1995 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese (Mösel-Saar-Ruwer) .375 ml Bottle - ABV 7.5%

[DonRocks]

I'm being extremely un-Taoist by not posting more about wine, considering it's the literary equivalent of a fish trying to swim upstream, an axeman cutting wood against the grain, etc. - but I spent so many years filling up my noodle with such unspeakably arcane trivia that it seems like it would bore everyone to tears.

Nevertheless, I did want to get a mention in for this shocker of a wine - this may get better in the years going ahead, but based on what's in my glass, there's absolutely no reason to wait and take the risk. This gorgeous example of a sweet(-ish) Riesling is most likely my last bottle of what probably cost me about $15 for a .375 ml (half-bottle) size, and it's drinking like the most beautiful, the most precious, the most perfectly polished specimen of amber you could ever hope to see.

The fruit has long-since given up its primary nuances, and is showing its secondary nuances probably about as well as it ever will - next up will be the tertiary scents (perhaps a few more years down the road), but I'd hate to take the risk and give up this wonderfully honeyed example of a Riesling that has just entered maturity - twenty years old, and although it looks every day of that age, it drinks like a vibrant decathlete, showing absolutely no adverse signs of early adulthood, and it has perfectly balanced (and beautifully integrated) acidity to counterbalance the sweetness.

I didn't even know I owned any more of this, but I did remember that it wasn't an expensive wine, so I nabbed it, and happened to catch it at the perfect stage of its formation. This wine is overachieving in every way imaginable - while not perfect, it's absolutely lovely, with no discernible flaws, and reminds me (for the umpteenth time) that I tend to almost always drink my Rieslings too young - you either need to catch these babies upon release, or gut it out for the long term, and in this case, waiting paid off in a big way. It has been a good, long while since I've enjoyed a Riesling this much, and I'm an idiot for consistently drinking my Dönnhoffs at such an awkward, adolescent stage in their lives.

Oh, this is so delicious. What a beautiful wine, and what a beautiful label (remember, however, this is a 1995; not a 2001 - otherwise, it looks just about the same, happy, drinking monk and all).

PS - Loosen is pronounced LOEW'S-inn.

This post took me about five minutes to write. If anyone is interested in me writing about wines occasionally, I'll be happy to; I just don't want to bore myself with it, so I'd need to keep things at a primer level. As long as I know people are benefitting, I don't mind doing it.

[mr food]

never got rieslings and yes, I've been served all types of all ages. Always happy to read your wine comments.

[DonRocks]

never got rieslings and yes, I've been served all types of all ages. Always happy to read your wine comments.

Different strokes for different folks, and that is absolutely not being dismissive - some people like only dry red wines, and I've learned not to look at such things as "character flaws." I know a person who is gaga over Sine Qua Non; I have never once finished an entire glass of any of their wines - not once in my lifetime. Some people hate chocolate; others hate broccoli.

I would posit that Riesling is a delicate grape that is transparent enough to allow its terroir to shine through. Mainly because of Terry Theise, most German Rieslings imported to the U.S. have residual sugar, and that may be what you don't like. Austrian Rieslings tend to be much dryer, but the difference in flavor profile between those and German Rieslings is vast. Personally, I wish more Trocken (dry) or Halbtrocken (semi-dry) German Rieslings were available.

[mr food]

White wine is what you drink before red wine (champagne excluded). However, if you serve me a nice white burgundy, I won't say no.

[Tweaked]

Domaine Weinbach in the Alsace region produces some lovely dry rieslings.

And I've enjoyed Dr. Loosen products in the past.  I've seen their rieslings fairly frequently on by-the-glass listings (although I'm assuming not the bottle pictured above!)