We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from May 13, 2000:

Lentil Soup
Alaskan Halibut with Julienne Vegetables and Riesling Sauce
Risotto with Fresh French Summer Truffles
Veal Medallion with Goat Cheese Potato Puree and Whole Grain Mustard Green Peppercorn Sauce
Crème Brulée
 

99 Fess Parker White Riesling--Very light color. Crisp, faint mineral nose. Off dry, fruity, stone fruit, pear. Simple mid-palate. Nice clean balanced finish. 86/100

98 Santa Barbara Winery Dry Riesling—Straw color. Closed nose initially. Pineapple, grapefruit flavors. Very light and crisp. Clean but simple, grapefruit zest finish. 85

99 Claiborne & Churchill Riesling—Light gold. Hay, mineral nose. Nose seems Germanic. Apricot, honey. Medium density. Tastes German. Young, zippy, mineral finish. Seems like a Kabinett or Spätlese. More complex than the Parker. 90

97 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Spätlese Trocken—Light color. Hay, wax. Clearly German. Lemon zest. Crisp apple. High acid, long, dry finish. 87+ by itself, but 90 with the Halibut.

98 Firestone Central Coast Riesling—Straw. Closed bouquet with some lemongrass, hay. Off-dry. Kabinett or Spätlese level. Nectarine, ginger. Zippy. Very nice. More fruit and complexity than the Weil. 89+

92 Domaine Ostertag Muenchberg Riesling—Oxidized, dried out, over the hill. Clearly not properly stored. NR.

97 Bründlmayer Riesling (Austria; not the Alte Reben)—Light. Complex mineral nose. Perky acidity, spritzy. Grapefruit! Needs 2-4 years. Very good, zippy finish. Complex, long. Shows honey, pear, nectarine. This went best with the Truffle Risotto. 90+

98 Kunst Bas Riesling (Alsace; regular, not vineyard specific)—Very light. Faint minerals, hay, peach nose. Honeysuckle. Lighter acidity, flinty. Obviously Alsace. Very complex mid-palate. Long. 92

90 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile (Alsace)—Straw. Waxy, honey nose. Complex petrol aromas. (Austria?) Very dry, oak-infused, but not overdone. Minerals. Long, slate, granite driven finish. Slight drop in mid-palate, but excellent length. 91

97 Bonny Doon “Critique of Pure Riesling”—Light straw. Faint fruity nose, honey, apricot. Very dry, crisp, minerally, celery, fennel. Long minerally finish. (Alsace?) 89

98 Fetzer Johannesburg Riesling—White gold. Hay, stones, gooseberry, chalky, slight botrytis. Medium sweet Spätlese level. Thinnish middle, but decent finish with apricot, chalk, hair oil. 87

98 Firestone LH (19.5% RS)—Botrytised. BA level sugar. Nice balance, acid, orange, butterscotch, English custard. 91

96 Heggies Eden Valley Botrytised Riesling (14.8% RS)—Medium straw. Wax. Rich, lemon oil, syrup. Pear, nectarine. Lovely, elegant. 92

97 Navarro Late Harvest Cluster Select White Riesling (28% RS)—Dark gold. Very aromatic, butterscotch. Zingy tangerine, honey. Very complex, long. 93

The obligatory bloody pulpit.

This was a very educational tasting. I’d never had more than a couple Rieslings at any one sitting, even though I’ve been drinking the varietal for some 20 years now. I suppose someone with more extensive tasting experience would have fared better, but I had a bit of trouble pinpointing the origins of a few wines. The Claiborne & Churchill, e.g., is a well-known QPR leader. Tasting it blind I was struck by how German it tasted. 

I’m shocked by how I could not pick out the Trimbach since I brought it and had had the 90 vintage on prior occasions. How could I fail to identify it?! This particular bottle did not have quite the power of the previous bottles. Perhaps it was in a shell, or perhaps it hadn’t been stored correctly prior to purchase (knowing the shop I bought it from).

The Kunst Bas is a remarkable QPR [Quality to Price Ration] wine and was my first 98 Alsace. Look for it!

Mistaking the Bonny Doon for Alsace. I am forever disgraced! Banish me from all future Riesling tastings!! Damn.

I was surprised by how well the Firestones showed. I’d had Fiestone Rieslings in the past, and they were always enjoyable and good with food, and fine QPR at under $10 for the basic version. These two wines were excellent achievements for a region (Santa Ynez Valley) not especially known for the varietal. They held up well in this company.

The Navarro I nailed. I had a sneakin’ suspicion it might be present, though, because the people who brought it are big fans of Navarro. I guess they’ll have to try harder next time to fool the rocket scientist.

I’m sorry Tom Hill missed out on the Ostertag. It was a Tom Hill kind of “interesting” wine. I feel guilty for not saving him the remainder of the bottle. It wouldn’t have deteriorated any worse between then and next month when we shoot it out at the Iron Wino Tasting Challenge. Be sure to tune in!