Riesling tasting at The Mark

[Randy Caparoso]

Very good tasting of some interesting and unusual stuff. The Mark, and Richard Dean MS, are certainly to be commended.

Just so you know, I visited Heyl (or, Weingut "Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim") last month. As you pointed out, an unusual approach to German style wine. What they do is make an extremely concerted effort to showcase the strongly stony, almost iron-like, red slate qualities of the famous Niersteiner terroir. Part of their regime involves fermentation and extended aging in 1200 liter, old oak casks (about 7 months). Plus, even their non-Trocken and non-Halbtrocken Spatlesen are fermented to near dryness -- a far cry from the Mosel and the rest of the Rhine.

In a tasting led by director Markus Ahr, I found that same '97 Pettental Spatlese Halbtrocken that you tasted to have almost a barbecued smoky/flintiness, overshadowing the Riesling's floral and fusel characteristics, and carrying through a dry, lean, grapefruity finish. Like I said, quite unlike the gentle, feminine style you find even in most parts of the Rheinhessen. The regular '97 Pettental Riesling Spatlese was even more surprising -- smoky, fullish, nearly dry, grapefruity tart, but oily and viscous on the palate.

Heyl considers their Nierstein Brudersberg Riesling to be their "grand cru" or "1st growth." Their '97 QbA Brudersberg is (shockingly) almost Loire-like in its earthiness and firmness -- minerally, flinty tones, only mildly floral, and dry and glycerol textured. A wine for chevre, not seafood! And as such, strictly for those who are looking for something a bit beyond what is usually found in German style Reisling.

I also visited the Pfalz, by the way. My conclusion? For what it's worth, although I find Dr. Burklin-Wolf to be interesting, I found the wines of Baron von Bassermann-Jordan to be fresher, livelier, and more contemporary in style (lots of lush, almost exotic fruit -- even in their Trockens and Halbtrockens!) across the board; and the wines of Weingut von Buhl to be a little leaner, but zestier and purer in Riesling fruit qualities.