Picture: Stephan Reinhardt at the 2019 VDP Weinbörse in Mainz, Germany. See:
Attending the 2019 VDP.Weinbörse - Vintage 2018 - in Mainz - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling
A few days ago, Stephan Reinhardt, who covers Germany for the Robert Parker Wine Advocate, released a list of his 5 favorite wines of 2022 on the Wine Advocate Website.
This is a most interesting list, which I am re-releasing here, with the text of Stephan Reinhardt. I have added a few of my pictures.
Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker Wine Advocate: My 5 Favorite Wines of 2022
I am currently finishing another big Germany report
with more than 700 wines that will be published here very soon. Of
course, among them are many personal favorites, although that doesn’t
mean these are the highest-rated wines. You could easily rank all the
tasted wines by scores in our archive and wouldn’t need any further
explanation. Yet here, I only recommend what I have personally bought
this year or wish I would have bought early enough. 2021 was a very
difficult vintage in Germany not only due to a very small crop but also
due to the fact that many rainfalls let the grapes ripen only slowly and
late. While the dry white wines are most likely not the best ever made,
the classic predicates such as Kabinett and Spätlese brought some
exceptional Rieslings, namely along the Mosel but also the Nahe and the
Rhine. The naturally high but ripe acidity levels were just perfect for
Rieslings that did not ferment to fully dry (or weren’t allowed to
ferment dry), since the acidity combined with the mineral tension
uplifts the sweetness that has rarely tasted that dry in recent years.
In fact, I haven’t tasted such lean but dramatic Rieslings as the 2021s
in more than 20 years, when global warming or climate change wasn’t yet
on everybody’s minds. However, my favorites were not just Rieslings this
year, and certainly not just 2021s.
A Wine for The Cellar: 2021 Schäfer-Fröhlich Felseneck GG (Germany, Nahe)
Tim Fröhlich's Rieslings from the Bockenauer Felseneck
are among the most impressive wines in Germany. The steep slope is
located somewhat off the beaten path, in the valley basin of the
Ellerbach, a side valley of the upper Nahe. Fröhlich owns nine hectares
in the purely south-facing site, where the vines climb from 250 to 310
meters in elevation up to a high plateau. About 80% of the acreage is
planted with vines that are over 40 years old, sending their roots deep
into the rocky, easily warmed, but also permeable soil that is dominated
by upper red clay, with conglomerates of blue Devonian slate,
white-gray quartzite and basalt boulders. Miraculously, the old vines
defy summer drought (as they did in 2018 to 2020) but also the abundant
rainfall that occurred in 2021. The precision and finesse of the
Riesling Grosses Gewächs from the Felseneck was not affected by the 2021
vintage. In any case, the wine is incredibly impressive and expresses
the multilayered slate minerality of the Felseneck terroir in a focused
yet currently wild and untamed way, reminiscent of crushed flint and
slate stones, herbs, green leaves, chamomile, lime zest and iodine.
Full-bodied and rich on the palate, this is a pure and crystalline laser
sword of a dry Riesling that should be cellared for at least 10 years
in order to reach the Mount Everest of German Riesling.
A Wine That's Under the Radar: 2017 Weingut Krone Assmannshausen Höllenberg GG (Germany, Rheingau)
The Höllenberg in Assmannshausen, Rheingau, is one of
the most famous and best sites for Pinot Noir in Germany and has been
for a very, very long time. Ewald Schug, father of Walter Schug, who
grew up in the Assmannshausen domaine of the Hessische Staatsweingüter
but became famous in Napa Valley and Carneros, produced some of the
finest red wines in German history here between 1919 and 1959. Vintages
such as 1945, 1947 and 1959 still easily hold their own alongside the
most expensive grand crus from Burgundy, as so many tastings have
proven. Thank goodness the treasury of the Staatsweingüter is well
stocked, so that earlier this year I was again able to taste the
Assmannshäuser Pinot Noirs far back into the 19th century (the report
will be published in the first quarter of 2023), which once again proved
the value of this steep slope on the Rhine. Nevertheless, it is neither
the sought-after Höllenberg Pinots of youngster Carsten Saalwächter nor
those of doyen August Kesseler or even those of the Staatsweingüter
that have remained under the radar for so long, but it is the Pinot
Noirs of Krone Assmannshausen belonging to the Weingüter Wegeler.
