Simon J Woolf & Friends on Wild and Wonderful Wines
Ried Ulm is, for me, always the most profound and the most texturally exciting of Wieninger’s single vineyard Gemischter Satzen. This is no exception, from the riper 2019 vineyard. The aromatic varieties in the vineyard show a lovely floral lift Read more
Subtly aromatic on the nose, this Gemischter Satz opens with ripe and quite exotic fruits, plus a wonderful limey freshness. It feels nicely tight and focused, with the acidity providing great drive and energy. Despite an extra year in bottle, Read more
Dorli Muhr has identified three very distinct “climats” in Spitzerberg, and from the 2019 vintage she has enough vineyard holdings in each parcel to be able to vinify and bottle them seperately. Kranzen has a beautiful, pure fruit core of Read more
A fascinating and different style of Blaufränkisch that shows wild herbs and umeboshi plum. The fruit is nuanced and delicate, and the tannins are nutty and firm. Quite a pretty wine that also demands a little thought – it doesn’t Read more
From the Obere Roterd parcel of Spitzerberg, this is noticeably more austere and stony than Kranzen. Quite perfumed on the nose, with some cassis and even a touch of rose petal. But on the palate, quite lean and balsamic. A Read more
This might just be one of the most thrilling and harmonious Gemischter Satzen I’ve yet tasted from Christ. The nose shows some candied peel and citrus, but the palate has a wonderful lifted acidity and tight, focused orchard fruits. A Read more
There’s a feeling lightness and aeration in this creamy Weißburgunder. Spicy and lifted on the nose, it opens out to reveal attractive ripe fruit and a subtle salty tang on the finish. The salty mineral notes really add excitement to Read more
This is the kind of blend that might be understandable from the point of view of “this is what we happen to have growing in the vineyard”, but makes no sense from a taste perspective. It lacks any kind of Read more
Spicy and a little bit wild (attractively so) on the nose, with pretty chunky tannins but also pretty chunky fruit to balance them. There’s a nice combination here of ripeness, some balsamic tinges and good structure. Something to age for Read more
Ripe black cherry fruit opens in this wine, giving way to nutty and actually quite attractive tannins – which do feel like they might come from the grape skins rather than from oak barrels. A style that needs some time Read more