Page 5 - Tastings Journal - 2022 Hofgut Falkenstein

Unsurprisingly, there are some of these wines that over the years always seem to show better in their youth than others. Such wines included the Krettnacher Auf dem Hölzchen Riesling Kabinett Trocken (AP21), which had a slight underpinning of sweetness, key lime, honeysuckle, and a savory salty sea breeze finish, and the Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb (AP11) which had hints of orange blossom honey and white flowers with ripe peach and juicy green apple dancing on the palate---truly lighting in a bottle with both. On the other end of the spectrum was the more muted and demur Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett Alte Reben (AP8); too young, muted, and tightly wound on this afternoon with notes of under ripe spiced stone fruits, but experience here gives great promise that this simple Kabinett from Fuder Gisela will in fact be an absolute stunner after another six to ten years in the cellar.
The Webers are undoubtedly producers of world class Riesling, but Hofgut Falkenstein also produces a Pet Nat, Landwein, an incredibly complex trocken Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), a trocken Rosé, and a trocken Red. A fantastic wine for lovers of savory, lean, and high acid Burgundy, this Rotwein (red wine) is 100% Pinot Noir, but as it never goes through malolactic fermentation German wine bureaucracy deemed this wine as atypical a few years ago, and as such it cannot be labeled Spätburgunder (Deutsch for Pinot Noir).
Bonus bottles from generous guests included a 2011 Spätburgunder Spätlese Niedermenniger Sonnenberg trocken at 12.5% ABV, from a site sadly no longer planted to Pinot Noir, but a wonderful example of the grace, power, and ageability of German Spätburgunder. The depth of red berries and fruit mixed with savory herbaceous tones and delicate flower notes would have made this wine challenging to distinguish from a high-quality Barolo in a blind nosing.
Speaking as a board member, the team of RieslingKenner would like to thank the crew at Easy Does It, Paula and Robert Houde, David Schildknecht and Lars Carlberg for their tremendous knowledge and support, Erich and Johannes for making these tremendous wines, and of course all of the amazing people that show up to these events and dinners to learn more about Riesling and support such incredible causes like The Trotter Project.