WTN: 12 Years Under Screw Cap

[David M. Bueker]

2003 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spätlese * - Germany, Nahe (7/2/2015)
Nearly 12 years on from the vintage, and this wine remains incredibly fresh, while also having settled into a very nice groove that is down to supercharged Spätlese versus the massive Auslese it once was. Primarily peachy and honeyed on entry, it picks up lime and sweet cress elements that amp up the refreshment value. Through the finish it maintains a fairly intense level of sweetness, so between that and the fruit it has ages to go until full maturity. 12 years under screw cap has meant a very gentle evolution to date.

Hexamer Bravo! David I think I will stock up on some more of his `13s. I am also tempted to try his Sauv Blanc and raise a glass to you .

So, would you say it is following the same arc of evolution as under cork, only more slowly, or does it seems to be on a distinctly different evolutionary track? That has always been my biggest question about screwcap: different aging or just slower aging? To date, the wines I've had with some extra age under screwcap seemed to have been preserved rather than allowed to evolve, but thus far I think I've only gone as far as 9 years.

[David M. Bueker]

I would say it is just going along at a slower pace.