White Flashcards
Riesling J.B. Becker ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Kabinett Trocken Rheingau Germany 1994
Hans Josef Becker / This organic estate (and always has been, a fact you rarely find mentioned) was founded in 1893 by Jean Baptiste Becker, a former cooper. His son Joseph took over in 1944, when at 73 Jean Baptiste jumped into the Rhine River to save a small child from drowning and suffered a heart attack. Josef’s son Hans-Joseph (call him HaJo), the current winemaker, attended Geisenheim University and earned a degree in oenology, but his inspiration came from the cellars of Schloss Eltz, considered one of the greatest estates of the Rheingau in the 50s and 60s. It was while working here that HaJo began to taste his first dry Rieslings, from the cask, before any süssreserve was added. He turned the Becker estates focus to dry Rieslings when he took over in 1971. He states that at the time, he lost all of his customers, since the regions focus had turned to sweeter styles post WWII. He truly was pioneer in reinvigorating this classic dry style from the region. His wines tend to be in your face and honest, searing acidity, with layers of fruit, dried earth, rock and herbs. He uses quick, warm, wild ferments, and then racks the juice into traditional barrels for a minimum of 2 years before bottling. 2002 spared Germany of the rains that plagued the rest of Europe over the summer, but by harvest they caught up. Walkenberg has a SE exposure with loess and gravelly subsoil, and the wine has a lighter sensibility to it. / 1994 - Horribly variable, but Riesling showed its class with superb quality from the good estates. (JR)
dry, savory, light smoke, bruised green apple
Riesling Eva Fricke ‘Lorcher Schlossberg’ Spätlese Rheingau Germany 2015
After studying oenology in Geisenhiem then working in the Rheingau, Piedmont, Ribera del Duero, and Australia, Eva returned to the Rheingau to work as J. B. Becker’s assistant manager. In 2004, producing her first vintage in 2006. She grows only Riesling on the steep slopes of Lorch in the Rheingau. Some of her vines are more than 45 years old, producing wines that perfectly exhibit the minerality of the slate and quartzite soils. / Weingut Eva Fricke is now 10 hectares, only 7 of which are in production. It is a small, artisanal winery, where no efforts are spared for quality. Accordingly, Eva applied for organic certification in 2016.
sweet, lychee, passion fruit, lemon zest, rose
Riesling Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Auslese Mosel Germany 1998
650 year old winemakers with very rich history / 12 ha (30 acres) each in the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer, the estate has an extraordinary spectrum of top vineyards in all three valleys in the region / Estate manager and winemaker Wolfgang Mertes, vineyard manager Michael Weber / With a history that spans more than 650 years (1349-1999), Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is one of the most traditional estates in the Mosel region. The von Kesselstatt dynasty immigrated to the electorate of Trier in the 14th century. The first documented mention of a vineyard purchase dates from 1349 // 1998 - Despite a wet growing season the wines showed vibrant acidity and bright fruit. Eiswein was made in some quantity (JR)
sweet, honey, petrol, peach, slate
Riesling Maximin Grünhaus ‘Abtsberg Auslese #190’ Mosel Germany 2001
This estate’s focus is on its monopole holding of one of the most famous vineyards in Germany: the Maximin Grünhaus vineyard, which was run by Benedictine monks until the late 18thcentury. The vineyard is divided into three contiguous smaller crus, named Bruderberg, Abtsberg and Herrenberg by the monks. The names worked out as a sort of classification, with the Bruderberg wines (the smallest and lesser of the sites) historically going to the monks, the Herrenberg to the Abbey’s choirmasters and the Abtsberg for the abbots. This classification remains relevant, with the Abstberg considered by the likes of Hugh Johnson as the equivalent of a Grand Cru in his vineyard classifications of Germany. / Stefan Kraml has been in charge of viticulture since 2004 and ferments with ambient yeasts in either fuder or stainless steel;élevage is in the same vessels, and the wine is not fined before bottling. / 2001 was a great vintage with long Indian summer and cool September promotioning both sugar and acidity - high percentage of botrytis (JR)
The Maximin Grünhaus estate lies at the foot of a long steep south-facing slope on the left bank of the Ruwer river, about two kilometres before it joins the Mosel. The estate belongs to the Von Schubert family and is divided into three separate but contiguous vineyards: the Abtsberg, the Herrenberg, and the Bruderberg, each with own distinct micro-climate, gradient and soil composition, differences in terroir which explain the unique character of the wines made at Grünhaus.
