Penchant for eternity
Twelve hundred years of Riesling stood in front of me.
"Do you like old wines?" I was asked. A perfectly valid and therefore not offending question. In regard to the vinous pearls awaiting us assurance was needed that no brute was sitting at the table. I confirmed that I did. Not everyone has an approved tolerance for the taste of maturity in wine. Riesling shows its brilliance and clarity in its most beautiful way after years of development in the shade of time. There is something eminently human in a bottle of wine which has been stored in a cellar for decades, breathing calmly. Deeply rooted in unique soils the vine grows in the expression that is its place. After that the wine grows in time.
I am about to place myself in a position of embarrassment as I had never been exposed to wines of such substantial age before. Will my writing do these wines justice? The Rieslings which are lying in my own cellar date back to 1976, but no further than that. Having had so little experience with truly aged wines I felt an uneasiness when asked whether I would write about this tasting on Der Kellermeister. My answer at first was an apologetic no, but then I looked at these beautiful labels so I changed it to an evasive maybe. And now here I am. Have the kindness to bear with me if my lack of viticultural background knowledge of these historical vintages make for a rather dry reading. Rest assured that the wines weren't and that I am trying to describe them as best as I can.
Last December Stefan Steinmetz from Weingut Günther Steinmetz organized a tasting of aged Rieslings from the Mosel. The group of participants - winemakers, merchants, collectors - sat merrily at a big table in the Steinmetz tasting room. It was the right kind of atmosphere as wines of this age shouldn't be drunk hurriedly.
Kind of atmosphere: casual, friendly, full of expectation
Beautifully distressed labels from a distant past revealed marvelous vintages: 1971, 1959, 1937 - culminating in four Rieslings from 1921, the vintage that Michael Broadbent called "the best [German] vintage of the century." Some of the original labels were gone and had been replaced with "custom" labels written by hand or with a regular typewriter, as in the case of a 1952 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr from Weingut Ferdinand Haag, the original estate that later branched out into the two separate estates of Ferdinand's sons Fritz and Willi Haag. Looking at these labels was quite fascinating and we were grateful for every piece of information these so-called complicated German wine labels were giving us.
Albert Kohl (Weingut Clemens Kohl-Staudt) und Gernot Kollmann (Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, Weingut Knebel) had contributed wines from their wineries and/or private cellars. All Rieslings had been stored in perfect conditions. Some of the Immich-Batterieberg bottles had been recorked at some point during storage which obviously had a positive effect on these old but delightfully stimulating wines. It should be noted though that even bottles with original cork like the 1938 Batterieberg still tasted incredibly fresh.
Kind of freshness: crisp, unblemished, electrifying
But not every wine has a penchant for eternity. Three of the four wines from 1921 were already dark brown in color and had little to offer except for an overwhelming mushroom aroma, much like that of a Spätlese from 1937. A Piesporter Goldtröpfchen from 1929 had a massive cork aroma (which started the inevitable cork discussion at the table).
As sad as it was to meet these wines past their prime, the more astounding it was that 14 out of these 20 Rieslings had not only kept well during all those years but had developed truly captivating aroma and flavor profiles. Riesling ages well thanks to its high acidity and extract levels. But contrary to public belief it does not need a generous amount of residual sugar in order to last for decades as the dry 1960 Brauneberger Juffer demonstrated quite impressively. Günther Steinmetz remembered that it did not have more than 2 grams of residual sugar at the time of bottling. Nevertheless, most Rieslings at this tasting had at least Spätlese or Auslese level.
A remark from Gernot Kollmann about the Eitelsbacher Karthäuser Hofberg Sang Spätlese from 1967 also made me think more about the structure of an aged wine. This Spätlese had a slight sour taste which I thought was rather unfortunate after the wonderful bouquet dried fruits and honey. Its slight sourness was not to my taste, but was it therefore a fault in the wine? Gernot pointed out that the wine still had a perfect structure and recommended to keep it in the cellar for even longer. I felt guilty of having judged the wine by my own personal taste rather than by its merits.
The structure of a wine changes like the timber structure of an old gabled house. It becomes less angular over time. The outstanding merit of Riesling is that its foundation remains substantial even after decades of aging, supporting a composition flavors one rarely has the opportunity to taste. After years of silent rest aromas of herbs and nuts come to front, at times turning into a flowery meadow. Acidity and alcohol strike a beautiful balance. Honey flatters the tongue. The fruit becomes spicy, the juicy peach turns into a dried fruit with excitingly concentrated flavors. Instead of citrus and apple we get to taste orange peel, dates and prunes.
Kind of prune: shriveled, concentrated, faustian
The wines
1971 Immich-Batterieberg Ellergruber Auslese
The first wine, a 1971 Ellergruber Auslese from Immich-Batterieberg was already promising: intensely spicy aromas of forest honey rose from the glas. The Riesling was quite soft on the palate without being oily. Peach fruit, still juicy and fresh, was paired with more aged flavors of hazelnut.
1971 Bach. Bergweiler-Prüm Erben Graacher Himmelreich Auslese
The second wine, a Graacher Himmelreich Auslese had a deep amber color and showed already (unintentional) oxidation as well as hints of cork on the nose. "Sherry", everybody thought and some also said it. It was clear that given the age of the wines still to come this would not be the last example of oxidation.
