2001 Markus Molitor Wehlener Klosterberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/9/2012)
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
-- AP#: 2 576 609 20 02 --

NOSE: expressive; medium-strong petrol note; powdery limey tropical fruits; slightly sweet-smelling – tropical cotton candy; confected strawberry; intense cotton candy note with time in the glass; complex.

BODY: golden yellow color of moderate depth; medium-light to medium bodied; cork was soaked 2/3 of the way up, with a couple streaks all the way to the top.

TASTE: great acidity; well into tertiary development; just slightly off-dry; flowery; hint of lime; a very slight hint of oxidation/age; light petrol note on the mineral-dominated finish, which is long, and of medium-light intensity; fruit is fading --- this is becoming about the mineral, flowers, and acidity; acidity is vibrant, but not screechy; 11.5% alc. is not noticeable; maybe just barely on its down-slope; drink ‘em up right now, while this fantastic wine is still near its peak.

B: 50, 5, 13, 17, 8 = (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Good to hear the the acidity was still so noticeable in this wine. I've had quite a few 2001 wines from Molitor but not the wine you had. My notes (which are not recent):

2001 Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (1/16/2003)
this was quite a nice wine. It had a bouquet of apple and spice. It had a rich flavor with mineral, apple and quince notes. As indicated by the label this was on the drier side which almost threw me off the track when guessing the wine. It had good depth, balance and clean finish. 89 points.

2001 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/16/2004)
Some sulpher on the nose which will require some aging to get rid of. Somewhat closed now so I will give it a wide range. Should be nice. 88-91 points.

2001 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/16/2004)
Light golden yellow color. This was somewhat closed as well. The nose was muted and the fruit did not seem to be as vibrant as it should be. Needs time. 88-89+ points.

2001 Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Graben Riesling Auslese ** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/5/2004)
A unique two star Auslese. Not a dessert wine but sweet. It had a funky nose (sulpher). Notes of pear, apple and honey. Give this time as well for the sulpher to receed. 90-91 points.

2001 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** trocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/5/2004)
This is an interesting wine. A Auslese level dry wine with a excellent minerality and bracing acidity. A little sharp on the finish but I think that was the result of trying this after a few sweet wines from other producers. I wouldn't be suprised if I scored this a few points higher if I tried it again under better conditions. 89-90+ points.

I don't have any 2001's left but do have a pair of 2003 WS Auslese** which I'll try next year.

VM

Good luck with the '03 Auslese ** bottles, VM. I have a couple '03 German Rieslings in my cellar; at this point in time, I generally regard those purchases as mistakes.

quote:

Originally posted by Brashley:
Good luck with the '03 Auslese ** bottles, VM. I have a couple '03 German Rieslings in my cellar; at this point in time, I generally regard those purchases as mistakes.

Very hot summer. A lot of unbalanced wine.

I've had a bottle of the 2003 once before in 2006 and was not disappointed (93 points).

I'll see how the 2003 wines are holding up next year when I plan on opening a dozen or so for a 10 year retrospective. Overall, I am not too concerned about the 2003 wines I have. I think they will age well as previously discussed in this thread.

VM

I think 2003 is a vintage between genius and mandness. Lot's of problematic wines, some fantastic wines, certainly no typical wines.

The following are not bad, the Selbach "sur lie" is a mighty, outstanding wine:
Selbach Spätlese Zeltinger Sonnenuhr
Selbach Auslese * Graacher Domprobst
Selbach Spätlese trocken ** „sur lie“ Zeltinger Schlossberg
Molitor Spätlese Ürziger Würzgarten
Molitor Spätlese Wehlener Sonnenuhr

Anyway i won't recommend keeping them for ages.
It was a really strange year, maybe the first one where local Pinot Noir was outstanding.
With global warming going on, i am looking forward to the day when DRC buys some vineyards in Luxembourg