Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Spatlese exhibits a lovely citrus and herb aroma, augmented by wafting esters for which I find no name. The palate suggests lemon cream character, along with accents of flowers and herbs, and deep malty, roasted root vegetable, and fruit pit low tones. As one works this around in the mouth, the whirl of intense, mysterious esters seems to place the taster in the center of a vortex. Herbal, citrus and floral top notes, honey, plummy pit fruit, deep nuttiness, and roasted rich vegetable tones combine for a still mysterious, organ chord of a finish. That this is truly a wine to meditate on, will not, I hope, discourage owners from taking it through some paces at the dinner table. And in the cellar? I would have absolutely no fear before it reaches the traditional American age of majority. Your problem will be seeing to it that there is still some left!
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
This sunny and relatively dry region served for many years as a German tourist mecca and was associated with low cost, cheerful wines. But since the 1980s, it has gained a reputation as one of Germany’s more innovative regions, which has led to increased international demand.