Michael Burgdorf, the most reliable constant at Wegeler for 22 years,
has also been responsible for these red wines growing on phyllite slate
soils for 15 years. The pinnacle of his cellar master's art is the
Spätburgunder Grosses Gewächs from the Höllenberg. This juicy, salty
and, above all, vital red wine comes on sale late, just as it used to
when Assmannshäuser was synonymous with German red wine. Currently, the
two vintages 2016 and 2017 are offered. Both vintages are great, but the
2017 is perhaps a touch denser and more dramatic: it is bright red,
firm and distinctive, and although it’s no charmer, it is confident and
terroir-driven, a rigorous classic of German red wine literature.
A Wine for Tonight: 2009 J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Auslese Alte Reben (Germany, Rheingau)
Matured Riesling, of course, because this is what
Riesling is made for. If you don’t have the chance, Hans-Josef Becker
has. His winery in Walluf is something of a Gallic village in the
Rheingau, even though Becker is not a rebel, just because he looks like
one. Rather, he is a preservationist, a mustachioed patron saint of the
authentic. Becker still uses the old German Prädikate (predicates) even
for dry wines, which would be forbidden if he was a member of the VDP.
The message included behind terms such as Kabinett, Spätlese or Auslese:
My wine is naturally pure. Not improved, not sanded down, but naturally
beautiful. The Pinot Noirs anyway, but also the vast majority of
Rieslings are dry; and if they are not, then nature has arranged it that
way, and man, Becker knows how to accept that. After all, he has a
spacious cellar and sometimes allows his wines a lot of time. When
Becker's wines have matured in the bottle for some years, like the 2009
Auslese from the Walkenberg—which was not fermented completely dry and
which he put back on sale in late summer—then one would prefer to drink
each bottle on its own. That's a mouthful of Riesling! And while many
2009s are hanging limp and heavy on the ropes today, Becker's Walkenberg
knows how to dance, smack and charm. A wine that sings the praises of
the Wallufer Walkenberg and, last but to least, of matured Riesling.
A Wine from a Producer That Exemplifies Sustainability: 2020 Adams Wein Chardonnay Lohpfad (Germany, Rheinhessen)
Since 2010, Dr. Simone Adams has been producing her own
wines on the chalky weathered soils of Ingelheim am Rhein
(Rheinhessen), predominantly from the grape varieties of the Burgundy
family—i.e. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir—as well as
Chardonnay. In her first 12 years, Adams has developed what she calls
"empathic viticulture." It consists of drawing conclusions from close
observation in the vineyard as well as in the cellar, which continues to
improve and refine the work in the field as well as in the cellar for
the sake of the vine and the wine. After a few years of experience,
there was no way around ecological work and, as a last consequence,
biodynamics. Next year, Adams’s vineyard will be certified biodynamic,
but she already tends her 10 hectares of vines like a garden. One almost
gets the impression that she is on a first-name basis with every vine
and is happy to be able to work and learn in this natural milieu. Adams
focuses entirely on the system of soil, plant and light and is highly
creative in what she does to bring out "the elegance, the pure, the
finesse" in her wines, which come from the 50th latitude and should
accordingly be subtle even in times of global warming, leading to
certain viticultural measures. Adams’s wines are reflections of their
origins, at least as much as possible and a little more each year. In
the cellar, Adams can then leave her wines "on a long leash." Overripe,
maximum extraction and high alcohol yield are not sought after, nor are
French genetics. Simone Adams, a warmly cheerful as well as
down-to-earth and obliging person, produces subtle, highly authentic
Ingelheim Burgundies. They are certainly not yet the most spectacular in
the country, but that is exactly what they are in any case: fine and
lively unique Ingelheim wines that are simply a joy to drink. In
addition to her Pinot Noirs (which she calls Spätburgunder and not Pinot
Noir), the 2020 Chardonnay Lohpfad from the Ingelheim Schlossberg
stands out. Grown in clayey marl, the wine is powerful and intense yet
pure, complex and full of tension, as the fruit is joined by salt and
even iodine notes, as well as lively acidity and fine tannin structure.
