Riesling Wines

wines

So much mineral and sliced apple character with hints of orange and apple peel. Turns to steely character. Full-bodied, racy and bright. So lively. Great finish. Drink or hold on release. On the market in 2019.James Suckling | 96 JSA bone-dry, racy white, with a lovely entry point of slate, petrol and brine aromas on the nose, plus a minerally profile that underscores notes of crunchy nectarine, kiwifruit, cherry blossoms, pink grapefruit pith and fresh thyme. Firm and linear, this graceful version exhibits seamless knit and definition. Drink now through 2039. 2,200 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2014 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is highly complex on the clear, intense and smoky, lemony nose. Clear, fresh, straight and very mineral on the nose, this is a pure but complex, intense, stony Riesling that is pretty austere at the moment. Provided with racy acidity, but concentrated and mineral on the palate, this is exceptional dry Riesling with great tension. To be served in 10, 20 and even in 30 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPVivid straw-green. Delicate nuances of jasmine and lemon verbena complicate aromas of green apple, lime and minerals. Pure and penetrating on the palate, boasting superb definition to the flavors of gin, mint, minerals, violet and lemon zest. The finish is remarkably crystalline and long. This Frédéric Emile is currently dominated by its Osterberg component (the cuvée is a blend of Osterberg and Geisberg grand cru grapes), which brings chiseled acidity, as opposed to the Geisberg’s ripe fruit personality and licorice quality. Despite the difficult year, this is likely to become a memorable Frédéric Emile. So much so, in fact, that it’s currently impossible to choose between it and the more famous Clos Sainte Hune.Vinous Media | 94+ VMComing close to a decade after the vintage, the 2014 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is still vivid and racy, with a taut, focused, almost austere style in its ripe citrus, crushed stone, hazelnut, and smoky mineral-driven aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, with high yet integrated acidity, this needs another 4-5 years of bottle age, as it’s currently austere, firm, and inward. It will be an incredibly long-lived Riesling, but how much pleasure it will ultimately deliver might be questionable.Jeb Dunnuck | 92+ JDA bit shy on the nose, this wine is taut and zippy with lemon juice at first—impressively fresh for its age. As it opens up, it offers notes of reed and a hint of smoke that add great interest and pairing ability. The finish is a long, refreshing lemon squeeze. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2015 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is clear and intense but highly refined on the nose that perfectly blends mineral with concentrated lemon and smoky flavors. Round, concentrated and very elegant on the palate, this is a slightly sweeter than normal Riesling, but it is highly finessed, well-structured and perfectly salty with a long and tension-filled finish. Fine tannins reflect the limestone/marl terroir of the Geisberg Grand Cru with the southeast-facing Osterberg Grand Cru. The 2015 will not go on the market earlier than 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPVibrant straw-green. The penetrating, explosive nose offers yellow apple, musky ginger, flint and chamomile. Dense, sappy and highly concentrated; peach and balsamic flavors are complicated by a hint of crystallized citrus peel. Displays lovely balance from start to very long finish. This is a noteworthy step up in concentration and complexity from Trimbach’s Mandelberg and Schlossberg Rieslings, however delightful those last two wines are in 2015. In keeping with the hot, dry 2015 vintage, this strikes me as sweeter than usual for the Fréderic Emile, though by the time it goes on sale in seven or eight years, it will taste less sweet than it is today. Clearly, the berries and bunches were extremely small in 2015, and so the wine is especially concentrated, rich and glyceral, all of which contribute a dimension of sweetness. However, the small berries didn’t give much juice and only 26,000 bottles were produced in 2015, instead of the more usual 40,000. Always a blend of grapes grown in the Geisberg and Osterberg sites, the wine’s makeup in 2015 is about 60/40 in favor of the Osterberg, but not surprisingly, the Geisberg’s presence really comes through in a hot year like 2015. I personally like it more when the Osterberg stands out, but that said, this is a really outstanding wine in the making, one of the best young FEs I have memory of.Vinous Media | 95+ VMVery complex white with slate, stone, light petrol, and smoke aromas. Lemon fruit. Full body, yet vivid and intense. Shows some phenolic tension yet brightness and intensity at the end. A gorgeous 2015. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JS