The Abtsberg
Wines harvested from this vineyard were originally destined for the table of the Abbot (or Abt) of the Abbey of St Maximin. The site covers 14 hectares, parts of which have been planted with vines for over a thousand years. The subsoil is blue Devonian slate and the hillside runs south-east to south-west, achieving a gradient of up to 70%. Abtsberg wines are characterised by a finely structured subtle minerality, a racy acidity, generous fruit and great delicacy. They are amongst the longest lived Rieslings of the region.
*Auslese - German classification system - prädikats - levels of classification based on levels of sugars in grapes at harvest (88-105° - öchsle scale range)
floral, slate, lemon curd, honeyed green apple
Sylvaner Scribe ‘Ode to Emil No. VI’ Sonoma County California USA 2015
Andrew & Adam Mariani - brother duo - one of the only producers making Sylvaner in the US (at home in Fraken in Germany) Scribe is an aesthetic: minimalistic, rural, folksy - and they enact this aesthetic in their wines - from skin fermented Chardonnay to obscure for Sonoma grapes like Sylvaner and St. Laurent. // believe previous owner Emil Dresel may have been the first to bring certain Germanic varieties to California like Sylvaner - so they planted 1 acre and then another
crisp, pear/apple blossom, slate, hint of sugar
Gewürztraminer Analemma ‘Atavus Vineyard’ Columbia Gorge Oregon USA 2014
Not many vineyards in the Northwest can really classify as “old vine” in Old World terms, nor have many had multiple lives as vigneron-ran estates. Planted in the 1960s as the vineyard formerly known as Dragonfly, the 12-acre Atavus Vineyard can check both boxes. The Columbia Gorge AVA is home to many “bordertown” producers, including Analemma and its estate Atavus Vineyard which sits on the Oregon side in the town of Mosier.
Owned-and-operated by the husband and wife team Steve Thompson and Kris Fade, “analemma” is defined as “the figure eight shape of the sun’s annual migratory path between the northern and southern hemispheres as seen from the Earth.” As a symbol of infinity and “boundlessness,” the couple chose this as the winery’s hallmark and represents that which just cannot be described. What can be described is the winery’s vineyard and winemaking practices—organically-farmed, biodynamically-grown and with minimal cellar interaction to showcase the real star of their wines, Atavus Vineyard. The 2011Gewürztraminer is barrel-fermented and Germanic in style—aiming toward higher acids (the Gorge’s specialty) and lower residual sugar. Success! The outcome is an aromatic one with a nose bursting with cherry blossoms, nutmeg, melon and pear with juicy apricot and white peach. The palate hit its mark with bright acid, a wide mouthfeel of stone fruit and spice, finishing dry and crisp.
hibiscus, lychee, black tea, DRY*****
Chenin Blanc Pax ‘Buddha’s Dharma’ Mendocino County California USA 2015
Pax & Pam Mahle - regarded as one of California’s premier producers of Syrah - Pax Mahle - extremely talented vintner of Rhone Varietals - got their start in Alder Springs - focused on untaped potential of Syrah grape - also producers behind Wind Gap (Wind Gap was started as an outlet for experimentation with esoteric varietals and wines that did not fit the Pax portfolio.) + Agharta label / east coast Somm turned winemaker “I wanted to be the guy with the dirty boots making the wine not the guy in the bow tie serving the wine”
crushed flowers, minerals, beeswax & white pepper
Chenin Blanc DeMorgenzon ‘Reserve’ Stellenbosch South Africa 2016
winemaker - Carl van der Merwe / 25% new french oak / DeMorgenzon, ‘the morning sun,’ was so named because it is the first part of the Stellenboschkloof valley to see the sun because of its high altitude and aspects // THESE PEOPLE PLAY MUSIC TO THEIR VINES & WINES 24 X 7 - from the baroque period, Bach in particular because they believe sound and music have a positive and harmonious affect on plant growth
hint of vanilla oak, ripe yellow pear, lemon blossom
Chenin Blanc Huet ‘Le Mont Demi-Sec’ Vouvray Loire Valley France 2000
Le Mont has less clay and more stone, yielding young wines of intense minerality. With age, Le Mont cuvées develop great length and finesse / on the drier side of demi-sec
wooly funk, ginger, yellow apple/pear, almond
Chenin Blanc Stéphane Cossais ‘Le Volagré’ Montlouis-sur-Loire Valley France 2008
Another graduate of the school of Clos Rougeard, Stephane Cossais ( Ste - fan co - say ) was poised to become the greatest winemaker in Montlouis when he passed away unexpectedly in 2009, leaving his last two vintages still in barrel. The wine was bottled by Frantz Saumon, using the same highest-quality corks and bottles that Cossais had previously used.
