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When all is said and done, the aromatics of this lovely wine leave no doubt about its origins: the mountain of black Devon slate that the Romans named Bacchi Ara: the “Altar of Bacchus,” and the deepest, coldest cellar I know in Germany. At first, the wine smells of summer, with warm, ripe Red Haven peaches, dried apricots, and honeyed ginger moving in and out of the foreground as the nose evolves in the glass. Later honeysuckle, lime blossoms, and crystallized honeycomb emerge, sometimes alternating with pink grapefruit, butterscotch, and coriander seed. On the palate, the wine is both creamy and sinewy: mouthfilling, salty, and just off-dry, with flavors of juicy Meyer lemon, grilled pineapple, white peaches and fresh thyme, all comingled with palpable Devon slate minerality; its barely perceptible sweetness in easy harmonic tension with ripe, citric acidity. The overall impression is one of fine creamy elegance. And the finish goes on forever. Drink now – 2045 (!).
About this wine producer: It was perfect timing that brought us to Weingut Ratzenberger on a rainy afternoon in July of 2000. Paolo De Marchi of Isole e Olena had recommended the wines, and the Ratzenbergers had just ended a testy relationship with their famous American importer. So we tasted the thrilling, mineral-infused Rieslings that Jochen poured knowing that they were actually available to buy. We believe that despite flying under the radar of “important” German wine pundits, the Ratzenbergers should be included among the very top producers of Riesling in the world.
$22.50