Both subtlety and ripe richness are conveyed with the mellow apple, hayflower and lemon aromas of this wine. The palate comes in with 2018’s mellow ripeness but presents a bundled, textured midpalate that shows off the ripe freshness and dry excellence of Riesling, all in a buffered and harmonious package.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Molitor’s 2018 Riesling Saarburger Rausch Auslese *** (Green Capsule) is concentrated, fresh and coolish as well as stony on the lemon-scented nose. Rich and powerful yet refined and elegant on the palate, this is a highly concentrated, dense and textured Rausch Auslese with crystalline, mineral acidity that gives a linear course. This mouth-filling Auslese is rich and generous but tightly structured, and the finish has enormous length and stimulating salinity. The 2018 is far too young for the next 10 years, but if you prefer to drink it young, I recommend opening the bottle five to six days before you serve it. Otherwise, waiting for 10-20 years would be the much better option. Tasted twice at the domain in September 2020.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP

Bracing minerals, sliced pears and apples, wet stones and a gently floral edge here. So pure and fresh. The palate has a succulent, powerfully aligned drive of fresh apple and pear flavors with a mouthwateringly fresh stream of acidity. More citrusy at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSLighter and livelier than the 2018 (a warmer vintage, which weighed in a full percent higher in finished alcohol by volume), Rippon’s 2019 Mature Vine Riesling strikes a winning balance between fresh green apple, tangy citrus and spring-like florals. It’s medium-bodied (12% alcohol) and almost dry, with great concentration and length. Classically built, it should age well for over a decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPLike many wines made by Nick Mills at Rippon, this needs to time to reveal its true character. This is an attractive Riesling with silken texture, but it is a quiet wine that requires exploration. Expect subtle yet stimulating floral aromas, and apple and lemon peel allied with brioche-like notes from time on lees playing a supporting role. New Zealand Riesling can be austere due to its acidity, but Mills has found a happy medium between acidity and sweetness, leaving a dry, clean, balanced finish.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Such an expressive nose of white peaches, nectarines, mandarin oranges, white flowers and vanilla. Grows with each swirl of the glass. Intensely mineral and racy palate that feels lighter than it is, because it’s so precise and vibrant, the lime and mineral freshness making the long. dry finish mouthwatering. The first release from David and Paul Hobbs’ riesling project in the Finger Lakes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSA fresh, high-pitched style, with pippin apple, fennel and lime pith notes backed by a twinge of slate on the finish. An understated style, but with purity and latent length, showing a sense of precision. Drink now through 2024. 1,847 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Fermented in a 300-liter Stockinger foudre, the 2019 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (White Capsule) is another stunner of the vintage from Markus Molitor. Fine, crushed slate notes combined with the pure perfume of perfectly ripe yet refined and elegant tropical fruits and lemons appear on the complex yet highly refined nose. The full-bodied, intense and powerful palate reveals very rich, round and concentrated fruit with an almost oily texture structured by firm yet fine and lingering salinity and minerality as well as fine tannin grip. The 2019 might appear unfinished in the beginning right now, but with enough aeration, it will develop extremely well, yet only slowly. Even after I tasted the opened wine again after seven days, it was still in the process of developing. Considering the price, this is a sleeper of the vintage, and I’d seriously put it back for 20-30 years. Tasted from AP 43 20 in May 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

From Hohen-Sülzen in Rheinhessen, Battenfeld’s 2020 Kirchenstück Riesling GG is pure and elegant on the nose that shows ripe and intense fruit along with great complexity in a rather "Burgundian" style. Amusingly, the wine seems open and reductive at the same time. Salty, vital and tensioned on the palate, this is a juicy, elegant and persistently salty Kirchenstück with a pure and salty but sustainable finish. Outstanding and surely the finest Kirchenstück I have ever tasted from HO Spanier! Tasted in Wiesbaden at the end of August 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThis super-elegant GG is hard to resist right now, due to the fine, peachy fruity, plus the delicate notes of citrus zest and white flowers. So sleek and polished on the palate, in spite of the considerable concentration. Such a light touch at the refined, salty finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JS

