A handful of Riesling grapes in the vineyards of Eva Fricke in the Rheingau. September 2012
One of the the coolest parts about traveling for wine is going back and referencing some of the shit you learned weeks or months after you have returned from a trip. When you are visiting 3 to 4 producers a day for a week straight, certain aspects begin to blend together. For me the most rewarding part is the day you drink that same wine in a different country or setting and are able to look back at your notes and experiences.
Stopping into Terroir in Murray Hill this week, I found myself reaching in desperation for a bottle of Eva Fricke to satisfy my thirst for that salty acidity I got so used to in Trocken Riesling's tasted in Germany last September.
A pleasant surprise to find Riesling hero Paul Grieco pouring wines himself at the Murray Hill Terroir. Paul is a cool dude, even when he forces me out of my comfort zone and denies me of any wine Italian.
We ordered a bottle of 2011 Eva Fricke Lorch (blend of two single vineyards), an amazing example of those salty minerally notes you can find in a finely made trocken Riesling. This was actually the first Riesling I have tasted since September and at least I got back on track with style.
A lineup of Eva's wines that she brought to our dinner at Adler Wirstchaft in Hattenheim.
Eva Fricke was the cellarmaster at Leitz before starting her own line in 2006. She has a fresh view on winemaking and is quite in touch with nature. Fricke wines are made using mainly indigenous yeasts, some champagne yeasts if necessary but always neutral non aromatic. The wines age on the lees and there is some considerable skin contact, at times up to 48 hours.
Eva finds that in the Rheingau, vineyards with more quartz will produce mineral driven wines, while the vineyards with grey slate have a rounder creamier characteristic in their wines.
Talia Baiocchi with Eva Fricke steady sippin' in the Rheingau.
Christina with a glowing glass of Riesling. Photo: Brunellos Have More Fun
Tasting the 2011 Lorch in the vineyards with Eva Fricke. Photo: Brunellos Have More Fun
A little Riesling video I came across from Stuart Pigott featuring Paul Grieco.
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