Oberhausen, Nahe, Germany
12.0 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-07-27
A remark at the beginning: I used the Coravin to pour this wine. Makes sense. To drink a whole bottle of the '97 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle at once is a real challenge. So exactly for this kind of experience this tool makes absolutely sense.
I poured in total 9.5 oz from the bottle in three steps: First one only to taste the wine, the two other ones for lunch. Deep golden colour. At the beginning aromas of resin and honey, but after a short moment ripe quince and candy fruits came into the foreground. Delicious! On the palate creamy and smooth; no petrol notes noticeable. Massive and intensive. Neverending finish. Wonderful to drink at the moment, but it will keep this quality for another five to ten years without any doubt.
It was not planned to drink the wine exactly this day. But we prepared a not too hot Thai Curry and I thought the Hermannshöhle could be a good partner. I was a little bit wrong: It was an outstanding combination! Together with the curry the Hermannshöhle develops a cornucopia of aromas and spices: Directly after a bite the curry aromas were improved to a sweet and hot combination which woke up all senses. Shifting the contact point for approx. 10 seconds suddenly offers a mix of spices: Of course curry, but also cardamom, some pepper, but surprisingly also something like cinammon. Incredible.
The Weingut Dönnhoff is one of the most famous wineries in Germany. Located in the wonderful Nahe area the winery provides a lot of world-class white wines. The website (http://www.doennhoff.com/) provides all information also in English. For instance the information of the Hermannshöhle site: "For over 100 years, the Hermannshöhle has been rated the best site of the Nahe and is therefore the benchmark by which all other vineyards in the region are judged. This magnificent site takes its name from a small mine (Höhle actually means cave) in the middle of the hillside. Hermann comes from Hermes, the Greek guardian of messengers and travellers and is probably an indication of an ancient place of worship." Tastings are possible by appointment.
But now the good news for all my US friends: Dönnhoff wines are also available in a lot of US shops. But you have to look for the American writing: Donnhoff.
Sunday, July 20. 2014
California Wines - Incredible Bandwidth
Some days ago I reported about a very good wine merchant in Munich. For my blog I bought a "grab bag" - six bottles of wine with the intention to review these wines in my blog as elements of two separate dinners. As you have probably read, the first one was quite successful .
The slogan for this second tasting: "California Wines - Incredible Bandwidth". This ambiguous title is indeed true! For the fantastic wine selection of the shop "California Wines", but also for the wines coming from this area - very well represented by the three wines of the tasting.
- 2006 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard "Bee Block"
- 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Merlot
- 2006 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "Salman Vineyard"
Especially about one of the three wines I was very curious - the Merlot from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. We visited this vineyard two times over the last years (the Napa Valley tasting room) and were during both stays impressed not only by the people and the wines but also by the wonderful surroundings.
We prepared for these wines a menu with three courses:
- 1st Course (Chardonnay): Linguine "Pesto Verde" with grilled Prawns
- 2nd Course (Merlot): Broccoli Soup with "Greek Style" Cheese
- 3rd Course (Petite Sirah): Home Made Chili
The selection of the third course sounds perhaps a little bit strange, but I can assure that together with the Runquist Petite Sirah this is a real experience!
However: Business before pleasure. First the wines were tasted alone.
2006 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard "Bee Block" (90/100)
Santa Cruz Mountains, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Golden yellow, clear and deep. Discreet aroma of exotic fruit mix: Pineapple, a little bit pear, mango and more. The typical vanilla tone is more in the background. This wine is a representative of Californian chardonnay modern style. In the mouth crispy and fruity. Strong but in parallel also fragile. In its own way more the Burgundian style without denying its Californian roots. Still young. Wait for another two years. A perfect partner for sea bass.
1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Merlot (91/100)
Napa Valley, California
14.0 % Alcohol
Ruby red with direction into garnet red. Aromas of dried red fruits paired with earthy notes. Surprisingly still a fresh note. In the mouth the wine suddenly bursts. Extremely fruity, fat and full bodied. A Merlot masterpiece (with 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon ). Long finish. A wonderful partner for any kind of goat cheese.
