Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Konzelmann Estate 2006 Riesling - $11.00

I tasted this one during my visit around the time of the Icewine festival … I wanted to compare it to Konzelmann’s newest Riesling addition “The White Moose”, a $15 riesling that is said to undergo better treatment: hand-harvesting and such. I guess you could say it’s a reserve (if you want to use that terminology). But I wasn’t convinced about the $4 jump – the White Moose was .5 higher in residual sugar and lacked the complexity of the regular 11 dollar Riesling. My server informed me that the winery wanted to raise the price, but because it is an LCBO general list product the boys at the Lick-Bo said “no” (score one for the government monopoly) … when asked why my server told me point-blank “because we’ll sell it no matter what the price, so why not get a few more dollars out of it.” Not exactly the answer I thought I’d get, but there is something to be said for honesty. So why pick the $11 Riesling over the $15, besides the price … simple: a nose of peach, apple, tropical fruit and lemon drop proves to be more than just a little inviting – it’s downright delicious smelling – as for the palate, you’ll find a tart apple middle with a lemon crisp finish – and that’s downright delicious in the mouth … as it turns out the 11 dollar Riesling is very appealing to both your sense of taste and smell, as well as to your sense of frugality.

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