Ludwig Neuhaus Riesling Pfalz - 2000
May 01 '02
The Bottom Line Not the best Riesling I've tried for the money, but something decent enough to try with a simple German dinner.
Ludwig Neuhaus Riesling Pfalz, 2000
Qualitätswein
I had this simple German Riesling last night. This wine is not going to win any awards, but I have recently been drinking a number of different Rieslings from Ludwig Neuhaus, a large wine marketer in Germany, and enjoy sharing my tasting notes.
The year 2000 release of Ludwig Neuhaus Riesling Pfalz is what I would describe as a "grocery store" wine. This is the type of wine that most shoppers in Germany could find at their local Edeka (a co-op chain of independently-owned, neighborhood-based grocery stores) or other such Lebensmittel Geschäfte (grocery store).
In Germany, one would probably pay about €3 for this wine -- a little less than $3 U.S. It's the kind of wine that one could pick up with some Bratwurst and Sauerkraut and take home for an inexpensive dinner. One really needn't drink this wine with dinner. Indeed, Riesling is a good wine to add to Sauerkraut to simply improve its flavor while cooking. It's also a fine apéritif wine.
The Wine: a 100% Riesling product from Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). Location: in the middle of the Rhine River valley (western border of Germany), neighboring France. Here's a good map:
http://www.chapincellars.com/chapincellars/images/Pfalz-map.gif
Alcohol: 10% by volume
Color: Bright gold color, clear; surprising amount of carbonates. Actually some bubbles sprout and surface from time-to-time.
Nose: cut apple, apple skins, and the smell of water ponding on hot asphalt; some floral (flower petal) tones... but not perfumey like some California Rieslings I have tried (e.g. Geyser Peak's California Riesling, or Mirassou's Monterey Riesling).
Flavor & Finish: Apple... like baked apple pie filing with some light earth spiciness; lightly sweet -- but not as much residual sugar as some Rieslings I've tried -- and balanced by a crisp measure of acidity. Long, pie filing flavor in the finish. Lacks depth and complexity that I have experienced in other German Rieslings. Not really a wine to fall in love with, but it is reasonably priced, bigger than some light-bodied Rieslings, and fine for sipping on the patio on a warm afternoon.
Price and Availability
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I purchased this wine at Pic-n-Save for only $3.99. It is imported into the U.S.A. by Victoire Imports Company of San Leandro, California. San Leandro is a few miles south of Oakland, so if you live in the Bay area, this wine may be easy to find.
In Germany, all wine is quality inspected and bottle runs are numbered. Here are the details from my bottle:
LA. P. Nr. 5 907021 228 01
Shipped by: Burgherrn Weinhandels Gmbh.,
D-54470 Bernkastel-Kues
Abfüller RP 907 021 IN D 07 231 008
Recommendations
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This wine was "okay," but I probably won't be buying it again. Not the best Riesling I've tried for the money, but something decent enough to try with some Kasseler Rippchen (smoked pork loin) served with Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Sounds good to me!
Verdict: 2-stars. Not particularly recommended, but of decent enough quality. I've had worse... at twice the price.
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Member: Tom Carr
Location: Southern California
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