The Toronto Vintners Club

SCHLOSS SCHÖNBORN RIESLINGS, May 13, 2008

Guest Speaker: Claudius Fehr, internationally renowned wine expert, former Category Mgr – European Wines at Vintages, and creator, writer and contributor to Vintages Magazine

Notes on the Wines
How The Wines Scored

Toronto Vintners is very pleased to be offering a rare tasting of the wines of Schloss Schönborn. Every one of the following wines was sourced directly from estate’s massive Schatzhammer (treasure chamber) of older vintages.

Schloss Schönborn is one of Germany’s largest and oldest estates. The roots of the von Schönborn family can be traced back to the times of the crusades and the first mention with respect to viticulture was in 1349. The estate is still family owned today. The estate was steadily enlarged, especially in the 17th Century, including the purchase of the famous Marcobrunn vineyard. Historic invoices document the purchase of hand-blown bottles in 1750, revealing that the Schönborns were amongst the first estates anywhere in the world to actually bottle their wines. During the Victorian age Queen Victoria propelled German Riesling to their height of popularity. Believe it or not the Rheingau’s best wines sold for as much as three times the prices as Chateau Lafite!

Based in Hattenheim, Schloss Schönborn is a founding member of the VDP, an association of the best producers in Germany and owns prime vineyards from across the entire Rheingau from Hochheim to Rudesheim and everywhere in between. There are over 50 hectares under vine planted to 91% Riesling 6% Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) and 3% Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) with an annual production of 300,000 bottles.

The wines selected consist of three Spatlese and five Auslese. Spatlese translates to ‘Late Harvest’ while Auslese roughly ‘Select Harvest’. While sweet in youth the wines will have lost some of the plump sweetness but none of the refreshing acidity German Riesling is known for. The specific wines were picked to illustrate the great terroir of the Marcobrunn vineyard as well as the greatness of the 1989 vintage. Schloss Schönborn records indicate Marcobrunn has been sold and labeled as a Grosses Gewächs (‘Grand Cru’) since the 1700s. We are pleased to pour the 1988, 1991, and 1993 Marcobrunn Spatlese’s along with the opportunity to compare Spatlese and Auslese in the 1993 vintage. We are also pleased to offer a horizontal of four excellent 1989 Auslese’s from four different vineyards allowing the distinctive vineyards to be compared. 

Our reception wine will be supplied by Craig MacDonald, winemaker of Creekside & Weir Estate Winery. Craig and fellow winemaker Rob Power, were just named as Wine Maker of the Year at the 2008 Ontario Wine Awards.  Craig will be in attendance so you’ll have a chance to mingle with Craig, sip his wine, and ask him questions.

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The Wines

1.  Erbacher Marcobrunn Spatlese 1988 $29
1988 – **** From the spring, through the summer and until the end of September, well-nigh perfect growing and ripening conditions. However pre-harvest rain and fog dampened expectations. On the whole an extremely good yet perhaps not fully appreciated vintage.

2.  Erbacher Marcobrunn Spatlese 1991 $29
1991 - ** to *** A mild winter and good start to the spring, rudely interrupted by a servere frost on April 20 and another a week later. The third hammer blow of frost was on June 4. Despite this the flowering was successful. Summer was long, hot and sunny. The much needed rain did not arrive until the latter part of September, dampening the harvest prospects. Pick and choose carefully.

3.  Erbacher Marcobrunn Spatlese 1993 $29
1993 - **** to ***** Overall a very good vintage with some outstanding wines produced despite variable weather. The growing season started well, a warm spring leading to an unusually advanced flowering. The summer was very mixed: drought, cool, rainy conditions varying from region to region. There was seriously heavy rain in September and early October when picking started, albeit cautiously. As always in this situation, the better, well-drained sites and well-managed exercising strict selection were able to make wines which varied from good to great. Elimination of less than healthy grapes is time-consuming and expensive; the producer has less to sell. The higher quality wines can be a revelation.

4. Erbacher Marcobrunn Auslese 1993 $38
5.2 hectares. Schloss Schönborn is the principal owner (2.7 ha). Rich in marl, this site consistently yields Rieslings that are rich, spicy and full-flavoured; their richness and body mean that they can, however lack some elegance.

5. Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Auslese 1989 $38
10 hectares. A Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru) site.

6. Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Auslese 1989 $38
7 hectares. Alleinbesitz (Monopole) of Schloss Schönborn. The soil is loess-loam with sand, giving precocious wines that can be perfumed and fruity.

7. Hochheimer Kirchenstück Auslese 1989 $38
15 hectares. A Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru) site. Light loam soil, this is Hochheim’s most feminine and elegant vineyard. Gunter Kunstler compares Stielweg to Latour and Kirchenstück to Chateau Lafite.

8. Erbacher Marcobrunn Auslese 1989 $38
1989 - *** to **** On the whole a very good vintage and a large crop thanks to almost ideal growing conditions. Mild winter, warm spring, which encouraged early bud break, perfect flowering in June and a hot, sunny and relatively dry summer. Unsurprisingly, in these conditions all grape varieties ripened well and the harvest began towards the beginning of September. Very ripe grapes and botrytis made it no the easiest of years for the lighter styles of wine, lack of acidity being a problem. The higher quality wines are lovely now, and the best Auslesen have life in hand.

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How The Wines Scored

Please check back after the tasting for the results.

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