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Saar
Bert Simon
Weingut Herrenberg
www.bertsimon.de
formerly member - VDP
House style: Rich, luscious wines sometimes lacking acidity, especially in very hot years such as 2003. Always very pleasant, sometimes exceptional.
Mr. Simon sends wine to Britain, though I have heard that he has now sold his estate and is to retire. I would like to wish him a long and happy retirement - I have enjoyed many bottles of his wine over the years. With luck the person who has bought the property will continue to send wine here. Delivery to Britain costs €35 per case at present.
2004 Serriger Würtzberg Riesling spätlese. €8.30
alc. 8.0%
Apples and pears on the nose, with apples and pears on the palate. Very rich for a spätlese, this seems more like an auslese to me, though not a GKA, but still with very good - but not excessive - acidity. There is an excellent balance between the fruity sweetness and the acidity, which although fairly high manages to be neither steely nor soft, something which gives this wine great elegance. Good concentration, and a noticeable spiciness, with good complexity. This is unmistakeably a Saar wine. I like this wine a lot, and at the price it's a massive bargain. I may just buy another case of it...
Drinking now, but will improve for 3-5 years, and will last for another 3-5 years after that. Extremely good value.
19/20
2003 Serriger Herrenberg Riesling Auslese €13.50
Mid gold, with apples and pears on the nose, and pears on the palate. Rich, but not as rich as the 2003 GKA below. Pleasant acidity and fairly good concentration makes this wine very elegant and drinkable. Perhaps slightly more complexity than the GKA.
Drinking now (late 2006), will last for 4-5 years.
18/20
2003 Serriger Würtzberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel €17.40
Mid gold, pears on the nose, and ultra-ripe Comice pears on the palate. Complexity isn't this wine's strong point - there's very little other than pears in the flavour of this wine, but it is rather pleasant. It would be easy to convince someone who has never tasted wine before but who has tasted pears that this was simply pear juice.
Drinking now, will last for 5 years.
17/20
2002 Serriger Herrenberg Riesling Auslese €10.00
Pale to mid gold with slight hints of green. Pears on the nose, with apples and pears on the palate, together with quite a bit of spicines. Quite rich for a non-GKA auslese, with good acidity, rather elegant and very fruity.
Drinking now, will last for 5 years. Very good value.
18/20