The WineBarn – tasting notes

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Although Iris Ellmann usually holds an annual tasting for press and private customers in London at the start of each year, this one in particular was also celebrating the WineBarn's 10th anniversary. The tasting notes are in alphabetical order by producer (sur)name, apart from Solter's sparkling wines, which kicked off the evening's tasting.

SOLTER, Rheingau

Solter, Rosé Spätburgunder Deutscher Sekt Brut 2007 Rheingau

RS 10.6 g/l, TA 6.6 g/l. Macerated for two to three hours on the skins. Ethereally pale pink. A crisp savoury forest-floor and berry nose. Full, broad and dry. Clean, linen-suited, no frills, beautifully tailored. VGV (TC)

12.5%
Drink
2010
2011
£14.35 WineBarn
16.5

Solter, Reserve Riesling Deutscher Sekt Brut 2006 Rheingau

RS 10.7 g/l. TA 7.1 g/l. A pretty, pretty lime-blossom and apple nose. Even some peach. Fresh, clean, meticulously lean and delicate. No great ageability or scholarly depth but just immediate sparkling fun. GV (TC)

12.5%
Drink
2010
2011
£14.35 WineBarn
16

Solter, Blanc de Deux Blancs Deutscher Sekt Brut 2006 Rheingau

50% Pinot Blanc, 50% Pinot Gris (from the south of Germany). RS 2.9 g/l. TA 6.3 g/l. Soft white peach and clotted cream perfume. Creamy, broad and mouthfilling with gorgeous etched acidity. An almondy sweep, floral trace. GV (TC)

12.5%
Drink
2010
2012
£16.25 WineBarn
16.5

Solter, Pinot Cuvée Deutscher Sekt Brut 2005 Rheingau

40% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Blanc and 30% Pinot Gris. RS 4.1 g/l, TA 6.3 g/l. Oak fermentation and three years on the lees. Ample buttery spice, a full creamy mousse, bold and generously proportioned. It reminds me of Eve’s pudding but with a thrilling volt of lemon sherbet. Long. GV (TC)

12.5%
Drink
2010
2013
£22.15 WineBarn
17

Solter, Cuvée Henri Deutscher Sekt Brut NV Rheingau

A blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay from 1999, 2004 and 2007 vintages. Lime-blossom scent. Tight and fairly green. Very fresh. Drink young. (TC)

13.5%
Drink
2010
£19.35 WineBarn
15.5

BASSERMANN-JORDAN, Pfalz

Bassermann-Jordan, Estate Weissburgunder trocken 2009 Pfalz

Bottled early Dec. A sherbety lemon/pineapple nose. Very young and bone dry. Lovely tingly freshness. I’d like to taste this in a few months time once it’s had time to unfold a little.  (TC) 12.5%
Drink
2011
2012
£11.80 WineBarn
15.5 ++

Bassermann-Jordan, Estate Riesling trocken 2008 Pfalz

Dusty and chalky with wild-flower perfume and acacia blossom. So so fresh and sparkling minerality. A scalpel blade of acidity – surgical precision here. Herbal edges and just lovely. VGV (TC) 12%
Drink
2010
2012
£11.60 WineBarn
16.5

FRIEDRICH BECKER, Pfalz

Friedrich Becker, Petit Rosé Spätburgunder 2008 Pfalz

50% Pinot Noir and 50% Portugieser. Subtle, unusual nutty perfume, very fresh nose. Then just delicious grapefruit juice – so much tang and tension. A touch of sweetness giving the wine an appealing strawberry fleshiness. Great length. (TC) 11%
Drink
2010
£10.95 WineBarn
16.5

Friedrich Becker, B Spätburgunder 2007 Pfalz

12 months in oak barriques. There is a more ‘grown-up’ nose, with a peppering of oak spice and fresh juicy fruit on the palate. A lick of liquorice. (TC) 13%
Drink
2009
2011
£20.66 WineBarn
15.5

