KM501 Rhein Riesling
Wine: KM501 Rhein Riesling.
Grape: riesling
Region: Rheingau, Germany
Vintage: 2011
Price: $8.99
In the glass: KM501 riesling wine is a faint citrine-yellow color with a clear, bright, light-greenish tinged core going out into a fine glass-clear meniscus (rim definition) with light to medium viscosity.
On the nose: There are fresh bright white fruit characteristics with pomelo pulp, white grape juice, ripe apples or applesauce, crushed apricots, brewer’s yeast, citrus rind and chalky minerals.
On the palate: The wine is light and refreshing and incredibly soft, with cooked pears, apricots, red apples, no discernible alcohol or wood, just pure sweetish white fruit meat with crushed white currants and applesauce through the midpalate. The finish is light and tasty with hints of minerality and just a lingering touch of bright acidity and apples.
Odds and ends: In the world of German rieslings, which can be among the greatest of white wines, there are seven “levels” from which to choose. All German wines are classified by degree of sweetness, known as Oechsle. The top level wines, meaning the sweetest, are called Trockenbeerenauslese, then comes Eiswein, Beerenauslese, Auslese, Spatlese, Kabinett and QbA wines. This method of classification has little to do with the quality of the wine, and there is a movement in Germany that seeks to have the wines classified like the Alsatians – who also make riesling-based wines – with Grand Cru and Premier Cru, based on the quality. The number 501 in this case refers to the starting point of the Rheingau, the largest and most famous riesling region of the world along the Rhine River, precisely 501 kilometers from its source in Switzerland. This is delicious by the glass alone or together with chicken piccata, for example. Drink it now through 2014.
Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.
