Category Archives: Riesling

2010 Domaine Schoffit Sommerberg Riesling

2010 Domaine Schoffit Sommerberg Reisling

A very nice bottle of Riesling from Alsace. This is a top notch bottle and will usually run you around $50. I picked it up last year at Wine Library for $40 and we brought it up the other night to have with some Thai food. While spicy Thai goes exceptionally well with Gewurztraminer I think it also works with the dry Rieslings from Alsace.

colonelgrape: 94. Definitely a French Riesling, dry as a bone. The acidity was just right and gave the wine some pep. The flavors came through after the inital rush: lemon, peach, orange, honey. A long finish, hints of mineral along with the tartness from the acid made it very enjoyable. I’ve been into minerality lately…really good terrior coming through from Loire Valley and Alsace recently. This glass worked well with the Thai food but I think it would be just as good on it’s own on a nice hot summer day.

MobyGrape: 90. I feel somewhat betrayed by Riesling.  In my head, all Rieslings are all jolly German creations hopping around in lederhosen.  They’re sweet and delectable and most of all…sweet.  Let me warn you, this is not sweet.  I will admit that yes, I had done a reasonable (minor) amount of homework about Rieslings and was fully aware that if from France instead of Germany, they tend to not be sweet.  To that, I say stop fermenting everything and throw some sugar back in there, France.  Even though I had an idea what I was getting into, I hoped against hope that this one bucked the system and decided to be a sweeter variety.  It wasn’t, at all, but I can’t deny that it was a delicious wine.  It was crisp and tasted like lemongrass.  I don’t know if that’s a real thing you would want to eat or not, but I do know I’ve smelled it in soaps and whatnot.  All that said, refreshing and lemony and delightful in its own way?  Yes.  Sweet?  Noooooo.

2007 Marcel Deiss Gruenspiel

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This has to be one of the most interesting wines we’ve tasted so far here at Grapestorm. The producer calls this a “white red wine” and it’s an accurate description. This wine is 1/3 each of Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling…it is white though because they do not ferment the Pinot Noir skins with the juice. The result is a fuller-bodied wine with both red and white characteristics. It’s not cheap at $40 (on sale…usually $50) but this is definitely something you could bring to surprise or wow a friend.

Keeping with our spicy/sweet wine pairings we enjoyed this bottle with take out from Meung Thai downtown. If you’ve never been there you should check it out. We got 3 dishes and an appetizer for $30 and they were all good…and the crazy noodles were very spicy.

colonelgrape: 95. To me this wine had a serious honey and mineral nose, almost like a mead. In the glass it is much darker than a Gewurztraminer or Riesling from the Pinot Noir. On the palate it retained it’s mineral flavor but started off dry and spicy then easing into the honey sweetness at the end. This wine actually had some tannins too which I wasn’t expecting but they were very mild and fit right in with the flavor. The nice, sweet finish lingered after the sip and really this is a great wine.  I’d love to bring this to a wine party and see if anyone could figure out what it actually is in a blind wine…my money is on no one figuring it out.

MobyGrape: 90. As much as I want to talk about Hans Gruber and start making Die Hard references, I’ll refrain (for now) and try to stick to the wine.  This reminded me of a reverse Gewurztraminer.  It’s a Renimartzruweg.  Instead of the sweetness getting you up front, this one hits you with the spice first, then settles into a slick sweetness (note to self – I’m totally using that line if I ever quit my day job and start writing erotic novels).  After being out for a while, the spices subsided and this was just thoroughly enjoyable, easily drinkable stuff.  I highly recommend that on any old night of the week, you pour yourself a glass of this and say yippee-ki-yay…I mean Cheers.