It’s been a while since I had a nice German riesling and I was rummaging through my wine storage and found this:
(get ready…it’s a mouthful)
2001 Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese **
(yes, the *s are part of the name…I could also have put “Gold Cap” after the *s, but I wanted to spare you…try spell-checking that wine!)
OK, this is a 15 dollar retail wine. WOW! Great balance of sweetness and acidity, some nice richness from being in the bottle for a few years. This is far from peaking, but drinking lovely right now. It was great with an orange. Yes damnit, just a goddamn orange. Not encrusted scallops with orange foam and carmelized fennel. (Though that sounds fantastic). Just an orange.
I also wonder if you put this next to a typical cheap Cali or Aussie Chardonnay (blind) if people would even say the Riesling was that much sweeter. Sweetness is not a crime!
(Oh, and the label is so delightfully old-world. It’s so cozy and picturesque!)