estate’s classified single-vineyard sites. It also includes pre selection fruit from the top sites, which gives the wine an extra dimension of fruit and mineral intensity. It is made with the same exacting standards and meticulous attention to detail as the single-vineyard wines, and is designed to showcase Spätlese’s riper, richer style from late-picked fruit.

ROBERT WEIL KIEDRICHER GRAFENBERG SPATLESE 2012               
Price: $99.00       Sale $87.12          Case $1010

The outstanding quality of the Gräfenberg (“hill of the counts”) site was first documented in the late 12th century. It is a steep, southwest-facing slope in a sheltered side valley, with deep to medium-deep stony soil made up of phyllite interspersed with water-retaining layers of loess and loam. Yields are very low, resulting in wines with extraordinary concentration.

Always stunning, the Spätlese (“late picked”) from Kiedrich Gräfenberg is a massive wine of bewildering depth and complexity, with many layers of gorgeous fruit that unfold on the palate. It is a stately wine with power, harmony and impeccable balance.

Oliver Haag from Weingut Fritz Haag (MOSEL)

The historic Fritz Haag wine estate is located in the heart of the central Mosel River Valley. The earliest documentation of the estate dates back to 1605. At that time, the village in which it is situated was known as “Dusemond.” In 1925, this village was renamed “Brauneberg” (“brown mountain,” a reference to the color of the slate soil in this area of the Mosel) in an endeavour to further promote the reputation of its world-renowned vineyards “Brauneberger Juffer” and “Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr.”

The name “Juffer,” which translates as “old maid” in the local dialect, goes back to 1790. The proprietor of these exceptional vineyards at the time, the aristocratic Kurpfälzische Kammerherr Wunderlich, had three daughters who all remained unmarried and lived the lives of spinsters. As a consequence, when they took over the vineyard management from their father, the name “Brauneberger Juffer” was born and the wines soon became famed throughout the wine world. The vineyards are recognised as true pearls of the Mosel region and were treasured even by Napoleon.

For many years, the Fritz Haag wine estate was successfully headed by the endlessly energetic Wilhelm Haag, and achieved under his guidance a world-renowned reputation. Wilhelm Haag was the first to be named Gault Millau’s “Winemaker of the Year,” a highly coveted accolade introduced in 1994. Since 2005, his son Oliver has taken over the reins and has followed his legendary father in leading the estate into the future.

The Fritz Haag estate owns 17.5 ha (43 acres) of vineyards which are all exclusively planted with Riesling. The excellent micro-climate and the deep slate soils of the Brauneberg hillside yield some of the most intensely flavored and elegantly-structured Riesling wines of the Mosel region. Oliver Haag rigorously selects the clones most suited to the microclimate of his vineyards in order to achieve the maximum potential in the grapes. His wines, which display a pleasing subtle color, show a well-defined palate that reaches from honeysuckle to pears and apples. They are laced with citrus and underlying mineral tones, reflecting the slate vineyards of Brauneberg.

The Fritz Haag estate produces wines that cover the full style spectrum, starting from a dry style and ranging to lusciously sweet. A mineral “slate” character and a pronounced and fruity acidity give the wines their sleek sophistication and their great aging potential. The estate’s graceful, well-refined Rieslings are rated as impressive examples of the finest wines the Mosel region has to offer.

FRITZ HAAG RIESLING QBA 2014              
Price: $24.50       Sale $21.56          Case $250

The Estate Riesling Trocken balances the brisk Mosel Riesling acidity with a delicate texture and an ultra-fine fruitiness. This makes it an excellent choice for a variety of shellfish dishes, and especially ideal as a partner for briny, cold-water oysters.

FRITZ HAAG RIESLING BRAUNEBERGER KABINETT 2012 
Price: $33.00       Sale $29.04          Case $337

A selection of early-picked fruit from both the Juffer and Juffer Sonnenuhr vineyards, the Brauneberger Riesling Kabinett has a very fine, delicate structure and pure, enervating fruitiness that exemplifies the Fritz Haag style.

FRITZ HAAG RIESLING BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER SONNENUHR SPAT 2013               
Price: $51.00       Sale $44.88          Case $521

The Juffer Sonnenuhr is the choicest center cut of the Brauneberg — the steepest and most south-facing part of the hillside. This Grosse Lage (grand cru) site produces profound, distinctive wines with great purity and concentration.

FRITZ HAAG RIESLING BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER AUSLESE GOLDCAPSULE 2013     
Price: $47.00       Sale $41.36          Case $480

(92 Points) Gorgeously aromatic, this racy, light-footed wine wafts of lavender, peach and honeycomb. The palate is juicy with sweet, ripe grapefruit and apricot, yet zesty with acidity and minerality. Enamel-stripping acidity feels jagged on the finish now, but should meld out beautifully from 2019 on.  Wine Enthusiast (2/1/2015)

Menu:

Selection of Cheese:  Brie, Goat and pickled vegetables

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Sliders with spicy mustard

Potato and scallion Latkas offered with lime sour cream

Apple Fritters with Cinnamon bun crumble