Had a restaurant dinner in NYC on Tuesday where I thought 'gee, Reisling would really do the trick here'. The menu had a few choices and I settled on this wine, not really knowing much about how it would turn out but trusting that the reputation of the maker would not disappoint.

Well, what a wine experience. At first, it was all lime cool-aid and honey. A light 'fizz' made me feel outright suspicious. Too sweet for my palate with no structure that I could discern of to redeem it.

I left the wine for about 45 minutes (ok, so I sipped it a little, going through about a glass in that period). What a transformation! The wine took on the kind of complexity and balance that I was hoping for and shed some of its baby fat sweetness. After about an hour in glass, it had developed a beautiful minerality, a citrus (without excess acidity) flavour and unbelievable petroleum aromas that perplexed and excited. There were hints of pineapple and lychee.

On first tasting, I had apologized to some of my table guests for the choice I made. After the wine finally came through, they were apologizing to me.

On the basis of this experience, I will definitely be sampling more of Herr Prum's wines in the future.

'I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony'

BD,

I agree with you on the excitement that this wine can cause ... once it starts to sing.

WS gave this a 93, just shy of the same wine in the much-heralded 2001 vintage. However, the '99 can still be had for a price in the low-$20's, while the 2001 is currently in the mid-$30's.

I'm glad that I picked up a case of the '99 to complement my two cases of the '01. I'm going to see how the '02 is, buy the appropriate amount, and then back-fill with the '99 to ensure that I ALWAYS have a great JJ Prum Spatlese/Auslese available when I want it.

I hope the rest of your visit to our side of The Pond was as enjoyable as your wine experience!

cheers, y'all!

The '99 is available near me in the low $20's. Thanks to my wife, when we were on vacation, we bought the '01 at $18 per bottle. I bought all they had, only 11 bottles.

Just one more sip.

Stemor

Thank you for your lovely sentiments.

My visit was an extended work trip which, although productive, was very exhausting. I did manage to eat and drink my way around many fine NYC establishments but I've got to say that I am much more at home drinking good wine and eating good food chez moi (kinda missed my wife and kids too).

Cheers!

BirD

'I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony'

The 99 is one of my favorites and I have posted on it a couple of times. I would echo your sentiments.

Unfortunately, the 01 is unavailable here, but I stocked up on the 99 and don't regret it.

In defense of wine, recall that everything depends on who drinks it, its quality and on the company. Once these conditions are favorable, you might ask: “Who drinks wine, if not a sage?” Omar Khayyam

We had this wine Saturday night at Secretes in NYC. It was paired with several different tapas dishes from duck confit to squid stuffed with risotto to sopa de ajo croquettes to lobster morceaux. We were very happy with the pairings.

The wine had a beautiful nose of apples and pairs with just a hint of petrol. There was a light spritz to the wine that was not visible, but clearly discernable on the palate. There was a great pear flavor with a light sweetness. Me 91. My wife 92.

I tried it last June (04), but I was actually a tad bit disappointed with it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough time. I thought it was good, but not great.

Board-O

You have an institutional memory for posts! This original was over 2 years old and you still found it to reply to rather than posting a new one.

Bravo to you, oh re-user of TN's.

BirD

I found it with a search. We all know my memory is suspect.

Board-O,

Did this seem like it would still have a long life ahead of it? The reason I ask is I have a bottle of the Auslese (which should hold up longer than the Spatlese) and wasn't planning on opening it for a few more years.

I like these wines before the petrol nose comes out too strongly. I mostly drink BAs, TBAs, and Eisweins from Germany. I think the Auslese will be fine for a few more years, but I'm not sure it will improve any from where it is now, but I like my Germans young.