Product Overview
Germany’s Mosel region certainly embraces some of the most famous and iconic terroirs for white wine made from the Riesling Grape.Its fame was such that we knew of Piesporter Goldtropfchen long before we understood many of our own domestic regions! Some 60%+ of the vineyards are planted to Riesling which are made in many styles, from bone dry to off dry and all the way up to unctuous sweet gems made from grapes affected by the noble rot. Whatever the style, amazingly, Mosel wines remain excellent value for money. Arguably, the magic ingredients are the slate soils and the very steep slopes. The former consist largely of blue slate producing delicate, somewhat flinty wines and, to a lesser extent, red slate producing more structured wines with different, darker aromas. These soils imbue the wines with the saline minerality, so appreciated by wine lovers. The steep slopes offer many aspects and allow the grapes to receive almost ideal exposure to the sun. The combination of the heat retaining properties of the slate and the steep slopes are important in this cool growing climate. The slopes rise from the banks of the Mosel river and are often terraced, with vines staked directly into the ground to keep them in place. Harvesting is almost universally done by hand. These are some of the world’s most labor-intensive vineyards, a characteristic they share with the Wachau in Austria, Hermitage in the Northern Rhone and Priorato in Spain, to mention just a few. The Mosel is often broken down into three sections; Upper Mosel, Middle Mosel and Lower Mosel, with most of the vineyards in the Middle Mosel. The region is further divided into districts (bereiche), vineyard designations (grosslage) and single vineyard designations (einzellagen).
Pedigree: This wine is a collaboration between Stefan Steinmetz of Weigut Gunther Steinmetz, in Brauneberg on the Mosel.and myself, Peter Koff MW. Stefan was starting to make a name for his winery with his array of excellent, dryer leaning Rieslings. I had tasted Stefan’s wines sourced from very old vines on the steep slopes of the Mosel. I wanted to make some of this magic under the strict mentorship of Stefan. He agreed and this wine is the result of that collaboration. This Riesling is 50+ year old vines in the Middle Mosel. The soils are a complex tapestry of blue slate penetrated with quartzite. These soils provide for extreme elegance and ethereal appeal.
Grape Varieties: 100% Riesling.
Vinification: The 2021 vintage in the Mosel got off to a slow start. It was cold and wet and producers were worried. However, the sun began to shine, and whilst it remained cold, the rest of the growing season was relatively long and fine. The result is beautifully poised wines with thrilling acidity and piercing flavors. Grapes were harvested at just the right moment to produce the ideal style of wine for the vintage. We eschewed the Pradikat system, a system based on sugar levels, being bound only by our desire to produce wines of optimum balance and site expression. Wine was fermented in stainless steel and racked into 100+ year old barrels to rest before bottling. This Husten Alte Reben is the bottling of a single barrel selection, the best barrel I chose in my tastings. It combines elegance, a saline minerality, ethereal fruit and lovely perfume.
Analysis:Alcohol: 11.0%
Tasting Notes:
Color: The wine is star bright, yellow with shades of green.
Bouquet: The bouquet is a delicate basket of summer flowers, with hints of classic Mosel minerally stoneyness.
Palate: The palate shows the purity of great Riesling, a backbone of saline, minerality and piercing acidity. There are nuances of apricots, nectarines, peaches and lemon. It’s all there in perfect balance, and at such a reasonable price.
When to Drink: Drink now through 2030
Serving Temperature: 45°F - 47°F
Food Pairing: Delightful on its own! Pair with white fish sashimi. Save some for your Camembert!
DONT MISS THIS!
