Three Wines from Pfalz
A colorful mixture from the Palatinate, Pfalz in german, is in the glass today: A Riesling Suez 2015 from the Reichsrat von Buhl Winery, a Chardonnay 2015 out of the wooden barrel from the Petri Winery and a Pinot Noir 2014 from the Ellermann-Spiegel Winery.
The only real similarity this time is the origin: Palatinate. Otherwise we have three different grape varieties from three different winegrowers in the glass. A colorful mixture and everything tasted over two days.
The first bottle is a Riesling from the Reichsrat von Buhl winery located in Deidesheim. The Suez from 2015 is an homage to wine, that was served at the opening of the canal of the same name and is made from grapes from the estate’s vineyards classified as Grosse Lage. On the nose, there is a clear presence of mirabelle plum jam with small pieces of fruit, it is all very creamy with a beautiful herbal spice in the background. In the mouth the wine shows this spiciness too, it builds up structure directly on the cheeks, has quite some power and yet the acidity is wonderfully integrated. Unfortunately it is not as long as the great beginning let us hope, we are happy about what might come and then it is already gone and only the stone fruit note on the tongue remains. It is not really short, but unfortunately too short.
On the second day the mirabelle is joined by mango nectar in the nose and grapefruit on the palate. Overall, the wine is much more open and longer. Full of velvety, buttery creaminess. On the second day I now really enjoy the wine.
It is followed by a Chardonnay from the wooden barrel harvested the same year as the Riesling, produced by the Petri Winery. The aging in the wood is clearly noticeable and dominates the first few sips with woody, smoky notes. Behind it, however, is a sweet dried fruit and, if you allow some time in the glass, vanilla as well. The impression becomes pleasantly round when smelling. In the mouth the wine feels much softer than expected and shows an astonishing amount of fruit and fresh acidity and not the wood that dominates the nose. The barrel aging only provides a nice frame and a bit of an interesting edge.
On the second day, just like on the first, the wine is beautifully round and soft with great wood flavors and a delicate structure that lingers for a long time.
The last bottle is the Pinot Noir by Ellermann-Spiegel from 2014. Very dark berries on the nose, somewhat shrubby, yet still fresh with sour cherry. Disappointing in the mouth at first, almost a bit thin, a bit tart, not quite round. In the course of the evening with more air the forest floor with moss and wet soil joins the nose and the taste improves as well. There is now more structure, more complexity. In any case provide some generous time in the decanter. Nonetheless it still doesn’t feel quite round to me. The weakest wine in this trio today at the beginning. But with even more air and time it develops a nice spice accompanying the red fruit and becomes quite fun.
The second day confirms once again that the wine simply needs time to gain the roundness on the palate and some depth. Now you can let the evening slowly fade away with red berries and a nice tannin structure while sipping this Pinot.