When the smell of petroleum in your wine is a good thing!

We picked up the 2006 Schloss Lieser Estate Riesling at Bella Vino Stony point after their Riesling Revelation tasting back in July. It was one of two that we had picked up on the day and I couldn’t hold on to it any longer after it staring at me for 6 months in my cellar. The wine comes from the central Mosel region of Germany and is made by winemaker and estate manager Thomas Haag. The name Schloss comes from the German word for castle and although it may not look like a castle per se, the estate towers over the tiny town of Lieser. Schloss Lieser had a fairly small production in 2006 of under 3500 cases which exemplifies Thomas’ commitment to quality versus quantitiy.

My Tasting Notes –

Color – light golden

Nose – petroleum, tire, apple, candle wax and hay

Taste – lychee, pear, petrol and a hint of residual sugar

Mouthfeel – good mouthfeel, round and full with good acidity and a hint of effervescence

Finish – long with stony minerality, pear and vanilla flavors

My notes are similar to the ones from the tasting “campfire and apricot and flint on the nose with hay and peach flavors with fuller body, and a slight effervescence on the tongue that mingles well with the slightly higher viscosity” and this was no slouch of a Rielsing. It went well with some Pad Thai that we made, the touch of RS smoothing out the heat of the chili’s. It displayed all the classic flavors and profiles of a great Riesling and could have hung on for another 10 years or so. At $17, it is on the bottom tier of Schloss Lieser and an excellent value from a winery that is soon to be on the hot list of German Rieslings.

Cheers