Schloss Johannisberg, Riesling Grunlack Spatlese, Rheingau

Eleventh bottle from a half case of halves purchased at the estate in 2009. Pristine condition, perfect level and cork. A brilliantly youthful Spätlese, lifted floral nose, lime zest and white peach, elegant and energetic, bright and fresh, beautiful expression of place and varietal, clean as a whistle, delicately sweet, lively acidity, gentle skin bitters, hint of cream, green apple, very good resonance and length. At perfect peak, so young at 18 years of age, will last.

2007 vintage

Tenth bottle from a half case of halves purchased at the estate in 2009. There has been a lot of bottle variation over the years - is it caused by the parrafin (or a similar substance) on the corks? However this may be, tonight's bottle is on fine form, wonderfully fresh and floral, lime zest and a hint of honey, elegant and flowing, perfectly integrated sweetness, lovely tension between fleshy ripe fruit (citrus, peach) and vibrant acidity, very gentle bitters; …

2007 vintage

Slightly less impressive than previous bottle, a bit less nuanced, more straight-forward.

2007 vintage

Still a high sugar content - the fruit is peach, pear and we also this time got some pineapple - still also vanilla happy to stay at 90.

2010 vintage

Straw yellow to golden. Apparent nose of apricot, some lime and honey. Silky and smooth. Still some vibrant acidity. Pleasant and delicate. Sweet and long finish with hints of citrus jam and stonefruit. Paired well with selection of cheeses. Drink up.

2007 vintage

Sill a high sugar content - nothing to add to my rating from 2019 - still solid 90.

2010 vintage

This is a knockout. Deep amber colour flecked with gold. The nose is like a Christmas cake in preparation with waves of dried fruit, spices, treacle, marzipan, and cognac. After almost 50 years, it is on the dry side of off-dry, full-bodied, and it dances around the mouth. At one minute stewed apricots, the next candied orange rind.

1971 vintage

Half bottle. Mildly oxidised. Not undrinkable, but the whiff of straw and the character of “dried apples in a loft” is not correct.

2007 vintage

After two faulty halves, this one is correct, albeit with a completely mature profile. Medium straw yellow with green and golden reflections; expressive nose, spices and fruit and flowers, wax and minerals, lovely terroir expression; mildly sweet palate, intense but light on its feet, citrus and stone fruits, ripe but fresh acidity, silky texture, with pleasing bitters; slighty long in the tooth on the finish, feels a bit tired, but length is good. Lots of bottle variation here.

2007 vintage

Bernsteingelbe Farbe, Auf der Nase sind noch Töne von ge- und vertrockneten Blueten sowie von Tee. Auf dem Gaumen ist nichts mehr wieder zu finden ausser dem von altem, abgestandenen Tee. Der Wein ist zwar nicht total ungeniessbar aber ziemlich hinüber... Wahrscheinlich schlecht gelagert; mit ziemlicher Sicherheit einfach zu alt...

1971 vintage

Both pure, delicate and powerful. Perfect mix of sugar and acidity. Still quite young.

2007 vintage

Best in an speciel spatlese lineup (1976 maximilian Grunhaus, Zilliken Versteigerung 2010 and this). By far the best wine. Aroma and uplifting intensity was fantastic.

2015 vintage

Half bottle. Hint of wet straw.

2007 vintage

We had it for dessert - where it went well - lots of sugar still - medium acidity the fruit is peach and pear and also some vanilla - solid 90.

2010 vintage

Sitrus på duft, over noe litt søtlig frukt (banan? fersken?), noe botrytis. Frisk i munnen, med deilig fylde av tropisk frukt og noe grapefrukt. Flott balanse, deilig å drikke aleine. Mild, men lang ettersmak som ender i delikat sitrondrops.

2010 vintage

Popped and poured at fridge temp. Very nice fresh aromas of yellow apples, florals and only a hint of petrol in the background. Excellent sweetness and acidity on the palate, good yellow apples and pears with a slight hint of smoke. Seems to be in a great spot now, delicious! Went very nicely with Asian styled spicy chicken.

2007 vintage

The sugar content is clearly reduced and you start to get more fruit also - its pear and peach - nice balance - you can still fell the acidity (medium) - solid 90.

2010 vintage

Half bottle. For some reason, this bottle does not seem to be as refined as the bottles tasted in January last year. It is still a satisfying Spätlese, but the floral fragrance is lacking and the bitters on the palate are more pronounced. The finesse and lightness of touch which I enjoyed so much last year, seem to be missing here. Bottle variation probably (hopefully).

2007 vintage

Botrytis, plastics, ripe apple, and beeswax nose. Medium-sweet, firm and fresh palate; rich, waxy finish. 4/5

2015 vintage

Drinkable, but a sting of acetone. Too bad, on xmas eve.

2010 vintage

Fantastic, dazzling and vibrant, only 8,5%, but very energetic and long

2015 vintage

At Frankfurt airport, tropical (grape, lime) and strong concentration, sings very well with the acidity and very sweet for a spatlese. Compared to Egon Muller spatlese 2015 tasted last week, this has more power, but the balance is nearly better - superb.

2015 vintage

Just like prev bottle; needs a while day to unfold. Open it, let it breath. Put it back in the fridge (or cellar) and consume over the next couple of days. Just gets better.

2015 vintage

Gorgeous fruit, rich and round, lots of balancing acidity, fine length, too. 92-93+

2015 vintage

Very nice indeed. Fit very well with spicy curry. It needed some time in the bottles and in the glass as it wasn't singing from the start but after a while I got some nice grapefruit, white flowers, green apple, lime on the nose. On the palate great acidity to cut through the sweetness. Not heavy at all. Low alcohol (8,5%). Was a steal at the airport in Oslo.