Friedrich Becker, Schweigener Kammerberg Spätburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2007 Pfalz

This is Friedrich Becker’s favourite vineyard and he is very protective of it, apparently. 40-year-old vines. Immense delicacy and luminosity on the nose. Silk-screen tannins, a caress over beautifully vivid strawberry and cranberry fruit. And then just a smudge of smoky coffee on the finish. Wait a little bit – I think this has a lot to give. (TC) 13%
Drink
2011
2019
£59.50 WineBarn
17.5

BERCHER, Baden

Bercher, Barrique Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Cherry fruit, but the oak a little domineering at the moment leaving the wine feeling tough and surly. Perhaps it’s just a reluctant bottle or my reluctant palate! (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2009
2011
£20.66 WineBarn
15 +

Bercher, Burkheimer Feuerberg Spätburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2007 Baden

The Pinot vines are grown on volcanic bedrock and the yield is quite a bit lower at 30 hl/ha. Very intense fruit underneath some intriguing forest-floor and liquorice notes. Even a nip of fresh chili pepper. Plenty of presence and power and lively fruit but I think this is not quite ready to show all. The tannins are still very much a governing force at this time. (TC)
Drink
2012
2016
£33.55 WineBarn
16.5

Bercher, Limberg VI 2007 Baden

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Lemberger and 10% Pinot Noir. 18 months in oak. A classic Cab-dominated nose. Some cigar box and dried thyme with a whiff of fennel. Cedary. Pretty tenacious tannins again, lots of peppery fennel-seed oak spice. I’m not sure if the fruit will ever really have the courage to poke its head round the iron bars of those tannins. For those who like austerity. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2012
2015
£20.66 WineBarn
15.5

GÖTTELMANN, Nahe

Göttelmann, Chardonnay Spätlese trocken 2008 Nahe

50% aged in the 1200-litre oak casks. Meursault clones. I have to confess up front that I find it impossible to be objective about this wine. I first tasted it blind about five years ago and fell in love. Apologies for unabashed, unabated enthusiasm. It could, in my opinion, rival many top-class burgundies. The nose is richly honey-roasted butternut and custard tart. It is creamy and beautiful and broad with rich golden-melon and apple fruit and bone-tingling acidity. I would have encouraged you to buy, but I’m hoping to snap them all up for myself. VVGV (TC)
Drink
2010
2015
£12.15 WineBarn
17.5

Göttelmann, Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Beerenauslese 2006 Nahe

Apple purée. A pure acacia-honey nose. Appealing and creamy, syrupy and a wonderful accompaniment to apple pie. Syrupy, and thick, but could do with just the teeniest teeniest bit more freshness. Or perhaps I am being a demanding diva. (TC)
Drink
2014
2028
£35.55 per 0.5 cl WineBarn
17.5

DR HEGER, Baden

Dr Heger, Ihringer Winklerberg Weissburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2008 Baden

Volcanic soil. RS 0.6 g/l. No malo, no temperature control and 75% wild yeast. Nose is mellow and round, dusty talc, sophisticated, even aloof. Very crunchy crisp lines, Saville-Row tailoring – perfectly cut, not a crease in the wrong place and no specious roundness but weight and substance. I’d definitely give this more time, and decant. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2011
2015
£21.70 WineBarn
17 +

Dr Heger, Ihringer Winklerberg *** Grauburgunder Grosses Gewächs 2008 Baden

This is made in exactly the same way as the Weissburgunder Ihringer Winklerberg. RS 0.8 g/l. Rounder, softer and more sweetly scented than the Weissburgunder – more of a Sweet-William pear on the nose. Very dry and tightly zipped, with lots to give. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2011
2015
£21.70 WineBarn
17 +

