I got some more wrinkles in my face. Why? Loads of acidity grubbed into my skin today. Day 2 of the „Grosse Gewaechse Premiere“ was a tough job – especially for my teeth and tastebuds. I felt exhausted after more than a hundred Rieslings. Okay, I admit it was suffering at a very high level.
I started relaxed and curious about the Mosel section. My favourites for 2019? Difficult to choose. An exceptional wine is Fritz Haags Juffer Sonnenuhr „Im Falkenberg“. Crisp, Pure, restraint, immense complex and profound. Perfectly balanced and very long. Store it in your cellar and forget it for the next years. You could put it next to Clemens Busch Marienburg „Rothenpfad“. This coming beauty is dense and closed at the moment – but the layers of fresh stone fruit, white flowers and a herbal mineral bite promise so much. Brilliant also van Volxem´s Scharzhofberger “Pergenskopp”. Lean, lots of minerals with herbal lemony notes, laserlike, crystal-clear acidity. Also, a shining example was the very cool and precise “Blaufüsser Lay” from Heymann-Löwenstein.
At the Nahe, a Dönnhoff 2019 double made my day: The cool “Hermannshöhle” is tight and elegant, with a lingering balance of white fruit, herbs and mineral spice. The „Brücke“ intense and long, fresh fruit, crushed green leaves and mineral dust. Emrich Schönleber and Schäfer-Fröhlich were also very strong this year.
Massive acidity attack came from Rheinhessen. A Morstein 2019 triple of Gutzler, Wittmann and Keller was especially exciting and rewarding. Keller´s version was on the pole position for me with its dense, multilayered, very focused, bright, ripe aromas framed by a crescendo of acidity and a long salty finish. Wittmann and Gutzler were also strong.
Pfalz also had some excellent wines such as Christmann´s “Idig” 2019: Fresh with an intense core of white and yellow peach, apricots, citron tart and a touch of white melon. Long salty finish. Excellent also Philipp Kuhn´s collection with the „Im Grossen Garten“ as one of the highlights: intense, ripe fruit packed into a refreshing acid frame.
Examples from other regions will follow tomorrow …
