This week some friends of Wiemer winery hosted a dinner for us featuring our wine. It was meant to be a comparison of old world versus new world for 3 varieties that we make: Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. We started with a tank sample of our HJW Single Vineyard Riesling, in the early stages of fermentation. Wine at this stage is called Federweiser in German. It is sweet and effervescent and very exciting at this stage. With the traditional German onion tart, it was a delightful way to begin the evening.
The food was all delicious, and the pairings were excellent. Now for the wines...
The first course presented our 2005 Riesling next to one from Alsace, France (old world) and one from Oregon (new world). Hands down, I enjoyed our Riesling the most, with its vibrant acidity and impeccable balance - a great compliment to the smoked rainbow trout. The Alsatian Riesling fell a bit flat, and the Oregon Riesling was a bit too rubbery for me.
The Cabernet Franc comparison was great, with our Reserve standing up quite well to the classic home of Cabernet Franc - Chinon, France. The California Cab Franc was very fruit forward but lacked the complexity of the other two. I'd say we tied with France in this comparison.
The last course was interesting and the results surprised me. Having taken a trip to Oregon a few years ago to explore their Pinot Noir, I had high hopes for the Benton Lane. However, I was taken with the German Spatburgunder (their name for Pinot Noir) from Baden. This was my favorite wine of the evening. Earthy, luxurious, balanced - it was a pleasure to drink. I believe this is the style we are going for with our Pinot Noir, and our 2008 is showing great promise. The Benton Lane tasted over extracted and thin, which was disappointing.
I've always known that I prefer old world wines - they tend to be refined, balanced, comfortable. This exercise reinforced the fact that we are going for this style at Hermann J. Wiemer, and I think we are heading in the right direction.
Thanks again to Ross and Heide for hosting such a delicious and educational dinner!
