This week’s tasting was badged as “undiscovered Germany”. It centred around a half-case with that title bought from Yapp a little while ago and was added-to from the presenters cellars with a no-Mosel rule and an intention to try some non-Riesling whites.
The standout white was no.12, the Donhoff Riesling Trocken - pithy grapefruit, very racy, beautifully balanced, more RS than I imagined for a trocken, but all the better for it.
The easy head-and-shoulders best of the reds was the Meyer-Nakel Pinot - a producer we’ve had a few times at the group and who seems to me to make very convincing reds. This 2012 was still young and fresh with every possibility for positive development to come.
If I said the rest were a mixed bag that would be pretty kind to them, The absolute worst was the Aldi Pinot (wine 5) which was terrible value at £6.95 - odourless nose, confected fruit, though a dishonourable mention is due to wine 6, Klumpp’s blend of blaufrankish, Cab Sav, St Laurent & Pinot which tasted of cherry cola and was a bad joke for £18.25.
On this showing the learning point was that the established producers are making much better wines than any of the ‘undiscovered’ producers.
