Bunn-Strebel

17.5

Tasted on 4 March 2019 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow with straw yellow reflections. Floral, ethereal pear fragrance with hints of roast flavours. Elegant Chardonnay with depth and freshness. Fine, perfectly balanced acidity, artful and skilful use of wood, delicate creaminess in the finish, outstanding length.

16.5

Tasted on 22 March 2019 by Werner Elflein

A Hipping like from a picture book: Full lemon yellow with some white gold. Reflects its origin already in the nose and shows notes of dry, hot rock. Intense scent, primarily of stone fruit, but also with tropical components. Full-bodied in the mouth, its style reminds a little of a (good) Wachau Smaragd. Mature, harmoniously integrated acidity. Very dry in taste and with excellent length.

17

Tasted on 28 March 2019 by Werner Elflein

Deep straw yellow. Delicate smoky scent of ripe quince. Appears on the tongue as a typical representative of the Niersteiner Oelberg – nomen est omen. In 2017, however, this vineyard characteristic does not lead to an excess of opulence. Harmonious acidity, excellent length.

16.5

Tasted on 28 March 2019 by Ioulia Elflein

16.5

Tasted on 14 February 2019 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow with pale white gold. Smells of green herbs, in the nose with a very precise idea of the soil structure in the hot steep slope of the Rotliegend: clear stone fruit aromas. The tropical fruits typical for other vineyards of Nierstein's Roter Hang do not appear. Instead, the rather masculine Niersteiner Orbel captivates with reduction to the essentials. The fine-grained, invigorating acidity completes the picture of an expressive dry Riesling that could hardly be more authentic. Very good length and sustainability.

15.5

Tasted on 15 February 2019 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow with pale white gold. Fragrances of a calcareous soil rise from the glass into the nose. Green and fruity aromas reminiscent of peach, jelly banana and star fruit. Already the alcohol content of 9.5 % signals that Lisa Bunn has renounced sweetness in her Kabinett in favour of a firmer stature. Despite the materiality and juiciness in the foreground, an animating, fine-grained acidity is perceptible. Very good length.

15.5

Tasted on 9 February 2019 by Werner Elflein

Opaque, dark cherry violet. After two hours in the decanter still very youthful bouquet with a varied scent of blackcurrant: as leave, as berry fruit and as crème de cassis. Nuances of black cherry are also present. Primarily develops fruity aromas in the mouth, supported by a pronounced acidity. Fine-grained tannin structure. Good depth. Lasts a long time.

16

Tasted on 8 July 2016 by Werner Elflein

It is quite astonishing how two wines of equal quality from the same hand can differ when they come from different sites that are clearly different in terms of soil. The day before yesterday, the Niersteiner Riesling “vom Rotliegenden”, clearly influenced by the Roter Hang, today the representative from the limestone. Undercover, they can hardly be assigned to the same producer. Here, the winery style ranks behind what is often called terroir. Full lemon yellow. In its current state, it definitely needs an hour of air. But then it quickly sheds its initially irritating cider aroma and mutates into a very good dry Riesling, to which the future belongs. The bouquet changes constantly and oscillates between shoe polish (this is really purely descriptive and in no way to be understood as judgmental), green herbs and discreet, not yet precisely focused yellow-fleshed fruit. In the mouth, the Riesling “vom Kalkstein” already seems much “tidier”. It already shows a very clear, vertical structure with coherent, well-buffered acidity and excellent length. As much as I am a friend of the Roter Hang, whose wines usually need more time, I fear that in 2015 the Dienheim will narrowly win the internal competition with the Nierstein Riesling. But it can also turn out quite differently.

15.5

Tasted on 6 July 2016 by Werner Elflein

Greenish underlaid lemon yellow. Still undeveloped, restrained aroma of stone fruit, but also faint hints of tropical fruits that reflect the typical aroma profile of the Roter Hang. Also still a little restless on the palate. Enormously powerful despite the moderate alcohol content of 12 %. A juicy, purist cocktail of citrus, red berry exoticism and rock, quite restrained in its sweetness. Piquant, pronounced acidity. Very good length. Authentic wine, marked by its origin.

16.5

Tasted on 27 July 2016 by Werner Elflein

Brilliant, luminous white gold with a slight green shimmer. Fruity aroma characterised by pineapple and lime with hints of roasted coffee bean and a little vanilla cream in the background, reminiscent of a crème brûlée. Also in the mouth with a rich aroma of ripe fruit and well-balanced acidity, which on the one hand provides a balanced mouthfeel that hints at a delicate creaminess, but on the other hand also brings in invigorating moments. It's hard to believe that there is 13 % alcohol here. Tart and spicy finish and very good length.

