The world of Riesling returned to Seattle in Washington State.The attraction was the 4th Riesling Rendezvous, a gathering of Riesling producers and enthusiasts from around the world. Riesling Rendezvous is sponsored by Chateau Ste. Michelle, the Washington State giant wine producer and Weingut Dr. Loosen, one of Germany’s top Riesling producers from the Mosel Valley. The famous Eroica Riesling from Washington State is a joint venture of Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen. Riesling Rendezvous is the largest international gathering of Riesling producers and enthusiasts in the world. It features three days of tasting, discussing and learning about Riesling.
The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle featured 3 major tastings: First, the walk-around tasting at Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville with about 70 Riesling producers from all around the world pouring 4 to 6 wines each.Second, the seated international blind tasting with 20 wines falling into the dry category. Third, the seated international blind tasting with 20 wines falling into the beyond dry category. The postings provides an account of the blind tasting of 20 dry wines.
I have already posted an article about the walk-around tasting in Woodinville:
The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA
This posting is part of a series of a dozen or so postings on the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle. I have posted so far:
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Photo Album: 4th Riesling Rendezvous (2013) in Seattle, Washington State, USA
The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA
The World of Riesling in Seattle - Fourth Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, USA
Coming Up in July: 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA
The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA
Panel
Here is how the tasting went. The tasting was orchestrated by US Wine Journalist. For each wine, he would first ask one of 6 panel members to say something about the wine. In particular, the panel expert was expected to guess where the wine might come from. Fir some wines, other panel experts also provided their opinion. Then he might turn to the tasters and ask for a show of hands, if, mostly, the wine was new world or old world. Then, the identity of the wine was revelealed and the winemaker or owner was asked to provide some comments.
In general, it was a mazing how off the panel experts sometimes were in terms of their assessment. Also, the how of hands often revealed a stark division among the 300 tasters. Overall, the new world wines held up very well with the heavy weights from Germany and Austria.
The Panel:
John Haeger (Moderator)
Stephen Brook
Fred Loimer
Fred Merwarth (Hermann J. Wiemer)
Neil Pike
Jason Smith MS
Wilhelm Weil
20 Dry Rieslings - Blindtasting
Mitchell Wines (Australia)
2012 Watervale Riesling
0.2 g/L RS
Fred Loimer: Citrus tones, yellow arromas, coole vintage, probably old world.
Jason Smith: Shows more new world style.
Jim Barry Wines (Australia)
2005 The Florita Riesling
0.99 g/L RS
Stephen Brook: I adore this style of Riesling, strong minerality, both on the nose and the palate, has length, depth, I have no clou where the wine comes from.
Jason Smith: Lots of minerality, could be a great Rheingau or Pfalz wine from Germany.
Weingut Knoll (Austria)
2011 Ried Schutt Riesling Smaragd
2.5 g/L RS
Neil Pike: Lovely wine, it is not bone dry, lovely balance, get a hint of sweetness, New World wine, Australia.
Jason Smith: Washington State, because alcohol level is high, or Oregon/Michigan.
Show of hands: Majority votes for: New World.
Owner/Winemaker Emmerich Knoll.
Markus Huber (Austria)
2011 Riesling Engelreich
3.4 g/L RS
Fred Merwarth: Nice fruit/minerality interplay, not super powerful, medium weight, very expressive on the palate, tight finish, I guess Pfalz, Germany.
Owner/Winemaker Markus Huber.
Domaene Wachau (Austria)
Riesling Smaragd Achleiten
3.1 g/L RS
Wilhelm Weil: Very complex nose, good structure, not too much alcohol, well balanced, hopes that the wine is from Germany.
Winemaker Heinz Frischgruber, Domäne Wachau.
Pikes (Australia)
2012 Traditional Riesling
3.6 g/L RS
Wilhelm Weil: middle bodied, very good fruit, easy to understand for the market, not as good as the previous wine.
Jason Smith: What strikes me is the racy minerality, leaves me to believe it is a dry Mosel wine.
Neil Pike.
Battenfeld-Spanier (Germany)
2008 Frauenberg Riesling
4 g/L RS
Fred Merwarth: Shows well the different possibilites of Riesling, Auslese nose with botrytis, great example of a dry botrytised wine.
Trefethen Family Vineyards (California)
2010 Dry Riesling Oak Knoll District
6 g/L RS
Neil Pike: Classic wine, citrus, a lot of texture, a bit of pair flavors, we are in the new world I think.
A. Christmann (Pfalz, Germany)
2011 Idig Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewaechs
Jason Smith: citrusy nose, floral chracteristsics, I get also apple pair notes, we are in the US again, perhaps Oergon.
Steffen Christmann: Our best vineyard, most southern region for Riesling in Germany, clear, ripe fruit, a Grosse Lage (Grand Cru), picked by hand, we are biodynamic
Dr. Loosen (Mosel)
2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Grosses Gewaechs
6.4 g/L
Jason Smith: Very similar to the previous wine, riper style, fruitier, not as much acidity, brings to me the North West in the US.
Ernst Loosen: on their own rootstocks, we ferment with natural yeast, you have acidity, minerality, dry Riesling can age and this wine can.
For more on Dr. Loosen, see:
Riesling from Germany and Pinot Noir from Oregon: A Winemaker Dinner with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen and J.Christopher Wines, at Black Salt in Washington DC.
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Ernst Loosen and Dr. L. Riesling - His Hugely Popular Entry-level Wine Sold Throughout the World;
The Doctor Made a House Call - A Tasting with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC, USA
A Riesling Guru and a Killer Guitarist cum Cult Winemaker: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers and their J. Christopher Winery in Newberg, Oregon
Wine ratings: Two American/German wines - Eroica and Poet's Leap - on Top 100 Wines from Washington State list for 2009
German American Wines: (1) Pacific Rim Riesling (2) Eroica and (3) Woelffer's Schillerwein
Mercer Estates (Washington State)
2011 Riesling
10.6 g/L RS
Fred Loimer: Very clear, very clean, perfectly ripe grapes, very nice minerality, great balance.
Chateau Grand Traverse (Michigan)
2010 Lot 49 Riesling
6.5 g/L RS
Fred Merwarth: Very good ripeness, acidity very direct, very complex on the palate, should have a long life, suggestion: North West USA.
Only 400 cases made.
Tantalus Vineyards (Canada)
2008 Old Vines Riesling
14 g/L RS
Wilhelm Weil: Very complex structure, interesting wine, long finish,
Stephen Brook: A German Riesling
Jason Smith: Australia
Robert Weil (Rheingau)
2009 Kiedricher Graefenberg Erstes Gewaechs
13.5 g/ L RS
Neil Pike: Lovely complexity, beautiful apricot notes, stays in the mouth, with real depth.
See also:
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Villa Maria Estate (New Zealand)
2011 Cellar Selection Dry Riesling
7 g/L RS
Jason Smith: More restrained, lifely, lemon notes, mineral, racy acidity, brings me to the Old World: Mosel
Chateau Ste. Michelle (Washington State)
2012 Dry Riesling
7.1 g/L
Stephen Brook: Medium weight, not very complex, but has other assets: freshness, I think: Germany
Bob Bertheau: Shows what Washington State can deliver. In the past 4 years, sales of this wine have doubled.
Black Star Farms (Michigan)
2011 Arcturos Dry Riesling
9.6 g/L
Stephen Brook: Lean, crisp, lots of fruit, a real pleasure, not too complex, pleasant, probably New World, Michigan perhaps.
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards (Finger Lakes)
2012 Dry Riesling
9 g/L RS
Jason Smith: Fair amount of sugar, lots of fruit, New World, Michigan.
Fred Merwarth: All natural fermentation, short fermentation, a blend from all our vineyards.
Loimer (Austria)
2010 Langenlois Seeberg Riesling Kamptal DAC Reserve
Fred Merwarth: Elegant, round on the palate, a lot of texture, acidity is a defining element, do not know where the wine comes from
Jason Smith: We are back in the Old World, probably Aistria, acidity is racy.
Fred Loimer: Fermented in stainless steel, aged in wood
Clemens Busch (Mosel)
2010 Marienberg 1.Lage Grosses Gewaechs Fahrlay Riesling Trocken
8.9 g/L RS
Stephen Brook: Very impressive wine, good concentration, terrific length, racy, probably from Germany.
Jason Smith: With the richness and the ripeness: New World.
Clemens Busch.
See also:
With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany
20 International Rieslings - Dry
At the end, a summary table of the 20 wines we had tasted blind, was provided.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
Coming Up in July: 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA
Germany’s 2011 VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
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Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
The Doctor Made a House Call - A Tasting with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC, USA
A Riesling Guru and a Killer Guitarist cum Cult Winemaker: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers and their J. Christopher Winery in Newberg, Oregon
Wine ratings: Two American/German wines - Eroica and Poet's Leap - on Top 100 Wines from Washington State list for 2009
German American Wines: (1) Pacific Rim Riesling (2) Eroica and (3) Woelffer's Schillerwein
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
Germany’s 2011 VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany, 2012
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Ernie and his Friends - The Loosen Bros. USA Portfolio Tour 2012
Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World– Snooth 2012
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Carl von Schubert from the Maximin Gruenhaus Estate Returned a Favor: With his Wines in Washington DC (and in Seattle), USA