Dr Heger, Ihringer Winklerberg Mimus Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Volcanic soils and burgundian clones. Very pale ruby. Liquorice and aniseed nose. Sweet, sweet juicy fruit, bursting with flavour and foiled perfectly by rich black coffee and bitter radicchio inflections. Firm, long-limbed tannins. Complete. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2010
2014
£25.80 WineBarn
17

Dr Heger, Ihringer Winklerberg Barrique *** Spätburgunder 2005 Baden

From a vineyard planted in 1951 of vines grafted from Clos Vougeot vines! No questions asked. Fireworks on the nose. Mouthfilling chocolatey, macerated-cranberry sweet bitterness. Glowingly embroidered, jewelled, silky. A beauty. (TC) 13%
Drink
2011
2017
£43.30 WineBarn
18

Dr Heger, Achkarrer Schlossberg Barrique Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Vineyard was planted in 1969. Fermented in wood and aged in French-oak burgundian barrels for 18 months. Bottled in Sep 2009. A refined perfumed wine. This has undeniable grace and a long, fluid camber. Gorgeous saucy bite in the fruit. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2012
2018
£43.30 WineBarn
17

FRANZ KELLER, Baden

Franz Keller Grauburgunder 2008 Baden

Fermentation and malo in barrel. RS 2.2 g/l. Young and apple-blossom fresh. An open, neatly made wine carrying gentle spicy character and good length. GV (TC) 12.5%
Drink
2010
2012
£11.25 WineBarn
16

Franz Keller, Achkarrer Schlossberg Grauburgunder Spätlese 2008 Baden

This is their best vineyard, apparently. Fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and big oak casks. RS 0.2 g/l. A brisk nose with traces of cashew nuttiness and an almost salty tang on the palate. Reminds me of samphire with lemon and butter. Athletic build. Capable of developing. (TC) 13%
Drink
2011
2014
£16.60 WineBarn
16.5

Franz Keller, Selection Weissburgunder 2008 Baden

Aged in 350-litre French oak barrels for six months. RS 1.2 g/l. White curranty aroma. Subtle spice on a dry, powerful palate. Dense and tangy, cape-gooseberry fruit. Fantastic elegance and refinement. GV (TC) 13%
Drink
2011
2015
£18.99 WineBarn
17

Franz Keller Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Grapes from a single vineyard, aged for seven to eight months in a large oak fuder. Plum tart on the nose and then an easy, delightful mouthful of fresh red fruit. GV (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2010
2011
£12.15 WineBarn
16

Franz Keller, Selection Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Best grapes from the same vineyard as the straight Spätburgunder. Aged in two- and three-year-old French oak barrels for 12 months. RS 2.4 g/l. A beautiful ripe red berry and strawberry nose with a tingle of spice. Good fruit depth but the tannins seem to have a little bit of teenage awkwardness about them at the moment and I think this wine definitely needs a bit more time to knit together. Should be great when it does. (TC) 13%
Drink
2012
2016
£19.35 WineBarn
16 ++

Franz Keller, Selection A Spätburgunder 2007 Baden

Aged in new oak for 16 months. Smoke and flint, and a bit of Seville orange. Lots of richness, skilfully polished tannins – gleaming. Deep red fruit with dark-roasted coffee nuances. Ambitious, well formed and full on for a German Pinot. (TC)
Drink
2011
2015
£37.50 WineBarn
17

MEYER-NÄKEL, Ahr

Meyer-Näkel, Estate Spätburgunder 2008 Ahr

This is their 'German-style' Pinot Noir, intended to showcase the fresh fruit. Fermented and aged in old oak fuders. A bright ripe strawberry nose. Neat, attenuated grape tannins and a distinctively herbal tone. Very young – not quite ready just yet. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2011
2013
£14.40 WineBarn
15.5

Meyer-Näkel, Blauschiefer Spätburgunder 2008 Ahr

Aged in two- to four-year-old barriques. Quite fragrant and demure, with no specious sweetness but a distinctive roasted thyme and sage character and elegant fruit. (TC) 13.5%
Drink
2012
2016
£22.55 WineBarn
16.5

Meyer-Näkel, S Spätburgunder 2008 Ahr

50% new French oak. Haunting lily perfume floats above the glass. So classy and elegant – the Lauren Bacall of wine. Flawlessly spliced tannins and cherries with just a hint of aniseed and fenugreek. Long and lovely. Wait, if you can. (TC)
Drink
2012
2017
£29.99 WineBarn
17.5

ST-URBANSHOF, Mosel

St Urbans-Hof, Estate Riesling trocken 2009 Mosel

Bottled just a few days earlier. A blend of grapes from Mosel (sand, clay and gravel) and Saar (reddish slate with a high iron content). Pale with green tints and a bit of spritz. Clean, tight high-wire acidity and granny-smith-apple crispy crunchy. Lime-infused, herbal. Nik Weiss suggests that this is a sort of Mosel answer to Sauvignon Blanc and would go well with wild asparagus and a butter sauce, or pan-fried sole. (TC) 11.5%
Drink
2010
2011
£9.65 WineBarn
15.5

St Urbans-Hof, Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese 2007 Saar

RS 60 g/l. Sweetness and minerality. Lingering smoke and dust on the nose. Honeyed apple purity with an unusual and lovely earthy tension – a feet-on-the-ground Riesling. There is a lot here – it’s lustrous and beautifully framed by succinct acidity. We also tried this with a tortellini of lobster, roasted cauliflower and lobster butter sauce; the sweet creamy velvety delicacy of the dish chimed perfectly with the wine.
Drink
2009
2014
£19.80 WineBarn
17

St Urbans-Hof, Schodener Saarfeilser Riesling Spätlese 2007 Saar

Saar is (obviously) after the name of the river and ‘feilser’ means rock in old German. The vineyard is located, unusually, directly on the banks of the Saar – most Saar vineyards being on tributaries because the river flows from south to north so sun exposure is not great. However, there are two parts of the Saar within the viticultural zone where the river does a 90-degree bend creating south-facing slopes. Here, with a bigger river surface area than the tributaries, the effect of the reflection from the river is not to be under-estimated. The vineyards are steep, bright with sunlight and warm, giving body but also, according to Nik Weis, a Chablis-like minerality on the nose. The wine is entirely fermented in old wood.
Pale lemon with an unmistakeable oatmeal/biscuity timbre on the nose. Some peachiness. Terribly graceful with a prickly edge on the palate. A young ballerina of a wine – tucked in, neat, disciplined and pretty and needing time.  
Drink
2009
2015
£19.80 WineBarn
16.5

St Urbans-Hof, Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Mosel

This is the hottest vineyard of the estate, facing south south west. It’s located on a very tight dune-shaped bend of the Mosel, is steep and has shallow soil over blue slate. The vines are on average 60 years old. Nik Weis suggests that these factors contribute to a wine that tends towards a more voluptuous style of Mosel. RS 25 g/l.
Refined minerality and perfume, very classic. Lime marmalade and razor-sharp acidity. White pepper notes and a hint of quince. This has everything you would want from a Mosel Riesling. Intricately composed with formidable length. (TC) 11%
Drink
2010
2018
£25.99 WineBarn
18

St Urbans-Hof, Leiwener Laurentiuslay feinherb Riesling Spätlese 2007 Mosel

A touch of gold but still very pale. Heady bouquet of lily and frangipani, a delicate smokiness. Definitely a little sweeter and denser. Very fleshy and round, nectarine and an orange tang. There is a long exciting trail of allspice and turmeric, even some soft paprika. Sleek. Endlessly long. This wine was matched with William Drabble’s lobster tortellini and went incredibly well with the whole dish, especially the roasted cauliflower.(TC) 12%
Drink
2010
2019
£POA WineBarn
18 +

St Urbans-Hof, Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese 2007 Saar

One of the more delicate Auslesen that I have tasted. Honeyed chamomile on the nose, some fennel seed and ginger too. A touch of rose petal and gently poached nectarines. Fine-boned acidity and superb silky texture. VGV (TC) 7.5%
Drink
2010
2025
£16.35 WineBarn
18

St Urbans-Hof, Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese 1976 Mosel

Deep gold, almost amber. A stunning brioche-and-honey nose. Candied peel and Ceylon tea, a spicy savoury pot-pourri. Silky weight in the mouth, it feels like a polished amber stone. Shapely. Glowing with orange notes, orange peel, coriander and saffron. Lovely weight and lifted lemon finish. A wine to linger with. (TC) 8.5%
Drink
1985
2012
£POA WineBarn
19

SCHÄFER-FRÖHLICH, Nahe


SCHLOSS REINHARTSHAUSEN, Rheingau


WINTER, Rheinhessen

Winter, Dittelsheimer Kalkstein Riesling trocken 2009 Rheinhessen

Stony slate smell. Pretty good smoky density with massive acidity – almost salty and tangy like pickled jalapeno, but in a pretty mouth-watering way. Needs to settle down and will be excellent with food. GV (TC) 12.5%
Drink
2011
2014
£12.90 WineBarn
16

Winter, Dittelsheimer Geyersberg Riesling trocken 2008 Rheinhessen

There is a deep honey and ginger timbre on the nose, as well as clementines. Very evocative and warmly spiced. Round and succulent, glorious orange notes and fragrant Ceylon tea. Real depth and excitement. No lightweight though. GV (TC)

13%
Drink
2010
2018
£16.60 WineBarn
17

Winter, Dittelsheimer Leckerberg Riesling trocken 2008 Rheinhessen

Unlike the Geyserberg there is no luxuriance on this. Fennel and elderflower on the nose, very chalky and tense – no nonsense, no frills here, just a sort of mathematical purity and precision. Austere beauty. GV (TC) 13%
Drink
2010
2019
£16.60 WineBarn
17

HANS WIRSCHING, Franken

Hans Wirsching, Iphöfer Kronsberg Silvaner Beerenauslese 2006 Franken

It took 10 days to harvest the grapes for this little beauty. Gingerbread and madeira sponge on the nose and a lovely nutty, honeyed roundness. It makes me think of date pudding and pecan pie. Long, hazelnutty finish. (TC) 9.5%
Drink
2010
2025
£22.35 per half bottle WineBarn
18

WITTMANN, Rheinhessen (organic)

Wittmann, Scheurebe trocken 2008 Rheinhessen

Goodness me! Unabashed passion fruit on the nose, pure and simple! Very, very appealing. It’s juicy and fresh and has cheeky acidity. I’d love this on a hot summer afternoon in the garden. GV (TC)

12.5%
Drink
2010
2011
£12.90 WineBarn
16

Wittmann, Estate Riesling trocken 2008 Rheinhessen

Ticks all the boxes: fresh, bursting with lime and orange, an underline of subtle minerality. Not overly complex but it delivers everything you’d want it to at the price. GV (TC) 12%
Drink
2010
2011
£11.60 WineBarn
15.5

Wittmann, Westhofener Aulerde Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2008 Rheinhessen

Heavy clay soils. Striking density and power and weight here, direct and sure – as if a plumb line to the floor. Rich and abundant apricot fruit. I suspect that this will age with intriguing beauty. I don’t think it’s even begun to show its colour. (TC) 13%
Drink
2012
2020
£25.85 WineBarn
17 ++

Wittmann, Westhofener Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2007 Rheinhessen

A cooler vineyard than the Aulerde – was picked 10 days later. Rocky limestone and 200m higher as well. Very refined perfume, apple and elderflower. Fine-boned acidity with subtly delicate fruit. Edges of nuts and even a mintiness. A real lady. (TC) 13%
Drink
2011
2018
£32.30 WineBarn
17.5