Künstler Hockheime Holle Riesling Kabinett 2013

From - Rheingau, Germany
Grape - Riesling
Alcohol - 12%
Available from - waitrosecellar.com, Ocado (2012 vintage)
Price - £16.99

Appearance - Clear; medium- intensity; lemon

Nose - Clean; medium- intensity; developing; apple, peach, mineral.

Palate - Off-dry; medium+ acidity; medium alcohol, medium+ body; medium intensity; apple, mineral, citrus. medium length.

Balance - 6 Length - 6.5  Intensity - 6  Complexity - 6.5

A grape that my partner is becoming very fond of.  It may now be her favourite.  This is a really nice example (as you would expect at this price) that has a touch of sweetness but plenty of acid.  It was gone in a few minutes.

Salwey Oberrotweiler Kasleberg Spatburgunder 2011

From - Baden, Germany
Grape - Pinot Noir
Alcohol - 13%
Price - £14
From - Laithwaite's

Appearance - Clear; medium- appearance; ruby

Nose - Clean; medium intensity; developed; red fruit, decomposing leaves

Palate - Dry; medium+ acidity, medium- tannin; medium alcohol; medium body; medium+ intensity; cherries, redcurrant, leather, decomposing leaves, earth, other vegetal.

Balance - 7; Length - 8 Intensity - 7.5  Complexity - 9

I was lucky enough to try this wine at a Laithwaite's tasting in Ipswich earlier this year.  In the midst of many good wines, this stuck out as a really exceptional one and the pick of the bunch.  I headed home with a bottle, with the intention of opening it on successful completion of my Wine Specialist course.  Having heard of my success on Monday, the bottle was promptly opened.  I did wonder whether it would live up to my recollection, and my goodness it did. 

Most of you will be familiar with Pinot Noir, and I've reviewed a few.  I am a big fan.  Generally PN is drunk young, as the fruitiness will fade over time.  However, I had heard tell of the delicious, strange complexity that careful ageing can give to a very good PN, and this provided me with such an experience.  You have your lovely red fruit coming through loud and clear, but it is accompanied by a very distinct vegetal taste which includes that aroma of rotting leaves that you may get on a country walk this time of year.  That may sound weird, and it probably is, but I cannot begin to tell you just how delicious it is.  I am not given to hyperbole, but I genuinely cannot imagine a more satisfying bottle of wine.  Not to my palate, anyway.

The aspects of the palate are not particularly balanced, as you will see, but the balance of fruit and vegetal/animal flavours is great.  I think I would drink this vintage now, as time would fade the fruit and bring the vegetal more to the fore, which I do not think would be an improvement on now.  I have scored the complexity high because of the strange and wonderful combination of flavours that have occurred due to high quality fruit and careful ageing.

Dr Loosen Urzinger Wurtzgarten Kabinett Riesling 2012

Grape - Riesling
From - Mosel, Germany
Alcohol - 8%
Price - £15.99
From - Waitrose, Ocado

Appearance - Clean; medium - intensity; lemon-green

Nose - Clean; medium intensity; developing; pear, grapefruit, a little spice

Palate - Medium-dry; low or medium- alcohol; medium+ acidity; medium body; medium intensity; medium length; apples with pears and citrus.  A little spicy.

Good; mid-to-high price; ready to drink but may improve

Balance - 7  Length - 6 Intensity - 6  Complexity - 6.5

Drinking this wine was a great experience.  It is something different from the normal bottle you would pick up.  German wines are categorised on the amount of sugar remaining in the grapes when harvested, and Kabinett is at the bottom end - that is not to say that a Kabinett cannot be a great wine, as demonstrated here.

The lower alcohol, residual sugar and rather high acid made it unusual, but the sugar provides body that is often provided by the alcohol.

This is quite a pricey wine, but we were not disappointed.  Sadly it disappeared very quickly!  Below is a lovely picture of the vineyard.