The little wooden guy is a bit unsure. This was the first time any of us tried anything made from the Kerner grape. It was very interesting. It was even good, but the overpowering diesel kept it from reaching very good.
Night One
The nose is overpoweringly diesel. At first it surprises, with none of the sweet fruit you would expect from the "Spatlese" on the label.
The feel is slightly thick, that taste fairly complex. It stirs around a bit, never as sweet as you expect, starting with a tiny hint of very sweet limee- think key lime pie, not gimlet, but ultimately settling on over-ripe apple. The diesel from the nose makes a split-secod appearance on the mid-palate and then disappears for good.
Night Two, well actually, Night Three, corked and in the fridge.
Diesel on the nose is still very strong. Behind that is some green apple skin. There is also a fairly strong smell of gooseberry. I wonder if that is from two nights in the fridge.
It is still very thick on the palate, but the diesel is now asserting itself more strongly up front and lingering. Again, the primary flavor is very ripe apples, even stronger than on Night One. The finish gets a bit more tart, ending with green apple skins. It is very long.
This is a very interesting wine. It is as strong a diesel nose as I have ever smelled. The fruit is good, and for a Spatlese it comes across a surprisingly dry.
I was given this bottle as a gift. I have never even seen the grape before, so have no idea how much this costs. That said, for its curiosity and complexity, for its balance with the relatively high sugar content, and for overall drinkability, this is a good wine. Is it great? No. But if you want to add a whole new grape to your list this is a very pleasant way to do it.
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