2014 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Grosses Gewachs

Here is John Gilman’s review:

“There have been deeper and more concentrated examples of Rausch GG from the Zillikens in past vintages, but the elegant profile of this utterly svelte 2014er really hit a sweet spot for me and I would not be surprised if a decade down the road, this will not be considered one of the greatest dry wines ever produced from Hanno and Dorothee Zilliken. The wine comes in at 11.5 percent alcohol this year, which gives it a more understated, medium-full personality and uncharacteristic accessibility out of the blocks. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a blend of grapefruit, white cherries, wild yeasts, a very complex signature of slate minerality, incipient notes of sea salts, petrol, lime zest and lemon peel. On the palate the wine is pure, fullbodied and completely seamless, with impeccable focus and balance, a great core, superb acidity and stellar length and grip on the laser-like finish. Not the biggest Rausch GG, but perhaps the most refined to date in the history of this bottling from the Zilliken family. 2018-2040. 95.”

October ’15 arrival.