If there are producers who continue the great Ingelheim Pinot Noir
tradition of the 19th century, then it is Simone Adams and also Carsten
Saalwächter, from whom we will also have much to report in the coming
years.
Pictures:
Stefan Braunewell (Weingut Braunewell), Stephan Attmann (Weingut von
Winning), Frankfurt/Wein, Nadine Poss (Deutsche Weinkönigin),
Frankfurt/Wein, Markus Berres (Weingut C.H. Berres), Simone Adams (
Weingut Simone Adams), Carmen von Nell (Dominikanerweingut von
Nell-Breuning). See: Frankfurt/Wein Celebrated with the German Wine Queen Nadine Poss and
5 Winemakers: Simone Adams, Weingut Simone Adams, Markus Berres, Weingut C.H. Berres, Stefan Braunewell, Weingut Braunewell, Carmen von Nell-Breuning, Dominikaner Weingut, and Stephan Attmann, Weingut von Winning
A Wine That’s Especially Good Value: 2021 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett (Germany, Mosel)
Ever since I have been
drinking wine, I have been drinking Rieslings from Willi Schaefer. No
Riesling is brighter, finer, more heavenly or more incomprehensible and
yet stands with its feet in the slate that produces unmistakable wines
of absolute world class in the Graacher Himmelreich and even more so in
the Domprobst. One would recognize their smoky spiciness even in one's
sleep and immediately want to open a bottle of Kabinett! The 2021
vintage was small in volume, but the qualities were superb! I didn’t
study any wines longer this year than the 2021s from Christoph and
Andrea Schaefer. Namely, the Kabinett Rieslings from this cool vintage
are terrific. Although not dry, I first understood the darker-toned
Domprobst in particular as a full-blown food wine, as deep and complex
as it is for all its lightness. Great art, distributed over two fuders: AP #1 and AP #3. That is too little for the world, but to never forget the wine again, one sip is enough.
Pictures: Christian Schiller, Christoph Schaefer and Annette Schiller. See:
Rieslingfeier 2018 in New York City: Gränd Tasting and Gala Dinner
schiller-wine: Related Postings
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Dinner at a Historic (Second Empire) Café-Brasserie in
Lyon: Grand Café des Négociants - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy
WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Tour and Tasting at
Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by
ombiasy WineTours, France
How Does the Negociant System in Bordeaux Work? Tour and Tasting at Millésima - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Daniel Wagner at Weingut Wagner-Stempel (VDP) in Siefersheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by
ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Helmut
Dönnhoff and Sascha Johannes Schömel at Weingut Dönnhoff (VDP) in Oberhausen, Nahe - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference December 2021
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Carl Willner,
Christian Schiller and Ken Bensley of the German Wine Society/ Washington DC Chapter (Re-)elected to the National Board, USA, Germany
"Silent Winds, Dry
Seas" - Literary Salon: Book Reading and Discussion with the Author Vinod Busjeet Followed by Dinner at the Schiller Residence in Virginia,
USA
The American Wine Society National Conference 2022 in Bellevue/ Seattle, Washington State - Seen through Christian Schiller`s Camera Lens
The End of the
"Grosslage" in Germany - Seminar about the new German Wine Law of 2022 at the 2022 American Wine Society National Conference in Bellevue/
Seattle, Washington State, led by Annette Schiller
Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists
2022 Holiday Party of the
German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC Downtown, USA/ Germany
Announcement:
Annette Schiller Presenting "All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get
into that Bottle" at the Northern Virginia Chapter of the AWS on Friday,
January 6, 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment