Daniel Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spatlese Gold Capsule

點擊次數(shù)：1969

From the Sonnenuhr (the source of last year’s sensational counterpart) plus a small contribution from the Reiler vineyards, his 2009 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spatlese gold capsule displays, Vollenweider claims, the advantage of moisture from springs in the Sonnenuhr section which help promote acid-retention. A nose of iris and narcissus with white peach suggests greater aloofness or coolness of personality than is exhibited on the palate, where a real rush of peach and quince preserves is accompanied not only by wafting floral perfume but by a pronounced creaminess and overt sweetness. The welcome effect of ample acidity is perhaps revealed by the wine’s thoroughly luscious, sappy finish in which its sweetness is nicely contained. But for now at least, this lacks quite the refreshment or savor of its non-gold capsule counterpart. I would project at least 15 years of age-ability, and it may well be as its author anticipates that this to be sure already lovely Riesling will reveal greater clarity and complexity over the long haul. Regular followers of Daniel Vollenweider’s wines (for more general information about which consult my many previous reports) will note several changes with vintage 2009. The volume of dry wines has increased, because as he has expanded his acreage, he needs to generate more business from inside Germany. There is an absence of wine in the interim “feinherb” range, but that, Vollenweider assures me, is merely a vintage aberration: he had so few musts in 2009 that in his view stood any chance of fermenting successfully below 60 or more grams of residual sugar that he needed to encourage those he did have to cross the threshold into trocken (read: “marketable-inside-Germany”) territory. The ban on pre-1971 vineyard names being selectively enforced by the controlling authorities, and the name of one of those vineyards most dear to him, namely “Reiler,” also being the same as the adjectival form on labels of nearby wine village Reil, Vollenweider has decided to banish from his price list and bottles any vineyard identifications within the Goldgrube. He bottled his sweet wines already in April, save for a mere 20 liters of potential T.B.A. that were still fermenting. That Vollenweider is happy to take his chances in such low-volume, high-Oechsle circumstances rather than cautiously blending-away the sluggishly-fermenting must was reinforced by a taste from bottle of his would-be 2005 T.B.A., a strikingly Eszencia-like if almost too-sweet, 4% alcohol non-wine of which there were 50 liters on whose continued fermentation he finally gave up, and on which I omit further enticing details, since it cannot be commercialized.Importers include Vineyard Research, Inc., Lunenburg, MA; tel. 617 686 8052; Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR; tel. 888 274 4312; A Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selection Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549 2444

Vollenweider's 2008 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spatlese gold capsule - from steep terraces in the original Wolfer Sonnenuhr vineyard - smells of apricot, lemon zest, green tea, and high-toned herbal and floral distillates. Amazingly gentle in palate impression compared with what went before in this collection, and with the utmost sense of airy delicacy, it adds Persian melon and nut oils to a consummately refreshing finish. This is frankly not the sort of enhanced levity and rarified transformation one expects when going from a wine labeled -Spatlese- to one labeled -Spatlese gold capsule,- but the effect is exhilarating. This stunningly fine Spatlese (of which there are 1,000 liters) should be worth following for a quarter-century. Given the premium Daniel Vollenweider puts on delicacy and vivacity as hallmarks of Middle Mosel Riesling, it is easy to see why he is pleased with the character of his 2008s, although in the dry echelons these wines are apt to strike many tasters as too marked by their acidity.Importers include Vineyard Research, Inc., Lunenburg, MA; tel. 617 686 8052; Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR; tel. 888 274 4312; A Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selection Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549 2444

It was impossible to separate out fruit from any of the top Goldgrube parcels at must weights appropriate to Spatlese, but from the ancient vines and terraces below the Wolf sundial, where the “soil” drains and dries out rapidly, and botrytis was slightly diminished, Vollenweider harvested a 2006 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spatlese gold capsule. “This is a bit oxidative in vinification compared with my other wines,” he explains. “It fermented spontaneously and for a very long time.” The combination of vanilla cream, caramelized peach, high residual sugar, yet unmistakable minerality gives this a candied aura of salt water taffy. A plush, subtly oily texture and a long soothing finish add to the charm of a wine that would probably be best enjoyed anywhere between bottle ages 10-20, although it will never display the freshness and clarity of the “regular” Spatlese. With around 1,000 liters of high grade Auslese from each of two top sites, Volenweider was happy to be able to bottle them separately. “We started picking immediately after the October 3rd rain, and then under high pressure,” relates Daniel Vollenweider. Already then, there was little to be harvested below Auslese, not surprising considering the general trends this vintage and the fact that Vollenweider, as a friend to botryits in normal times, never sprays to keep it at bay. But in a departure from the norm, one cask had reached ten grams of residual sugar by the end of last summer and Vollenweider decided he might as well taste what a truly dry Wolfer Goldgrube Spatlese would be like! (I have not connected with the bottled wine.) A second major vineyard reclamation project in the Schimbock – a once-renowed riverside parcel within today’s Trabener Wurzgarten – is where Vollenweider intends to specialize in dry Riesling.Importer: Vineyard Research, Inc., Lunenburg, MA tel. 617 686 8052; Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR tel. 888 274 4312; also A Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selection Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549-2444