Schloss Saarstein: Three 2007 German Rieslings That Rock

Last week, I had an opportunity to do a live online tasting session with a group called Taste Live (www.tastelive.com). The concept is pretty cool -- about 8 wine bloggers get online at the same time, taste the same wines, and chat via Twitter with each other and with the wine producer. It was VERY valuable to be able to ask the producer questions about the wine and for folks that follow along, it's like having pros come to your house and point out cool things about the wine!

So, this particular tasting was on German Riesling -- a topic I think we should all learn more about because the wines are awesome but sadly overlooked by most of us. German labels are a little nutty, and people are sometimes put off by them, but you shouldn't be.

Here are the three things you really need to know when you look for a German wine:
1. Is it Riesling or something else?
If it's something else (Muller-Thurgau, Gewurztraminer, Silvaner), don't be afraid, but it won't be as fragrant or acidic, most likely.

2. Is it sweet or dry?
It will say "Trocken" if it's dry, "Halb-trocken" if it's off-dry (a little sweet), nothing if it's pretty sweet. If it says QbA, ask your wine store guy for help as to whether it's dry or sweet.

3. How ripe were the grapes that went into it? (That's how they rate wines in this cold part of the world where full ripeness is a coveted event!)
If it's really ripe, it will taste sweeter. The three most common levels in increasing order of ripeness that you'll see: Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese.

Ok, with that out of the way, this was a great opportunity to taste three different ripeness levels of the same vintage from the same producer, Schloss Saarstein. We discussed the wines with the smart and helpful, Christian Ebert, the winemaker who owns and manages the estate with his wife Andrea.

The grapes come from different parts of the same site on the Saar River, which is in the Mosel region of Germany -- home of the rad-est of all rad German Rieslings. All grapes are hand-picked. The vineyards are on blue slate, which you can actually taste in the wine -- to quote Christian: " blue slate brings lighter and more elegant mineral notes. Red slate is spicier." Pretty cool.

So without further ado -- my take on the three wines:

Wine #1: 2007 Saarstein Riesling (screw cap = awesome, it lasts for like 4 days in the fridge!)
Color: Very sparkly. Straw yellow with lots of CO2 -- they must have added spritz to keep it fresh.
Smell: This is just what I want a Riesling to smell like: peach, crushed up, mealy, golden apples, with wet river rock, mineral tones.
Taste: Just like it smells but with lemonade flavor added to the peachy-appley goodness. It's a tad sweet but not overwhelmingly so. The sugar fills out the flavor -- since it's low in alcohol it's important to have a component that gives the wine some weight: enter sugar. Very typical of Riesling from Germany, this wine has great slate flavors (think of licking a rock on your patio!) and is unbelievably acidic. The sugar cannot cover the fact that your mouth will be watering.
My take: Really a great wine. It's light and fruity, but still serious. I love acid, so that balances out the fact that I'm not crazy about sweet. A great wine for someone who likes sweet but is looking to develop a taste for more complex wines. This would be a great food wine -- with Asian or seafood with light sauces.


Wine #2: 2007 Schloss Saarstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: Also very sparkly and straw yellow with some CO2.
Smell: Picture this: you've got a bouquet of jasmine flowers in the front seat of your car and you pull up to the gas station with the windows rolled down. Smell that gas smell intermingled with the jasmine. That's it. Add to this lemon, granny smith apple, and unripe pear and we're moving on to taste.
Taste: What an amazing wine. The palate is better than the nose! Lemon, red delicious apples, bosc pears, apricot, peach, and even pineapple. The same slate/rock-lickin' quality as in the first wine offsets the sweetness. You can taste the gasoline, but it's not gross, it's different and great. Yes, this one is sweet too, but the chess game between the acid and the luscious sweetness keeps you interested in what your tasting. Your mouth will water for ages from acid.
My take: This is the best of the three for me. It just kept getting more and more interesting with each sip. New flavors kept emerging, but the minerals and the acid stay consistent Great for ADD wine drinkers -- this just keeps changing and moving. I think with or without food (salads, light fish, Asian if with) this is a winner.


Wine #3: 2007 Schloss Saarstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: Sparkly, darker straw color, a little spritz.
Smell: Really floral gardenia, jasmine, and orange scents. It was almost lavender-like and spicy. Here's a dork wine word for you: heady (i.e., it smells freaking ridiculous and makes you feel like you are lying down in a flower bed/fruit cart). I got that same gasoline/petrol smell and a ton of tangerine. What a basket of yum.
Taste: Have you ever had lemon curd? That's definitely the taste and texture of this wine. How about honeysuckle? My sister and I used to try to suck on those when we were young (yes, we were weird) and this is reminiscent. On a more normal note: tangerines, apricots, nectarines and oranges were all over this delicious, fat, sweety of a wine. There was a light spice to this one too, don't know what it is (maybe dried thyme?). Got less slate and minerals on this one, more tangerine. And the acidity...you get the picture from the others.
My take: Another great wine from this producer. Very well-balanced, great ripe fruit and great acidity to balance it. I think it would go well with creamy cheese.

My favorite was the Kabinett, but all were phenomenal. I was fortunate to taste these -- it reminded me that I've been neglecting the German section for a while too!


For the full discussion on these wines from the Taste Live event, go to: http://search.twitter.com/search?max_id=4503023966&page=9&q=winesofgermany. My Twitter Name is Vine 75.