Riesling tasting at The Mark

[Scoop]

Thanks for the information on Heyl. Having tasted 5 Heyl wines in total at the tasting, I certainly would have liked to have been along for the visit to the winery. Next time I'm anywhere close to Rheinhessen, I'll stop by. A very unique and individualistic producer.

We also tasted the regular Heyl '97 Pettental Riesling Spaetlese, which I did not describe, but found to be compelling as well, very much in line with your description. Regarding the Pettental Spaetlese Halbtrocken, we all were amazed by the "stove gas" quality that dominated the nose. That was the best decriptor. Some of the wines we sampled had already been opened for some time, however, which might explain the difference between our notes. Otherwise, our "stove gas" might have been your "barbecued smoky/flintiness". It definitely had some citrus/grapefruity elements, as you noted.

I'll also look for the Pfalz wines you suggested. Are they widely distributed?

Thanks,

C. Matthews