2006 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "Salman Vineyard" (90/100)
Clarksburg, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Deep cherry red. Some light rims and purple reflexes. Very fruity aroma of cherries (cherry brandy?) but also a very well prepared red cabbage with apples (in an absolutely positive way!). The mouth feeling is also dominated by cherries but more in the way like a Black Forest cake. Again the cherry brandy. Full bodied. Very long finish which becomes smoother and smoother to the end. A very, very good Petite Sirah which is on the top. It will hold the quality for another three years minimum. The perfect partner in late autumn for a red grilled Barbarie duck breast with port wine/cherry sauce. Perhaps with duchess potatoes and glazed snow peas? But we are in summer. So we did it differently .
And the wine / food pairing? A great menu.
1st Course: The "Bee Block" chardonnay from Varner worked very well with the pasta. Together with the linguine it developed a creamy note due to the olive oil. With the prawns more citrus notes came into the foreground. Perhaps not the perfect partner, but still a very good combination. We liked it.
2nd Course: The Broccoli Soup was the surprising course. Indeed all three wines harmonized with the soup, but the Phelps' Merlot offered wonderful spicy aromas together with the natural broccoli tones which ennobled the soup. An outstanding pairing.
3rd Course: And the Chilli? We prepared it in "a very classical way" but not too hot. This is important if you want to pair with wine instead of beer. The Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah is a fantastic partner for such a chilli. Due to its sweetness it combines the hot chilli aromas to a "hot-sweet" experience which is worth to check out.
In total again a remarkable experience. All three wines are "stand-alone" very, very good. But together with the selected dishes they reveal their real qualities. This "grab bag" provided only positive contents. Kudos to "California Wines" for this selection.
The slogan for this second tasting: "California Wines - Incredible Bandwidth". This ambiguous title is indeed true! For the fantastic wine selection of the shop "California Wines", but also for the wines coming from this area - very well represented by the three wines of the tasting.
- 2006 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard "Bee Block"
- 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Merlot
- 2006 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "Salman Vineyard"
The "Grab Bag" - Part two
Especially about one of the three wines I was very curious - the Merlot from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. We visited this vineyard two times over the last years (the Napa Valley tasting room) and were during both stays impressed not only by the people and the wines but also by the wonderful surroundings.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards - the location of the "Terrace Tastings"
Friendly people, outstanding wines. Tastings at Phelps are absolutely recommendable.
We prepared for these wines a menu with three courses:
- 1st Course (Chardonnay): Linguine "Pesto Verde" with grilled Prawns
- 2nd Course (Merlot): Broccoli Soup with "Greek Style" Cheese
- 3rd Course (Petite Sirah): Home Made Chili
The selection of the third course sounds perhaps a little bit strange, but I can assure that together with the Runquist Petite Sirah this is a real experience!
However: Business before pleasure. First the wines were tasted alone.
2006 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard "Bee Block" (90/100)
Santa Cruz Mountains, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Golden yellow, clear and deep. Discreet aroma of exotic fruit mix: Pineapple, a little bit pear, mango and more. The typical vanilla tone is more in the background. This wine is a representative of Californian chardonnay modern style. In the mouth crispy and fruity. Strong but in parallel also fragile. In its own way more the Burgundian style without denying its Californian roots. Still young. Wait for another two years. A perfect partner for sea bass.
1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Merlot (91/100)
Napa Valley, California
14.0 % Alcohol
Ruby red with direction into garnet red. Aromas of dried red fruits paired with earthy notes. Surprisingly still a fresh note. In the mouth the wine suddenly bursts. Extremely fruity, fat and full bodied. A Merlot masterpiece (with 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon ). Long finish. A wonderful partner for any kind of goat cheese.
2006 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "Salman Vineyard" (90/100)
Clarksburg, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Deep cherry red. Some light rims and purple reflexes. Very fruity aroma of cherries (cherry brandy?) but also a very well prepared red cabbage with apples (in an absolutely positive way!). The mouth feeling is also dominated by cherries but more in the way like a Black Forest cake. Again the cherry brandy. Full bodied. Very long finish which becomes smoother and smoother to the end. A very, very good Petite Sirah which is on the top. It will hold the quality for another three years minimum. The perfect partner in late autumn for a red grilled Barbarie duck breast with port wine/cherry sauce. Perhaps with duchess potatoes and glazed snow peas? But we are in summer. So we did it differently .
