2010 Clemensbusch Riesling (Mosel)

Summertime in Berlin. Riesling please! The mind flow of a wine lover captured in two sentences when visiting Germany, with their outstanding quality in Riesling production. I bought this 2010 Riesling from Karstadt at Kurfurstendamm. Another good wine store is the Galeria Kaufhof department store which has a massive wine department of local and foreign wines, a must-visit every time in Berlin.

Clemensbusch Riesling seems to be a one-off among 2010 Rieslings, as it offers subtle fruit with low acidity compared to most local Rieslings from the vintage. The style is more of a balanced ripe fruit style - Rieslings acidity is always there, however this wine lives on other merits than plain crispness - it has style to accompany the acidity. Ripe grapefruit, melon, flower notes and white pepper offered in a smoky style, as well as beautiful minerality on the nose.

Taste is beautifully balanced with ripe grapefruit and minerality which are in working in unison with Rieslings trademark high acidity. The wine is almost oily on the tongue, which is surprising of such a young Riesling and for an entry level product of a wine producer. The oiliness brings a nice component to the wine. Serious wine making here. Constructive criticism on the finish which is quite short.

This wine being only their entry level riesling, it would be interesting to try Clemensbusch's range of wines. Mental note on a to-do.

2008 Keo Heritage (100% Maratheftiko) from Cyprus - an interesting wine where Bordeaux meets Syrah

From a rare Cypriot indegineous grape Maratheftiko (100%), Keo's Heritage wine is part of a serious effort to re-establish quality wine making in Cyprus.

Keo has been in the forefront of the development to bring back indigenous grapes cultivated on the island since ancient times, of which Maratheftiko is a prime example. As the grape is found only from the areas of Pitsillia and Troodos the scarcity of the grapes leads to a production quantity of only 10,000 bottles.

I consider myself lucky that a friend of mine brought the bottle from Cyprus to show the capability of local wine making. The Heritage 2008 is an interesting wine which combines aromas of a bordeaux blend and a northern Rhone syrah. The 2008's palate is soft, round and almost silky and with nice acidity. Full-bodied with a grip on the mid-palate however with a slightly bitter and short finish. Aged for 3 years in French oak from Limousin, the wine's tannins are nicely integated at the age of 4 years (tasted in July 2012).

A world of aromas. Full of ripe plum as well as mint, tobacco, moccha, hint of blackcurrant leaf, chocolate, dark spices, ink and green pepper, all indications of a classical bordeaux blend of Cabernet franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (in that order, due to noteable green notes). However after longer decanting the aforementioned notes are mixed with pepper, blueberry and leather, all Syrah-like notes.

An impressive wine (albeit the short finish) from a relatively unknown grape. It would be highly interesting to see what other producers are able to do with this grape, as the grape itself shows potential. The wine was recommended to be enjoyed from cabernet / bordeaux glasses, which we experimented to be a good option.

Having previously tasted Vlassides' Cabernet Sauvignon (a surprisingly good wine), I come to think that Cyprus is a hidden gem in particular when considering price to quality ratio. And with only limited area for cultivation of wine, Cyprus might stay under the radar for a while. However based on tasting wines from limited amount of quality producers such as Keo and Vlassides, quality wine making looks promising on the island. I want more of these!