"A beautifully flamboyant nose of cassis, white peach, spices and flora. The wine develops the delicately creamy side of an Auslese on the palate. A fresh and racy zestiness along with a vibrant, intense finish."
Based in the heart of the middle Mosel, Dirk Richter's estate is one of the finest and most highly regarded in Germany and has been in family hands for over 300 years. The wines are fermented and matured in old oak casks in cool cellars below ground, so that each wine can slowly fulfil its individual potential.
This fruity Spätlese Riesling comes from vineyards clinging to steep rocky slopes in the priviledged Busslay sector, accessable only by narrow stairs (Treppchen) carved into the hillsides around the town of Erden. But the hard work of tending to these vines is well rewarded. The ferruginous, red slate stone terroir produces racy wines with great complexity, showing intense yet spicy minerality and balance.
Vinification starts with gentle pressing and slow temperature controlled fermentation in traditional old oak barrels (fuders). This careful, deliberate process preserves the quality of the grapes, develops the unique character of the single-vineyard cuvees, and gives the wine exceptional longevity. The wine is finished in very old german fudres to allow for some oxidation rather than to impart any oak flavours.
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Constantin Richter describes 2017 as "a more classic, relatively cool vintage." He said, "In 2017, we got everything: frost, hail, drought in spring, rain in summer, early botrytis, but, luckily, coolish and windy nights, so the berries often shriveled under healthy conditions. However, we had to be highly selective during the harvest, and all negative botrytis was sorted out. During the dry weeks, we didn't break up the soil in order to minimize the pressure of botrytis and to keep our grapes in a positive stress situation." Richter compares the 2017 botrytis with that from 2013: "The berries were ripe and botrytis was clean after the selections....Also, 2001 is similar due to the high level of ripeness, botrytis and a concise acidity." In four to five weeks, starting with mid-September, team Richter picked only 50% of a normal harvest in 2017. Due to the rain in August and the low yields, the extracts are very high and this includes high acidity levels.
