2001 Weingut Toni Jost Rheingau Wallufer Wallenberg Riesling Spatlese

[TheEngineer]

I've read on other forums from people very experienced in Rieslings that the 2001's are closing up for a while. So I told this to my local pusher who knows what 2001's I have. He noted that statement to be true....except for a few bottles. This was one of them that he told me that I should finish off in the next 2-3 years.

A very straight forward bottle and it's been a while since I had a 2001 (mostly 2003's in the interim). I had forgotten about the nice minerality, acidity and balance of the 2001 wines. This spatlese was very pale straw, nice nose of green apple, was sweet on taste but finished off with a nice acidity. Medium finish. Nothing special but a good wine from a great year, not bad for the asking price of $15.99.

[wondersofwine]

Toni Jost has a good reputation but I'm not sure I've had the opportunity to try his wines.

[TheEngineer]

Just home tired tonight from Memphis and Altanta...never even got close to Buckhead crossing mall to go to the wine shop....

This was in the fridge so I opened it. Still as per above but perhaps just a bit muted as my taste has not recovered from 40,000 ft. Still going good.

[TheEngineer]

Either the 2001's have shut down entirely now or this wine is not made to go the distance (though it is 6 years old already). Very mute with just a hgh pitched acidity. Very crisp and focused but very little fruit to speak of. hmmm....anyone with a guess? Perhaps it was the cork. It came out waaaayyyy easier than most corks do but the color was not oxidized. It was still a very pretty pale green yellow in color.

At only $14 hard to assume that this could go for decades so I'm assuming that I need to drink the rest of mine faster.

[TheEngineer]

I complained too quickly. Second night was much much better. I guess it needed more air and as such, was shut down hard.

[TheEngineer]

Felt like this bottle came out of a time capsule. It still have that perfectly clear pale straw green color. Nose was still very fresh but with definite petrol now (actually perhaps a bit more vinyl really). Same super mouthfeel, clean fresh, aromatic, honeyed but nicely balanced.

Purchased in the days when wine's could be had reasonably priced.... (sounding old huh??)

this bottle that is now close to the decade old point and showing no signs of keeling over was purchased for the extravagant price of $14.99.

For me, that was when JJ Prum could be had in the $20's and up to say $35. These have all pretty much doubled in the past few years, even with the reduced price of wines.

On a good note, the 04 brunello's look to be good deals on the floor.

[wondersofwine]

A Spatlese should hold up for for than four years so I'm glad the one tried a few years ago was just in a closed phase and not over-the-hill.