2015 vintage

German wine tasting followed by a Lunch (@ de Nederlanden) : No formal notes. Very elegant wine with white fruits, refined acidity and a beautiful sweet note.

2007 vintage

A German Wine Tasting-cum-Lunch (Restaurant De Nederlanden *, Vreeland, NL) : Very refined, elegant, delicate, juicy, elegant sweetness, charming and long. Undemonstrative, beautiful.

2007 vintage

Blind: (Gjetter Riesling, Spatlese, 2004) . Sitrus, blomster, honning, noe petroleum. Flott balansert, bra syre og frukt, ganske bra lengde. 90-91.

2007 vintage

A delicate and refined Spätlese, elegant and subtle, beautifully balanced and with a lovely tension between tender sweetness and bright acidity, hint of citrus, light and pure flavours, good length. Vibrant and youthful, drinking very well but with a long life ahead of it.

2007 vintage

Åpen på duft for en så ung riesling. Tropisk frukt: nektarin, lime, sitronmelisse. Frisk i munnen, mer kraft og mindre eleganse enn i Mosel. Gjør seg derfor veldig godt til ost. Litt honningpreg i munnen. Sødme dominerer ettersmaken.

2015 vintage

Stored 7 years. Had with sushi, but has become too sweet for that now. More suitable with desserts.

2007 vintage

Dufter av honning og noe urter (kjørvel? litt anispeg). Frisk, men samtidig feit med litt smørpreg i munnen, med svært god fylde. Fin og lang ettersmak med preg av te. Ganske kompleks i munnen, mandarin og urter. Markant, men snill syre. Litt tung på labben til sushi, men herlig vin som nok bare vil bli bedre.

2010 vintage

I am increasing to 90 because I think there is great potential - even-though the balance is good - the sugar content is still quite high and in way dominating the wine and its fruitiness - you can fell the potential - and it will be visible in a couple of years - so one to store for the moment - I still remember how great the 2005 was

2010 vintage

Appearance: Bright and clear, it has medium lemon color, with watery rims and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium intensity of citrus fruit such as lemon and lime, floral notes of acacia and honeysuckle, stone fruit of white peach, mineral notes of stony and steely. The wine is youthful. Palate: Medium-sweet with high acidity, the wine has low alcohol, a medium body and medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit such as lemon and lime, floral notes of honeysuckle and acacia, …

2010 vintage

very nice wine, fresh and fruity well balanced sweetness, very smooth on the palate with good acidity and a long fruity finish, apricot,pineapple and passion fruit.

2010 vintage

App: Greenish yellow Ar: apple and minerals Medium bodied with suprisingly low intensity Medium length Might be that the wine need a few more years to open.

2007 vintage

Perfect with Thanksgiving dinner!

2010 vintage

Sweet almost dessert like. Long finish. Slight tartness.

2010 vintage

fresh - sweet (but not to much) - and fruity - good balance and clearly a nice glas of wine

2010 vintage

Exploration tasting (Dr. Russell's residence, the Hague) : Medium(+) lemon-gold, viscous despite only 8.5% abv. Medium developing nose of pineapple, yellow apples, petrole, paraffin, honey. Medium sweet, medium(-) acidity, medium(+) flavours of pine apple, golden delicious, pear, lemon. Medium body, low alcohol. Focussed and clean finish, medium length. Personally I like a bit more acidity in the balance.

2007 vintage

Crisp, refreshing with sweet finish. Great accompany with the Thanksgiving turkey.

2010 vintage

Very nice on the nose with apple, banana, coconut and some petrol. Horrible chemical sweetness on the palate. 90 points for it´s smell 70 for the taste.

2006 vintage

Elegant and aromatic nose. Medium dry on palate with refreshing acidity having the task to balance 100g r.s- perhaps a little more acidity needed for perfect balance-leading to medium body and medium + length. Alcohol is 8.5%. A concentrated wine that is vivid and well-delineated.

2010 vintage

Medium dry wine with ripe fruit but with some refreshing vegetality as well, quite young yet at 100g sugar per litre and 10,5g acidity. Mineral nuances add to complexity.

2010 vintage

Light lemon green. Impeccably made Riesling, with typical floral and citrucy nose with mineral and honey tones. Medium dry with balancing acidity and relatively low alcohol, a reliable style of wine to drink by the cartload on a summer eve with good company!

2007 vintage

Light yellow. Nicely balanced fruit-minerality-sweetness and acidity. Medium bodied with a medium-long aftertaste. Typical and savory.

2007 vintage

Didn't take notes, but this was an impresive riesling, with quite a bit of botrytis and a lovely purity and intensity. Much more tropical than citrus fruit. A little more acidity would be nice, but this a tasty, rich spatlese that should last for many years (and was probably popped much too early) (A-).

2006 vintage

Shy on the nose with white flowers, greenish fresh notes, minerals. Very fruity, succulent on the palate with apples, citrus and apricots. Good balance and length, quiet finish, pleasant aftertaste with citrus and sour plums. Very young.

2007 vintage

Bright light golden color. Nose is clean with medium intensity of youthful aromas of ripeness, dried apricot, pineapple and flowers with some allspice as well. Palate is medium sweet with medium high acidity, although cloying sugar level dominates the acidity on the balance. Alcohol separates from the palate too much, so I'd say this is pretty unbalanced wine at the moment. Body is medium high with the ripe fruitiness pronounced in this wine. Good wine but not my cup. Will …

2007 vintage

Very tropical and mature nose, with some botrytis? I would've guess auslese/beerenauslese on the nose. In the mouth also botrytis which overshadows the nice spätlese beyond that. A bit bitter finish? Even with botrytis it's rather fresh, and not to cloying. Good finish.

2006 vintage

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Schloss Johannisberg, Riesling Grunlack Spatlese, Rheingau

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