And the wine / food pairing? A great menu.
1st Course: The "Bee Block" chardonnay from Varner worked very well with the pasta. Together with the linguine it developed a creamy note due to the olive oil. With the prawns more citrus notes came into the foreground. Perhaps not the perfect partner, but still a very good combination. We liked it.
2nd Course: The Broccoli Soup was the surprising course. Indeed all three wines harmonized with the soup, but the Phelps' Merlot offered wonderful spicy aromas together with the natural broccoli tones which ennobled the soup. An outstanding pairing.
3rd Course: And the Chilli? We prepared it in "a very classical way" but not too hot. This is important if you want to pair with wine instead of beer. The Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah is a fantastic partner for such a chilli. Due to its sweetness it combines the hot chilli aromas to a "hot-sweet" experience which is worth to check out.
In total again a remarkable experience. All three wines are "stand-alone" very, very good. But together with the selected dishes they reveal their real qualities. This "grab bag" provided only positive contents. Kudos to "California Wines" for this selection.
Sunday, July 13. 2014
California Wines - A German Wine Merchant
There is a wine merchant located in Munich called "California Wines". The owners are specialized on - quite surprising - wines from California, but offer also a very good selection of wines from Oregon. After one of my US trips in 2010 I found this merchant when I was looking for wines from Cline Cellars on the internet.
The owners are very friendly people with a profound knowledge about and a deep affection towards California wines and the history of this area. They are on the market since 1987 and were decorated in 2007 by the Californian parliament for their extreme effort to increase the reputation of Californian wine in Germany. Indeed the owners offer something which becomes rare in internet times - personal consulting. Even if it is an internet shop!
During our last chats there arose the idea that I would buy a "grab bag" with six bottles of wine selected by the owner. The only constraints: Two white wines and four reds with price limit. My wife and I would taste the wines on two dinner occasions (three wines each) with specially prepared dishes for the wines. The slogan for the first tasting: "Aged Chardonnay - Aged Zins". And the selected wines:
- 2002 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay "Tre Terre"
- 1998 Ravenswood Zinfandel "Teldeschi Vineyard"
- 1997 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard"
We prepared for these wines a small menu with two courses:
1st Course for the Chardonnay: Selection of Fish
- Smoked Salmon PigTail
- Fillet of Fish with Crust of Cheese and Almonds
- Puristic salad of Italian Rocket with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
2nd Course (mainly) for the Zins: Spaetzle "Hunter Style"
A German speciality consisting of pork meat cut into strips, mushrooms and - of course - spaetzle
Especially the second dish was selected for several reasons. I recognized over the last years that Zins are wonderful partners for any kind of rich mushroom dishes. So I expected a very interesting combination with the wines from the two Godfathers of Zins. On the other hand I have to state that my wife - let's say it carefully - is not really a friend of Zins. Especially the aged ones. So the dish needs also to be in the position to handle the "Tre Terre". Very challenging.
But first of course the wines were tasted alone:
2002 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay "Tre Terre" (93/100)
Russian River Valley, California
13.0 % Alcohol
Deep and clear golden yellow; very intense aroma of pineapple, ripe mango, butter and some white flowers paired with a little vanilla in the background. Wonderful. On the palate more lemon and citrus flavors become present. Neverending finish. Incredibly good condition. A dream of a Chardonnay. Absolutely on the top, but I could bet the wine will hold the quality for another four years.
1998 Ravenswood Zinfandel "Teldeschi Vineyard" (90/100)
Dry Creek Valley, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Clear ruby red with some garnet red rims. Wonderful aromas of ripe fruits, mainly raspberries and blueberries. Associations of a hot summer night with some sweet scents in the air. Also on the palate ripe fruit with very well integrated alcohol. Medium to long finish in a very pleasant way. A zin for hedonists. Perfectly aged.