yellow flowers, wax, lanolin, lemon/lime, intense mineral
Palomino Fino + Chenin Blanc Sadie Family ‘Skerpioen’ Swartland South Africa 2015
Eben Sadie is a pioneer of South African winemaking, originally starting his own projects in 1999. Considered to be a preservationist and ‘terroir obsessed’ wine-maker, he has sought out the oldest and most destitute plots of land in the already rugged Swartland, championing Rhone varietals on old bush vines. Expensive? Yes, but absolutely stunning wines usually cost a little extra and this combination of Chenin Blanc and Palomino Fino is amongst his very best / Eben Sadie has been described as an enfant terrible, South Africa’s first certified celebrity winemaker, and by supporters as “one of the greatest and most original winemakers in the southern hemisphere” and he has also branched out to other wine regions such as in Spain
Pinot Gris Jolie-Laide ‘Rorick Heritage Vineyard’ Calaveras California USA 2016
Jolie-Laide translates to ‘pretty ugly’, but it’s more of a euphemism to refer to something with unconventional beauty. Winemaker Scott Schultz of Jolie-Laide Wines is one of the small craft winemakers in California working hard to express the beauty of what many consider ‘unconventional grapes’. Scott is originally from Chicago, has worked all sides of restaurant service from the kitchen to head of the wine program at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa, honed his winemaking chops at Realm Cellars, and collaborated with Pax Mahle at Wind Gap before starting this new label of his own.// “We continue to adorn our bottles with the art that surrounds and inspires us. Because our wines are a celebration of the year and seasons in which they were made, always different and unique, no two bottlings are ever the same. We honor each distinctive vintage with new artwork; sometimes our own, our friends’ or collaborations with artists across oceans.”
The hallmark of this dramatic schist and limestone vineyard at the ascend of the Sierras is a wine with serious cut and drive. Picked at 21.5 brix, crushed by foot for a 3 day whole cluster cold soak adds phenolic texture while lending a beautiful rose Champagne like color. Fermented and aged in a combination of stainless and neutral oak barrique and puncheon. This wine is pure stone and earth. Wildly perfumed of charentias melon, stone fruit, bergamot and kaffir lime leaf. 12% ABV
fat body & texture, grapefruit zest, melon, savory salinity
Albariño Keep ‘Lost Slough Vineyard’
Winemaker: Johanna Jensen & Jack Roberts
Vendor:
Winemakers Jack Roberts (Matthiasson Wines Assistant Winemaker) and Johanna Jensen (formerly with Scholium Project and Broc Cellars) - husband and wife - have come together to create wines influenced by the old world with less ripe fruit, minimal manipulation and great ageability. In the vigneron tradition, they do much of the work themselves from vineyard to bottling.
The image on the bottle is of Beverstone Castle, an 11th century Norman stronghold in Gloucestershire, England where Jack’s father was born and raised. All that remains of Beverstone today is what you see on our label -the moat and the tall ‘keep’, (from the middle english kype, or barrel) which was the defenders’ last resort in a siege. It was also where they stored their most precious possessions, especially their wine.
bright lemon, peach, sea spray salinity
Furmint Királyudvar Tokaji Hungary 2013
In addition to being proprietors of Domaine Huet in Vouvray, the Hwang family owns one of the most historic estates in Hungary – Királyudvar (The Kings Court). Known for their glorious sweet wines, Királyudvar has been a pioneer in producing amazing dry and sparkling wines from the Furmint grape. / 85% Furmint, 15% Hárslevelu / Polaner
intense - citrus, underripe peach, granny smith apple
Grüner Veltliner Alzinger ‘Loibner Steinertal’ Smaragd Wachau Niederösterreich Austria 2015
Top 12 winemaker on guildsomm / Leo Alzinger / Leo Junior and Senior believe in harvesting their old vines later than their neighbors in order to push physiological ripeness, yet they still pick pristine (non-botrytized) fruit. They employ whole-cluster fermentation with short skin maceration / growing grapes for three generations but starting making their own wine in 1986 / skurnik
citrus and apple blossom, yellow pear/apple, white peppercorn finish