15

Tasted on 23 June 2016 by Werner Elflein

The wine is called “Scheu.” (shy) and a deer adorns the label. But neither the wine nor winemaker Lisa Bunn need to hide. Full lemon yellow with white-golden reflections. Highly aromatic scent of pink grapefruit. Gripping and refreshing on the tongue from the start. The ideal wine for a hot summer evening. Accentuated but ripe and well-integrated acidity. Quite dry, subtle hint of residual sweetness. Very long and with an impressive finish. At the end it becomes clear why the wine is really called “Scheu.”: No sooner it is in the glass, it is – poof! – gone away.

15

Tasted on 2 August 2016 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow to white gold. On the nose, the clearly evident passion fruit is still masked by tobacco notes. Lighter on the tongue than the 10% alcohol would suggest. Nevertheless quite compact. Traceable influence of the limestone. Moderate acidity, appealing sweetness, good balance, good length. Still needs time.

16

Tasted on 26 July 2016 by Werner Elflein

Despite of very moderate 12 % alcohol, I intuitively choose a large Burgundy glass – and I am right. Although Lisa Bunn's 2014 Silvaner Reserve is anything but an opulent wine, it has immense volume. Bright, full, white-golden sparkling straw yellow. On the nose, both the grape variety and the typicality of the Roter Hang are revealed in the form of a multifruitiness led by melon. Spicy aromas complete the complex bouquet and give the Reserve seriousness. On the tongue, a tremendous tension is added, which results not least from the extremely vital acidity here. This exemplary Silvaner is not soft and trivial, but expressive and demanding. Certainly not for lovers of francophile white wines, but rather for wine lovers who are looking for liveliness in wine. Consequently dry. Very good length. Has still potential for improvement.

17

Tasted on 17 October 2020 by Werner Elflein

Straw yellow with golden reflections. On the nose, in addition to the aromas typical of the Rotliegend, here rather softly exaggerated, reflecting a basket of the most diverse, in particular tropical fruits, mineral components are evident, reminiscent of hot rocks on a sunny day in high summer. In the mouth it is powerful and present, with distinct herbal and ethereal components. Harmoniously matured, with perfectly integrated acidity. Very long and persistent.

17⧛⚖

Tasted on 28 February 2015 by our jury

16

Tasted on 27 July 2014 by Werner Elflein

Reflective greenish yellow. Freshly opened, the Fraugarten Riesling shows expansive scents of overripe yellow apple on the nose, which at first in this not exactly focussing form do not speak for a very good dry Riesling. In the mouth, it also initially appears rather indifferent. The quite moderate acidity does not seem to suit the vintage at all. But fortunately, the picture changes in the course of the following hours. With air, the wine really blossoms. This is true both with regard to the more distinct mineral and slimming bouquet, which eludes precise description through ever-changing aromas. Stone fruit, walnut, a touch of peach and apricot. Yes, even a little mint. At 12.5 % alcohol, not too lush, but not too light either. Vital on the tongue and now also with quite a crisp acid kick. Has creamy texture. Sustainable and long. Very good potential.

16⧛⚖

Tasted on 30 March 2015 by our jury

16

Tasted on 19 June 2014 by Werner Elflein

Greenish yellow with faintly luminous reflections. Clear “tears” on the glass wall. Delicately buttery melon scent with a subtle citrus note and a hint of carambola. Powerful and concentrated on the tongue. 13.5 % alcohol in a dry Silvaner is not easy to compensate, but Bastian Strebel's flagship from the Alzey Römerberg manages the balancing act between opulence and drinking pleasure with ease. Only in the finale does the alcohol make a warming appearance. Tastes very dry. Finely spicy finish, excellent length.

16.5

Tasted on 26 January 2019 by Werner Elflein

Brilliant green-yellow, pronounced viscosity. Quiet, slightly ethereal scent of stone fruit and pineapple with clear hints of the fruit cocktail typical of Rieslings from Nierstein's red soil. High aromatic density, multi-layered, well integrated alcohol, elegant acidity, excellent length and persistence.

16.5

Tasted on 1 September 2013 by Werner Elflein

Clear citrus yellow. Expansive pineapple / stone fruit aroma, becoming more complex with a little air and delicate hints of tobacco. Can integrate 13.5 % alcohol seemingly effortlessly and does not even weigh heavily on the tongue. Rather, it shows a lightness and delicacy that is rare for dry wines in this weight class. Yet with power and body. The very ripe acidity and the moderate residual sugar (2 g/l) provide an excellent balance. A true monster of substance, which appears much more harmonious than wine drinkers who are fixated on analysis values would expect due to the low residual sweetness. Multi-layered finish, very good length. Exemplary dry Riesling. Should improve with a little maturity.

16.5

Tasted on 9 April 2020 by Werner Elflein