WTN: Vertical of German Riesling 1976-1999

Excerpts from a recent vertical tasting in Zurich arranged by the exceptionally generous wine expert Max Gerstl.

1976 Weil Gräfenberg Auslese
Deep golden color. Wide open on the nose. Sweet with spicy freshness, low in acidity. Appears younger than it is. Good balance, concentration and harmony. Nice Rheingau typicity. Now fully mature. - My subjective rating: 92/100.

1989 Nell Trierer Kurfürstenberg Auction Auslese
Glossy copper gold. Slightly oxidative on the nose showing high concentration and acidity, reminiscent of Tokaji. A powerhouse on the palate. Dried fruit, notes of botrytis, black tea, some tobacco and a lot of highly aromatic acidity. Impressive, but I miss the Riesling typicity. Now fully mature. - My subjective rating: 90/100.

1992 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auction Auslese
On the nose this is reminiscent of white flowers, verbena and hints of yellow fruit. Clean and innocent like water from a glacier. The subtle fruit feels like drops of color in a watercolor painting. There's limited complexity and concentration but everything in this wine is weightless and dancing in perfect harmony. Now fully mature. - My subjective rating: 91/100.

1996 Weil Gräfenberg Auslese
Dark gold in color. What a beautiful scent: youthful, fresh, vibrant, driven by dried fruit and a touch of clean botrytis. Energetic and elegant on the palate with strong acidity. It has an attitude like a ballet dancer. Despite being a powerful wine it is strikingly much lighter than the monumental Weil Kiedrich Spätlese from the same vintage. I'd drink this between now and 2040. - My subjective rating: 93+/100.

1997 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auction Auslese
Like the color of a 10-year-old Riesling. Demonstrating impressive depth and complexity on the nose. There is intoxicating florality, subtle minerality and the scent of jasmine tea. I'm about to faint.. Exploding on the palate, unleashing a breathtakingly wide and complex spectrum of subtle aromatics. Ethereal freshness, perfect balance and harmony. Still very youthful. In short: sublime Saar Riesling - nothing compares to it. I'd drink this between now and 2045. - My subjective rating: 96+/100.

1999 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Auslese
Youthful in color, closed on the nose. The inimitable classical aromatics of Scharzhofberger from Egon Müller. For the moment expressing rather mineral depth and spices than fruit. Not particularly sweet for what it is. Greatness will come with further development in the bottle. I'd drink this between 2030 and 2040. - My subjective rating: 94+/100.

Cheers, Rainer

[David M. Bueker]

Those are some nice excerpts!

Those are some nice excerpts!

Yes, I am sure you‘d have loved these wines as well.
3 thoughts came to my mind in this context: 1) One life is potentially not enough to fully explore great wines through their entire life-cycle. 2) Gräfenberg always delivers. 3) If Saar Riesling succeeds it is (in my view) the best Riesling on this planet.

[David M. Bueker]

And Saar Riesling works much more often in these days of climate change. In my opinion the Saar has been the biggest benefactor in Germany.

And Saar Riesling works much more often in these days of climate change. In my opinion the Saar has been the biggest benefactor in Germany.

I could not agree more. - This is what happened in my view:
Egon Müller used to be lonely at the top of the quality pyramid of Saar Riesling.
Today, Egon Müller is still the best, but the top tier has widened with producers like Zilliken, von Hövel, von Othegraven, Dr. Wagner.
The qualitative gap between Egon Müller and his pursuers has narrowed.
For example look at the best wines produced by von Hövel and Dr. Wagner in 2017. Awesome, there's something going on ..