September 1, 2018
Smell and taste cilantro, lemon oil, fresh peaches, ripe Macintosh (crisp green) apples and lemon spray on the Selbach Oster Riesling Feinherb. The sweetness (around 15 Grams/Liter) is perceptible but subtle as there is plenty of acidity to counter-balance. The residual sugar, in fact, contributes more oily texture than sweetness. An absolute delight to drink, and I think a fine cross-over wine for those who say, “I don’t like sweet wines.” And hard to beat for value in the low $20s. Feinherb: “The best way to describe them is probably the same as halbtrocken, with sometimes a higher level of sweetness—but […]
April 22, 2018
Crisp citrus and slightly chalky nose moves to tastes of white peach, green apples and “minerality.” Particularly earth-driven and intense for Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder is German for PB). Long finish of citrus zest, spring flowers and chalk dust. I put this particular Pinot Blanc squarely in the “crisp white” category. Odinstal Winery is in Germany’s Palatinate, which covers most of the southwest quadrant of Germany. It is the warmest wine region of Germany, lending itself to the making of dry wines.
March 14, 2018
I tasted this wine amongst a hundred different wines of every type within 2 hours, so my notes are limited. I scribbled down one word: perfect. Not a perfect wine per se, but is perfect for what it is. And that is, fruit galore (lemon-apple-peach-kiwi), high acidity, a little residual sugar to balance the tangy, and on the finish that long “taste of the land” you invariably get from steep hillside Mosel Valley Riesling. One thing you can count on life is that a bottle of Selbach Oster Riesling will be very good! Current caretaker/winegrower Johannes Selbach is a hands-off […]
February 20, 2018
Apple blossoms, lemon verbena, green tea and light honey nose quickly moves to flavors of cool, crisp Granny Smith apple, ripe grapefruit and sea shells. Rich, substantial texture (due to the ripe, wonderful 2015 vintage in Mosel, and the residual sugar left behind) and a long finish of citrus, flowers and crushed rocks makes this a Great Value flirting with “Best of the Best” status. Delicious with every food you can think of besides red meats and confection.