1967 Eitelsbacher Karthäuser Hofberg Sang Spätlese Wachstum
The Sang Spätlese Wachstum 1967 from Eitelsbacher Karthäuser Hofberg also had an amber color, but no signs of oxidation. The bouquet of dried plums, orange peel and honey promised more than what the palate was able to keep: the orange and hazelnut flavors were slightly sour. Not to Gernot Kollmann's taste, who pointed out the perfect overall structure of the wine. The term "Wachstum" (growth) was used in the 60s in Germany to denote estate-bottling.
1964 Wittwe Willi Steinmetz Brauneberger Hasenläufer Natur
The Hasenläufer is a small vineyard parcel at the foot of the Brauneberger Juffer, catching additional sunlight reflected from the Mosel's water surface. The Hasenläufer lost its name (but not its identity) when the 1971 wine law declared it to be part of the Juffer. Stefan Steinmetz still vinifies the grapes from this exceptional parcel separately for his best wines. The half bottle we tasted was the last 1964 Hasenläufer at the Weingut. There is no more. It is sad. Despite the disadvantage of ripening for 45 years in a small 375ml bottle this Riesling had a beautiful bouquet of honey, heather and bay leaf. It was pleasantly sweet on the palate and had mild acidity. The palate was similar to the bouquet: honey and bay leaf. Long length with a spicy finish. A fabulous Riesling!
1964 Immich-Batterieberg Batterieberg Auslese
Golden, slightly hazy appearance. Pronounced aromas of peach, strawberry and forest herbs. The palate is remarkably fresh, full of peach but with a generous dash of black pepper! Pleasant soft notes of honey balance the pepper. A perfectly structured Riesling with a beautifully balanced triad of acidity/spice/sweetness.
1960 Steinmetz Brauneberger Juffer Natur
Beautiful golden color. Impressive bouquet of red apple, honey and various spices. Dry on the palate. The acidity is still crisp, after almost 50 years. As mentioned above, this wine only had about 2 grams of residual sugar when it was bottled. Spicy apple is also the dominant flavor. A truly beautiful dry old Riesling.
1959 Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Hasenläufer Natur
Golden color. The bouquet is dominated by honey, but the flavors are more bold, almost resiny. Noticeable alcohol (1959 was a hot summer) and therefore lacking acidity. Not as balanced as the previous Rieslings from Steinmetz.
1958 Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Mandelgraben Natur
1958 was the first vintage of Günther Steinmetz as chief winemaker of the family estate. But nostalgia is not the only reason why this wine stood out. This dry Riesling from the east-facing Mandelgraben has a markedly earthy bouquet, along with ripe peach and dark honey. The acidity is still crisp and the palate shows licorice, herbs and grapefruit. Long length with a fresh and earthy finish. A fabulous Riesling!
1953 Immich-Batterieberg Ellergruber Auslese
Spicy petrol aroma. A pronounced taste of forest, sweet and spicy with hints of tarragon. Amazingly fresh (sulfur may have been added when the wine had been recorked). Long length with a spicy finish.
1952 Ferdinand Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr
Interesting mint aroma. Pronounced acidity. Sweet on the palate and full of citrus fruit, albeit with a relatively short length.
1949 Immich-Batterieberg Batterieberg
Stunning golden color. Spicy apricot bouquet with an elegant honey note. Medium sweet, very concentrated flavors of black cherry and dried plum. Very lively acidity. Outstanding Riesling with a perfect balance of age and still youthful freshness!
1940 Sebastian Prüm Wehlener Lay
Pronounced, almost tickling citrus aromas. Invigorating acidity. Great earthy, mineral flavors with hints of cabbage, not harsh, though, rather soft on the palate with a mineral finish of a medium long length. A remarkable Riesling from a difficult vintage.
1938 Hain Wehler Rosenberg
Very sweet and spicy honey bouquet, but dry on the palate. There are still hints of orange fruit, but wood flavors already dominate.
1937 Wehlener Riesling Spätlese
The handwritten label does not mention the producer. Amber color. Aromas of hazelnut but already quite oxidized. The palate offers some orange, but time has taken its toll on this Spätlese.
1938 Immich-Batterieberg Batterieberg Auslese
Slight notes of spontaneous fermentation (i.e. stink) on the nose. Overall quite a spicy bouquet. Very lively acidity. Exciting flavors of minerals and smoke, but with a pleasantly soft mouthfeel. Great length, full of elegance.
1921 Geschwister Kerpen Riesling
After three completely oxidized Rieslings from 1921 the fourth and last bottle from Germany's vintage of the century also shows a deep brown color in the glass. Oh for crying out loud! Not again. But soon the bouquet fills the air with grapefruit and honey. It is still alive. The handwritten label does not mention the vineyard. Albert Kohl assumes the Wehlener Sonnenuhr as only the best wines were put away in the eternity cellar for long-term aging. There is still some residual sugar, nicely balanced with the acidity. Concentrated flavors of dried fruit. Long length with a spicy fruit finish. Remarkably complex and fresh for a wine of this age.
At the end of this remarkable tasting of old Rieslings Ms. Steinmetz served a beef soup. A perfect choice for my tired palate, exhausted after so much somewhat unexpected crisp acidity in these old wines. I will remember this soup, as I will remember the Rieslings of this astounding tasting.
