TN: Bernkasteler Doctor 1970er Auslese Eiswein Christwein, Wwe. Dr.H. Thanisch
 

I bought 3 bottles of Bernkasteler Doctor 1970er Auslese Eiswein
Christwein, Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch shortly after release, and it has
been stored properly The fill is still quite high, there are no bottle
or cork issues, and, with care, the cork came out in one piece.

One must take great care in comparing tasting notes for this wine.
Apparently Thanish released several small variations of this wine, and
omission or addition of one word in the long name given above may mean
that the wines are different, someone forgot to include a word in the
name, etc. For example, Thanish also released a 1970 Doctor und Graben
Eiswein Christwein which indicates this is a mixture from 2 vineyards,
and the absence of auslese in the name indicates that this is a less
rich wine than the one I am reporting. I did not find tasting notes
for the exact wine I tasted, but the reports I read indicated that
this wine would be very different from most wines from the region and
some people could not decide how to rate this wine.

The wine is golden, about the color of d'Yquem of about the same age
and from a good year. The bouquet was very intense. There was ample
old Riesling character, but also a floral character not unlike
honeysuckle but still somewhat different. There was a very complex
mixture of herbs, spices, and mixed candied fruits in both the bouquet
and taste. The wine was quite sweet, but there was enough acidity to
balance. The finish was quite long.

I have no idea how this wine may continue to age and how long it may
last. It might age in the direction of an early 1900s Tokaji Azu
Essencia I had a few years ago that had much dried fruit character. On
the other hand it could dry out. The wine is so unlike any Mosel I
have ever had that there is no reference point for comparison.

This wine seems to have some of the character of a good Sauternes, but
much less alcohol and honey. It has some of the candied fruit
character of some Tokaji wines. Had I not detected the old Riesling
petrol, I might not have guessed the wine was a Riesling, much less
which country and wine region it came from. One can safely say that
this wine is very unique. Some will like it, and others not, but you
are not likely to go to sleep from boredom when tasting it.

The price of this wine shortly after release was about $US 46, which
was well above that of 1971 Petrus. The same store where I bought this
wine sold the 1970 Romanee-Conti at release for about $50. While 1970
Romanee-Conti is hardly one of their best years, just look up the
price at auction now.