Description
This is the newest entrant to their range from a site some 20km north of Siefersheim. Oliver began his description by saying that this is a wine for the tasting panel. He went on to explain that this is the warmest GG site of theirs whose principal subsoil is quartzite, with very red iron rich topsoil, producing a wine whose demonstrative qualities help it stand out in comparative tasting: it is more compact and concentrated, with an intense minerality whose interplay give it a fascinating mouthfeel/texture. The Heerkretz is more filigree and less demonstrative, and thus would perhaps not be as exciting next to a wine like the Scharlachberg. He added that this year’s has wild spicy aromatics in particular. He then dubbed it “a freak wine”, meaning for the hard core geeks and freaks…..I found the wine to be plain delicious and very much fitting this profile. My note: “Spicy red fruited aromas, then in the mouth, the red fruit/spice are echoed, along with an intense, spherical sense of minerality that is more at the sides of the mouth than the linear style found in the Heerkretz. This is plain delicious…..”.
“Very suave and elegant, this is just beginning to open up. Stunning spice on the nose that’s wrapped in flint and funk. Considerable ripeness and power, the bold finish rather supple but intensely spicy. Very limited production. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.” 97 Stuart Piggott for the 2019, NOT THE 2021 OFFERED HERE.
“Picked on September 27 at 94° Oechsle, the 2018 Riesling Scharlachberg GG is pure and flinty on the concentrated and stony nose. Juicy and piquant on the pure and refined palate, this is an elegant, tensioned and persistently salty dry Riesling from a 35-year-old plot that has been rented from the Runkel brothers (Weingut Bischel) for at least 10 years. Tasted in March 2020.” 94 Stephan Reinhardt for the 2018, NOT THE 2021 OFFERED HERE.