1997 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard" (92/100)
Napa Valley, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Surprisingly deep, clear ruby red. Looks very young. Intense aromas of ripe berries paired with some discreet spicy notes (cardamom, cinnamon). Somewhere in the background red roses and wet forest floor. Complex. On the palate a complete basket of red and black fruits. Very spicy at the end of a very long finish. Outstanding. The wine is of course already on the top. Nevertheless it seems to me still young like a person who becomes older without aging. I never drunk a zin like this before.
But now the important stuff - the food pairing. The "Tre Terre" chardonnay from Ferrari-Carano worked perfectly with both variants of the fish - the smoked and the baked one. On the one hand it punctuated the different aromas and flavors of the different fish styles, on the other hand the inherent characteristics of the wine were increased by these styles. With the baked one more the citrus style whereas the smoked one increased the tropical fruits variant. Wonderful pairing(s).
As expected both Zins paired wonderfully the Spaetzle "Hunter Style". Together with the dish both wines offered lots of spices and were present up to the roof of the mouth. For me the fantastic thing with mushrooms and zins - not the young ones - is the fact that the characteristic is very often transformed from a fruity, "sticky" style into a full-bodied spicy wine in blockbuster mentality. Especially the transformation of the Ravenswood was obvious. For me one of the best pairing variants at all. And perhaps one of the best strategies to convince zin haters of the quality of these wines. However it didn't work for my wife. She confirmed that both Zins paired the Spaetzle "Hunter Style" better than the Chardonnay, but she didn't like both:-).
California Wines offers a very good choice of US zinfandel. Especially the selection of aged zins from Ravenswood and Rosenblum is tremendous. I made my first experience with an aged zin three years ago with a 2002 Rosenblum Zinfandel "Maggie's Reserve" from the Samsel Vineyard. Pure hedonism. The verdict of my wife was a little bit different: "Do you want to poison me?" was her most friendly opinion. And more or less this is the fascination about US zinfandels. There exist lovers and haters. Nothing in between.
Another topic with the US zins is the opinion about the aging qualities of these wines. All experts - including the top dogs Wine Advocat and Wine Spectator - are very often telling you to drink zinfandels in the first five, maximum ten years (in rare cases). For instance the recommendation for the 1997 Rosenblum Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard" Wine Advocat recommends to drink the wine until 2003. Wine Spectator was a little bit more brave. Here the recommendation was until 2007. But luckywise this is changing - at least partly. In his latest article for the WeinWisser Stephan Reinhardt - since this year also author for Wine Advocate - recommends for instance for the 2009 Old Hill Zinfandel from Ravenswood a drink period from 2020 to 2030. Wine Spectator for the same wine: "Best after 2014"... Do we Germans perhaps have a better relationship to aged zins? To be continued.
The owners are very friendly people with a profound knowledge about and a deep affection towards California wines and the history of this area. They are on the market since 1987 and were decorated in 2007 by the Californian parliament for their extreme effort to increase the reputation of Californian wine in Germany. Indeed the owners offer something which becomes rare in internet times - personal consulting. Even if it is an internet shop!
During our last chats there arose the idea that I would buy a "grab bag" with six bottles of wine selected by the owner. The only constraints: Two white wines and four reds with price limit. My wife and I would taste the wines on two dinner occasions (three wines each) with specially prepared dishes for the wines. The slogan for the first tasting: "Aged Chardonnay - Aged Zins". And the selected wines:
- 2002 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay "Tre Terre"
- 1998 Ravenswood Zinfandel "Teldeschi Vineyard"
- 1997 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard"
We prepared for these wines a small menu with two courses:
1st Course for the Chardonnay: Selection of Fish
- Smoked Salmon PigTail
- Fillet of Fish with Crust of Cheese and Almonds
- Puristic salad of Italian Rocket with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
2nd Course (mainly) for the Zins: Spaetzle "Hunter Style"
A German speciality consisting of pork meat cut into strips, mushrooms and - of course - spaetzle
Especially the second dish was selected for several reasons. I recognized over the last years that Zins are wonderful partners for any kind of rich mushroom dishes. So I expected a very interesting combination with the wines from the two Godfathers of Zins. On the other hand I have to state that my wife - let's say it carefully - is not really a friend of Zins. Especially the aged ones. So the dish needs also to be in the position to handle the "Tre Terre". Very challenging.