This is the right wine for anyone who thinks that dry riesling is always austere, Very generous and juicy with chalky character that neatly counterpoints the full, citrusy fruit. Long finish that’s stony, but far from tart. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Kreuznacher Kahlenberg Riesling trocken is from a steep vineyard on loess-loam soils with gravel and quartzite. Pure and fresh yet also fruity on the nose, with dusty lemon and wet earth and stone aromas, this is a medium-bodied, round and piquant dry Riesling with juicy fruit, fine grip, fine tannins and grapefruit bitters on the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Intensely herbal and tightly wound, this tastes like a GG, thanks to the firm and complex structure. Long, ultra-mineral and herbal finish. This needs some time to unwind, but has great potential. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSFrom an open, south-facing vineyard on red sandstone, the 2020 Roxheimer Höllenpfad Riesling trocken is pure but ripe and intense on the nose that reveals ripe and stewed apple aromas with a fine phenolic spiciness and reductive richness. Juicy-piquant and salty-crystalline on the palate, this is an intense yet very elegant and still slightly astringent dry Riesling with fine tannic grip and good tension. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

A super-elegant, medium-bodied dry riesling that is at once sophisticated and playful with a beautiful interplay of mandarin, peach and honeysuckle character with graceful acidity. The first vintage of this wine from young vines in the Hermannshöhle GG site! From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Niederhäuser Riesling trocken is from younger, up to 10-year-old vines of the Hermannshöhle and opens with a chalky slate bouquet of refreshing lemon and ripe, elegant Riesling aromas. Juicy, refined and very elegant on the palate, this is a quite settled, ripe and lemon-bitter Riesling with fine tannins and a very good finish. The acidity is ripe and elegant and fully integrated and gives this flowing Riesling remarkable filigreed structure. 12% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

Wonderful white-peach, mandarin and orange-blossom nose that also has something dark and “earthy” behind all the charm. So much depth and energy that it makes your bones rattle! Staggering intensity at the vibrant, lemony finish. The grape sweetness is there, but way in the background. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2020 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese is super clear, refined and fresh on the rather coolish but fruit-intense and elegant, slightly flinty nose. Salty-piquant and highly stimulating on the palate, this is a gorgeous, very elegant and juicy Riesling with a crystalline, laser-sharp acidity that is highly refined as well and carries this Spätlese to a long and intense finish. 8.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The 2020 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein is another adorable wine from Jean Boxler. From about 70- 80-year-old vines on deeper, marlier soils with a granite layer, the 2020 shows a coolish, clear and refined bouquet of crushed stones, iodine and delicate citrus notes. On the palate, this is a vivacious, even nervous, vibrantly fresh and mineral Sonnenberg with bright and fresh Riesling fruit and a leaner, more vertical structure compared to Vanne and Eckberg. The Dudenstein is less powerful and rich compared to its brothers, but it’s a classic, stimulating and refreshing Riesling with great aging potential. This is about 14% alcohol, which we do not taste or feel. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in April 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

From vines planted in 1953 (which Boxler rented in 2019) that give small bunches with highly concentrated fruit, the 2020 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Vanne offers a clear, deep and fresh, very delicate but also complex bouquet of cold, wet stones with coolish, herbal, lemon-scented notes. Beautifully defined, precise and elegant. On the palate, this is a tight, pure, crunchy and salty Riesling with great intensity, fine tannins and a dry and serious, almost aristocratic, endlessly salty finish. This is a Riesling from crushed stones. An amazing Sommerberg indeed. About 14% alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in April 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP

Striking nose of rosehip and lime zest with delicate wild flower and herb aromas. Simultaneously structured and elegant, this dry riesling has remarkable concentration for just 11.5% alcohol. Long, silky, mineral finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2021 Kallstadter Riesling Kabinett trocken is clear, refined and elegant on the beautifully aromatic nose. Vinified in small and up to 60-hectoliter oak casks, this is a subtle, frisky but seriously calcareous Riesling with and intense and well-structured fruit texture and vivacious but ripe acidity that is interwoven with fine phenolic grip and stimulating, sustainable salinity. A gorgeous, still young Riesling bottled with 11.2% alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in August 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

From 80- to 90-year-old vines picked at 78° Oechsle, the 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett opens with a pretty reductive and sulfidic bouquet with stony and herbal notes wrapping around the bright fruits and white blossom aromas. This wine needs lots of air, but Constantin has already fallen in love with the nose now. Savory, clear and refined on the palate, with crystalline, finely grained acidity and a salivating taste of slate, this is a very promising Kabinett from the iconic cru in Wehlen. The 2022 should be aged for at least 5-10 years, and it will reward your patience with great finesse and complexity. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in May 2023.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP