Was recommended this one by Joe at DeeVine - if I recall correctly, they are the first US distributors for Schmitges, which always makes me giggle - I think of the Schmitt's Gay commercial from Saturday Night Live in the mid 90's.
Nice, slick modernist packaging makes me believe this is not an old operation. A narrow waistband label sits at the bottom of a flat, flared bottle. It has a distinctive look. 7.5% ABV.
Was excited about '04 Spat as I'm cultivating my taste and I find that the higher I can drive the acidity in wines, the more I'm able to distinguish the different expressions in the wine as well as the different acts in the play. So to speak. A fat wine with little acid or submerged acid is almost a chore to understand. I've literally had to work it around the mouth, wearing away the sort of silicone sweetness until I could get to the inner core. I see now why some people describe this as baby fat. It really does obscure the wine.
True enough, it's an exciting wine and a great deal for that kind of juice. It pops out of it's top with old-vine thick, punchy aromas. It smells so strong, it makes one think of a wildflower honey, syrup or glaze. It's almost heady. I like it when there's some horsepower to the nose. I drink it and it's great. Really dynamic. Lots of acid play all throughout, and it does different things. At the outset, it's almost like it primes/awakens the taste buds. Then it hits a strong tropical sour note to get the mouth watering. This releases a bunch of mixed apple flavors, pineapple, a variety of hints of more tropical, custardy flavors I can't nail down, and then bursts in another phase of acidity, this time with a gush of limoncello flavor. Like a great lemonade or lemon liqueur.
I think it's a good find, and can be purchased from my store or directly from DeeVine in SF.
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