Category: Mosel

2020 Riesling Zilliken, Saar (Mosel), Germany. Did you already have a Riesling truly enchant you? Today I had that experience with this wine from Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken. This was a second time with this wine, the first time was at the winery a few months ago.

The Winemaking

It struck me that the wines ferment in old large barrels, not in stainless steel tanks. Few wineries do this. Allowing a little bit of micro oxidation avoids reductive notes in the nose. Furthermore, this ads to the complexity of the wine. It also adds to the complexity (and costs) of the winemaking. The old barrels are stored in two underground stories, below the building of the winery. The barrels do not give any wooden aromas to the wine. The inside is covered with cristals of tartaric acid, so that the wine doesn’t really touch the wood. Even if it did, the barrels are so old that any aromas of the oak will have vanished and washed out.

The Wine

A straw colored wine. You take a sniff and are almost overwhelmed with those complex and delicious aromas that are so typical for a Riesling that shows first signs of maturity. You sense grapefruit, apricot, peach, and this lovely petrol note of Riesling with some maturity. Very nice, and makes you long for the first sip. On the palate, the 2020 Riesling Zilliken is semi-sweet, but its expressive acidity lets you think that you have a wine with a lot less residual sugar in your mouth. Light on alcohol, only 9%, with medium body. The acidity and the residual sugar play with each other in your mouth – and you don’t care who wins. A lovely experience, only Riesling does this in this perfection. This wine is truly delicious, and enchanting. TBM 93 points.
Recommended for @cave.prime.

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2020 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Schloss Lieser is a slightly sweet Riesling, from one of the most famous vineyards in the Mosel area: Wehlener Sonnenuhr. It was Jodocus Prüm who created the sun dial in 1842. The sundial gives its name to a magnificent, large vineyard. Different wineries own parcels of different sizes of this appellation. Schloss Lieser is the winery producing this wine, which is run by Thomas and Ute Haag. Thomas is the son of famous winemaker Fritz Haag. They introduced spontaneous fermentation for their wines long before this became fashionable. They do not use yeast made from cultures, a practice to give the wine certain aromas. Instead, they work with the natural yeast that can be found on the grapes and in the cellar. This makes the wines express the true character of the terroir. I tasted this wine at the Gerstl Tasting in Sempach.

This Riesling has straw colour. In the nose, the first impression is a pronounced petrol note, typical for Riesling. One perceives aromas of citric fruit and mirabelle, with a flowery note. On the palate, it is slightly sweet (a bit sweeter than off-dry), with a pleasant acidity. It has a round mouthfeel and a long finish. For my taste, the petrol notes were slightly dominant and not fully integrated. But overall, a beautiful wine.

TBM 86 points.