Willie Schaefer 2004 plus Three

There was a repeat offering with friends last night of the spiced pork tenderloin with pomegranate and apple cider sauce discussed below.

There were three Rieslings on the menu, one from Germany, one from Australia and one from Oregon. Two were very good and one was simply outstanding.

First up was a 2005 Grosset Watervale Riesling and it was every bit as good as before. Light, refreshing, citrusy with some minerals and a good length of finish made for a great before dinner wine.

Next up was a Chehalem 2006 Reserve Riesling which had been discussed previously on this site. It was more full bodied than the Grosset and had bit more smell of kerosene. The fruit was a little more forward and there seemed little underpinning of minerals.

The Willie Schaefer 2004 Riesling from the Mosel in Germany was next. If I were ask to define what I want Riesling to be and how it should taste I would use this wine as an example. Greenish gold in the glass the aroma was all about white peaches, tart apples and earth. There were a few flowers poking out of the nose as well. The taste was the peaches and apples with an overlay of some citrus all sitting on top of clean, dry minerals. Great body, just a touch of sweetness and a tremendous length of finish all put this wine at the top of the class. With the food it was even better. All three Rieslings were good with the food, but the Schaefer was several cuts above the others. This was just an outstanding wine.

The evening ended with a red, and it was probably the biggest disappointment of the evening. The wine was a 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle from Paul Jaboulet. The wine was beautiful in the glass, but the wine was tired and well pat its prime. Hopefully this was a bottle variation since I have a bottle of this in the cellar.