Description
And lastly among the village level wines, and certainly not least, is a bottling that Oliver skipped a beat and then said, “This one is for the Freaks”. I am especially psyched to be able to offer it, a wine that they have produced for only a handful of years, but which has attracted a ton of attention for its raw quality and uniqueness. This higher elevation site outside of neighboring Fürfeld SW of the winery comprised of red iron rich topsoil with a rare type of volcanic stone beneath called Melaphyr. The site is regularly exposed to the cooling winds, and is always the last parcel that they harvest. It is way spicier aromatically, and intensely mineral. They only make 1000 or so bottles per year, roughly 80 some cases. I asked him if I can have 120 bottles (or more?) because, “my audience IS the freaks,” I told him. ;0 Knowing of my attempts to do so historically, as well as my longstanding support of the estate, he said “No problem.”. And so there it is. Go get it while the gettin’ is good, and then thank me later……..Technical stats: 8.3 g/L acidity, 3.2 g/L RS, 12% alcohol. In just a word from Oliver: The Freak.
“A radically mineral dry riesling, showing ripe yellow grapefruit. Remarkably sleek, cool and delicate for the drought vintage. Really crystalline, long and super-clean finish that’s quite austere. Only just beginning to open up. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.” 93 Stuart Piggott
“The 2018 Riesling Fürfeld Melaphyr (the 2017 was not produced due to dramatic frost losses) is from the coldest vineyard in Daniel Wagner’s portfolio. From vines planted in 2009 by Wagner, the 2018 offers a fascinating, pure and finely flinty bouquet with notes of crushed stones, black currant and wild herbs or flowers and red and black currant. Very complex and stimulating. Round and intense on the piquant and complex palate, this is Riesling on GG level: very intense and tight yet refined, with fine tannins and great purity. A fascinating Riesling. Highly recommended. Tasted at the domaine in March 2020.” 93+ Stephan Reinhardt for the 2018, NOT THE 2020 OFFERED HERE.
“Strongly pit-inflected white peach is further accented with pungent, smoky marjoram and carob and struck flint. The smokiness and piquancy intimated on the nose encamp on a palpably dense palate, but are joined not only by brightly juicy fresh lime and tart-edged white currant but also by an invigoratingly peppery bite and a tingling sense of crystalline mineral impingement that persists into a vibrantly and refreshingly persistent finish. The combination of low-toned depth and a Ruwer-like expression of fruit, herbs and mineral matter suggests the full keyboard of an organ with all the stops pulled. Like its similarly tank-raised counterpart from Wagner’s parcel in Neubamberg, this represents young vines that weren’t picked until October 29 and with high acid retention. “In this already small plot, some of the vines just shut down in the late summer heat,” he reported. Unlike in 2015, they had presumably accustomed themselves to water without end, so that the dramatic August shift disrupted their metabolism. Interestingly, this bottling harbors a mere two grams of residual sugar, three or four less than its Neubamberg and Siefersheim counterparts.” 94 David Schildknecht for the 2016, NOT THE 2020 OFFERED HERE.