Pierre Sparr Alsace One 2007

Ho hum.  This wine looked so good.  Three of my favourite white grapes - riesling, muscat and gewurtz.  I like Muscat and Gewurz for the fun nose, and

riesling for the lucious oily texture.  But if I’d had this blind, I would never have guessed any of those grapes.  Mostly just neutral with pronounced acidity.  OK, maybe a bit of riesling character on the nose, and if I really try I could say that I got some lychee or something from the gewurz.  Nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly right with it either.

Price $17.99
Score 85
Value 3/5
Grapes: riesling, pinot blanc, muscat, pinot gris, gewürztraminer
UPC 3263530020017

Pierre Sparr Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling 2001 Redux

Posting another review of a wine we’re already reviewed is cheating a bit - but that’s what we were drinking, and Kelly didn’t know what it was or that we’d already reviewed it.

Here are her notes:

Wet wool, citrus, and something spicy on the nose - white pepper and cloves, maybe? Very smooth and viscous on the palate. Nicely balanced and crisply acidic. Finishes on a slightly sharp note, but it's not an unpleasant sharpness. Initially I didn't detect the petrol note common in Riesling, but I think a subtle one developed over the evening.

Kelly gave it a score of 92 (without any prompting by me), which is the same as WS gave it. Interesting, since I was underwhelmed the first time and gave it an 88. I liked it well enough, but I still didn’t love it. Very well made and some good flavours, but just not the ‘wow’ factor that I want for a 92. Maybe it was just a bit too subtle for me. I let Kelly finish my glass.

Henry of Pelham Reserve Riesling 2006

Peter lives on the Island now, but he does get back to ANBL once in a while. And with this great end of summer weather we’re enjoying, a value priced white.

— Peter’s Review —

I have been on a bit of a riesling kick. So, when I saw this one on sale and recalled reading somewhere it was a solid pick. I thought why not? Coincidentally, I got a winecurrent newsletter last week commenting on the '07 version of this wine. They liked it's balance, fruit and acidity. 4/5 stars.

Nose: Green apple, lemon, and a hint of minerality.

Taste: Most notable is the very dry nature of this wine. It is medium bodied with just of hint of heat. There is a bit of tart green apple fruit coming through. I think it would be likable to someone keen on really dry wine. I like a little more fruit in my wine, so it fell a little short of my expectations. It was ok with a variety of cheeses and crackers.

Price: $12.99 (on sale)
Value: 4/5
Score: 85
Region: Ontario, Canada
UPC: 779376202317

Dr Loosen Riesling 2008

I think I'll stick with white wines so long as this heat wave keeps up (and as long as I keep getting reviews), so here's another summer wine review from Iron Chef.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Petrol, Tropical fruit - kiwi maybe. Good nose, pleasant aromas.
Taste: Nicely textured, off-dry. Good crispness. More tropical fruit, mango and kiwi. Lots of flavours. Enjoyable wine. Would be nice with Curries, Thai or Indian.

Price: $17.79
Value: 3/5
Score: 87
Region: Germany, Mosel
Alcohol: 8.5%
UPC: 183103000013

Pierre Sparr Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling 2001

A well-made, balanced Riesling with good typicity, but nothing particularly striking or special about it. Maybe the problem is that I’ve developed my palate for Riesling mostly with fuller bodied German Auslese or Spatlese, and this is just a bit lighter in style than I am used to. I’d like a bit more at the price. Wine Spectator rated this 92, but I just don't see it. The WS review was from 2005, and even though they said drink until 2012, perhaps it is fading already. But looking back over my notes, I see that I had this a couple of years ago and rated it 89 back then. I'd be curious to find out what anyone else thinks - is it me or WS that is off? Or is it just a matter of preferences?

Price: $34.10
Score: 88
Value: 2/5
Region: Alsace
UPC: 3263530024442

Stoneleigh Marlborough Riesling 2007

Here's a quick review from Iron Chef. I've picked it off the "March Madness" post to make it searchable - remember, you can search the posts from the 'Search Blog' box in the upper left corner of the blog. Unfortunately, this function does not search the comments, which is why I like to post reviews into their own posts.

Also, remember that not every review has to be long, and it worth reviewing wines that you didn't much like: knowing which wines to avoid is as important as knowing which ones to buy. A quick review of a mediocre wine is very welcome.

With that said...

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I had this sale wine last night- It had some fun wet stones and Petrol tastes but it was completely forgetable. The palate had light pineapple and some crisp-ness, but boring- really not much there. I was pass this wine by.

Retail Price: $14.62
UPC: 9414505982005

Paul Anheuser Nahe Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Auslese 2000

Whoa, that's a looooong name. What's great though is that you can really impress your date if you learn to pronounce it: "I'll have Auslese Riesling" sounds so much more sophisticated than "I'll have the sweet white." (Auslese indicates a late harvest wine, usually made in a sweet style, as in this case.)

I picked this up from the liquidation table a few years ago. Along with the Hans Lang Spatlese Riesling 1999 it is one of the wines that got me into drinking white. It is sweet but well balanced, with a lovely thick mouthfeel and a nose of apricot and kerosene (but kerosene in a good way, really). Great with curry or sushi.

Price: $16.60 (Liquidation)
Score: 89
Value: 4/5
Alcohol: 9%
Tasted: Oct 2008
UPC: No longer listed

St. Urbans Hof Reisling Kabinett 2007

Here's a review from Luke:

Another wine from the show...
St. Urbans Hof Reisling Kabinett 2007 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)

Clear and pale yellow color wtih a green tinge. Very viscous at 8.5% alcohol. Nose is fresh, with honeysuckle and tropical fruit: most obvious are pineapple and passionfruit. Also some petroleum.

Very nice mouthfeel - off-dry, medium body with great acidity and a slight fizz. Fruit follows through with some hints of citrus, which may be due to the acidity, then gives way to a long minerally finish.

We had this earlier with a medium-plus spiced veggie stir-fry, and I'm having it now on its own. Very enjoyable in both cases, and at 8.5% there's no shame in finishing the bottle! (for me, there's no shame until multiple bottles have been finished). I May lay one down for a few years.

St. Urbans Hof Reisling Kabinett
Price: $24.29
UPC: 4013231000097
Alc: 8.5%
Tasted: 7Dec08
Value: 4/5
Score: 88