But first of course the wines were tasted alone:
2002 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay "Tre Terre" (93/100)
Russian River Valley, California
13.0 % Alcohol
Deep and clear golden yellow; very intense aroma of pineapple, ripe mango, butter and some white flowers paired with a little vanilla in the background. Wonderful. On the palate more lemon and citrus flavors become present. Neverending finish. Incredibly good condition. A dream of a Chardonnay. Absolutely on the top, but I could bet the wine will hold the quality for another four years.
1998 Ravenswood Zinfandel "Teldeschi Vineyard" (90/100)
Dry Creek Valley, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Clear ruby red with some garnet red rims. Wonderful aromas of ripe fruits, mainly raspberries and blueberries. Associations of a hot summer night with some sweet scents in the air. Also on the palate ripe fruit with very well integrated alcohol. Medium to long finish in a very pleasant way. A zin for hedonists. Perfectly aged.
1997 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard" (92/100)
Napa Valley, California
14.5 % Alcohol
Surprisingly deep, clear ruby red. Looks very young. Intense aromas of ripe berries paired with some discreet spicy notes (cardamom, cinnamon). Somewhere in the background red roses and wet forest floor. Complex. On the palate a complete basket of red and black fruits. Very spicy at the end of a very long finish. Outstanding. The wine is of course already on the top. Nevertheless it seems to me still young like a person who becomes older without aging. I never drunk a zin like this before.
But now the important stuff - the food pairing. The "Tre Terre" chardonnay from Ferrari-Carano worked perfectly with both variants of the fish - the smoked and the baked one. On the one hand it punctuated the different aromas and flavors of the different fish styles, on the other hand the inherent characteristics of the wine were increased by these styles. With the baked one more the citrus style whereas the smoked one increased the tropical fruits variant. Wonderful pairing(s).
As expected both Zins paired wonderfully the Spaetzle "Hunter Style". Together with the dish both wines offered lots of spices and were present up to the roof of the mouth. For me the fantastic thing with mushrooms and zins - not the young ones - is the fact that the characteristic is very often transformed from a fruity, "sticky" style into a full-bodied spicy wine in blockbuster mentality. Especially the transformation of the Ravenswood was obvious. For me one of the best pairing variants at all. And perhaps one of the best strategies to convince zin haters of the quality of these wines. However it didn't work for my wife. She confirmed that both Zins paired the Spaetzle "Hunter Style" better than the Chardonnay, but she didn't like both:-).
California Wines offers a very good choice of US zinfandel. Especially the selection of aged zins from Ravenswood and Rosenblum is tremendous. I made my first experience with an aged zin three years ago with a 2002 Rosenblum Zinfandel "Maggie's Reserve" from the Samsel Vineyard. Pure hedonism. The verdict of my wife was a little bit different: "Do you want to poison me?" was her most friendly opinion. And more or less this is the fascination about US zinfandels. There exist lovers and haters. Nothing in between.
Another topic with the US zins is the opinion about the aging qualities of these wines. All experts - including the top dogs Wine Advocat and Wine Spectator - are very often telling you to drink zinfandels in the first five, maximum ten years (in rare cases). For instance the recommendation for the 1997 Rosenblum Zinfandel Reserve "Hendry Vineyard" Wine Advocat recommends to drink the wine until 2003. Wine Spectator was a little bit more brave. Here the recommendation was until 2007. But luckywise this is changing - at least partly. In his latest article for the WeinWisser Stephan Reinhardt - since this year also author for Wine Advocate - recommends for instance for the 2009 Old Hill Zinfandel from Ravenswood a drink period from 2020 to 2030. Wine Spectator for the same wine: "Best after 2014"... Do we Germans perhaps have a better relationship to aged zins? To be continued.
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