A. Christmann Gimmeldinger Biengarten Riesling, Pfalz, Germany

A克里斯特曼酒莊金梅汀花園雷司令干白葡萄酒

點擊次數(shù)：4368

Weighing in at 13% alcohol, the Christmann 2009 Gimmeldinger Biengarten Riesling trocken strikes me as running both cold and hot: a bit coolly aloof in its predominance of pungently herbal (lavender, peppermint) and stonily mineral flavors, but at the same time faintly alcoholically warm. A fairly plush, glycerin-rich palate helps alleviate tendencies toward austerity, while salted nuts and sunflower seeds; green herbs, peat, and crushed stone; as well as tart and zesty citrus make for a lingering if as mentioned rather austere finish. I would plan on drinking this over the next 2-3 years. Once again, Steffen and Karl-Friedrich Christmann's collection of firm dry Rieslings (smaller in number than in other recent years) has struck my palate as rather relentlessly consistent in its straight-laced and at times brusquely piquant style. I frequently find myself wanting these wines to loosen-up and show greater primary juiciness and sweetly-ripe fruit, especially this year, given the relatively generous tendencies I associate with the 2009 vintage. Certainly nobody can accuse this team of having harvested prematurely. They picked well into October precisely because, opines Karl-Friedrich Christmann, "until then, the fruit wasn't really ripe." "Most of the wines," notes Steffen Christmann, "had fermented completely by mid-December, with only a very few lingering into January" and he was happy to point out that even those labeled as containing 13% of alcohol generally harbored slightly less than that amount. "This," he suggested, picking up a refrain I hear often, though I have no way of testing its basic claim, "is at least in retrospect one of the advantages of biodynamic cultivation, namely ripe flavors and relatively long hang times at moderate must weights and consequently moderate alcohol. For me, the ideal way would be to have no more 14 or 14.5% monsters but nonetheless have complexity, and I think that's the path we're on." Incidentally, I found the finished 2007 Pinot Noir Grosses Gewachs here worrisomely high in volatiles and drying in finish, continuing to feel uneasily as though I must be missing something in evaluating Christmann reds, none of which I tasted from barrel on this most recent outing. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799

Comes across as rather round and lush on the palate, with tropical fruit flavors of guava and pineapple. It’s easy to drink and enjoy for its fruity immediacy and mouthwatering finish. ——J.C.(12/1/2011)—— 88