WOW'S take on German wines

[wondersofwine]

Take with a grain of salt (or maybe a veal schnitzel and spatzle).

I'll start with two of the more renowned areas: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Rheingau.

MOSEL
Noted villages include Wehlen (especially the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard with the giant sundial), Zeltingen, Urzig, Bernkastel, Piesport and Erden. Besides the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard look for Urziger Wurzgarten (spice garden) and Urziger Scwarzlay, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Piesporter Goldtropchen (golden drops), Erdener Treppchen (little steps) or Erdener Pralat, and also Graacher Himmelreich, Bernkasteler Doktor, Brauneberger Juffer and Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Leiwener Klostergarten (cloister or monastery garden)--Carl Loewen is a producer to look for here. Among the most prominent Mosel producers are J.J. Christoffel Erben, J.J. Prum, Selbach-Oster (known mainly for Trocken or dry wines), Dr. Thanisch, Dr. Loosen, Willi Haag and Fritz Haag. I also like Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler wines and some of the other Prums such as Studert-Prum.
If you could get hold of a Kabinett, Spatlese and Auslese all from J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr in a more typical vintage such as 2002 (not as hot as 2003), this might show you what Mittel-Mosel is about. The most noted wines are from this region of the Middle Mosel. I'm a little vague of the geographic location of Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer which in some years makes a delicious Eiswein. The Weingut Karlsmuhle is possibly in Trier along the Mosel, but the grapes may be from the Saar or Ruwer Valley?

The SAAR and RUWER are tributaries of the Mosel. The Saar sometimes exhibits a more austere, acidic character but can be greatly charming. The steep slate hills along the Saar give rise to the viticulture. (The slopes in the Middle Mosel are also precipitous and make tending vines and harvesting grapes very burdensome.) Some of the vineyards are Wiltingen Scharzberg (a Grosslage name for various vineyards in this region, Scharzhofberg, Ockfener Bockstein and Zilliken Saarburger Rausch. Some of the wines from cooperatives in this area are surprisingly good. From Ockfener Bockstein (a favorite of mine when I lived in Germany) I have had wines from Dr. Fischer and Dr. Wagner and also know about St. Urbans-Hof. Look also for Saar wines from Egon Muller and von Hovel
I sometimes prefer Saar wines from a sunny but less hot vintage which I think are truer to the character--a bit flinty or austere but balanced with the purity of the fruit. They can really sing. In rainy years or other years where nature does not cooperate, the Saar wines can be disastrous.

RUWER
The dominant estates here are Karthauserhof and Carl von Schubert's Maximin Grunhaus with the vineyards of
Abtsberg, Herrenberg and Bruderberg (the three vineyards being monopoles or monopolies of the Carl von Schubert Maximin Grunhaus Estate.) I don't have much drinking experience here but have purchased some Maximin Grunhaus wines for future con-sumption. The following is a link to some good info on Maximin Grunhaus:
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/germany/vonschubert.shtml

RHEINGAU
Some of the producers to note here are Josef Leitz, Robert Weil (expensive and I don't have personal experience), Schloss Schonborn (seemingly on the upswing again after some mediocre years) and Schloss Johannisberg. One of my favorite Rheingau vineyards when I lived in Germany was Erbacher Marcobrunn and I still love it. Producers with parcels in this vineyard include Schloss Schonborn, von Simmern (Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern), Weingut Schloss Rheinharthausen, Staatsweingut Kloster Eberbach and still others. Hattenheim is another village of some note and then their is Rudesheim!
Look for Josef Leitz wines from Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck, Rudesheimer Bischofsberg, Rudesheimer Burgweg, or Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz. (A British wine website suggests the 2005 Leitz Magdalenenkreuz with caramelized apple tart and creme fraiche. Yum!) Rauenthaler Nonnenberg is another nice Rheingau wine to seek out but the Rauenthaler wines may not have as wide a distribution as the Rudesheim wines.
Rheingau wines can have peach and nectarine notes but are often rather complex in texture and flavor.

Next week I'll post some notes on Pfalz (or Rheinpfalz) wines, Rheinhessen, Nahe and Baden. Franken wines have never been favorites of mine so I will skip that region as well as some of the smaller or less known regions such as Ahr and Mittelrhein.


[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 12-15-2006).]