Winemaker Notes
The notion of terroir takes on even more significance with this bottling from André Ostertag that comes from a very specific site. And what a site it is: a steep southern slope composed of pink sandstone, gneiss, and granite, Heissenberg gives a gloriously complex and full-bodied Riesling with an ample nose and lots of flesh on the palate. This is a Riesling not for your apéritif, but rather for your table.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A complex nose with such rich and ripe fruit that is very composed. There’s honey, wet chalk and a flinty edge here, too. The palate has a steely edge with plenty of power, weight and drive. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drinking well now, but will cellar nicely, too.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of Valencia orange zest wait with juicy promise on the nose of this wine. The palate bundles up these scents in a sweep of freshness, mellowed by a creamy undertow. The body is concentrated and dry, slowly revealing hints of candied orange peel. The wine tapers to a taut, spicy, zesty finish that is dry, intense and long.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium-golden colored 2017 Heissenberg Riesling comes from a very warm terroir on pink sandstone soils in a south-facing lieu-dit. It opens with an intense and elegant bouquet of fully ripe Riesling berries intertwined with iodine, lemon and flinty notes. Full-bodied, saline and refined on the palate, this is a rich, intense and powerful yet also precise, crystalline and very elegant Riesling with a long, intense and savory finish full of lemon piquancy and salty bitters. Impressive again. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Small but mighty, this picturesque region in northeastern France is renowned for its white wines produced by passionate families whose winemaking roots span generations and even centuries. Nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River, Alsace benefits from a sunny, dry climate and a long growing season. It is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world — one of the many reasons why Alsace rocks!
Alsace wines include dry, mineral-driven Riesling, earthy Pinot Gris, refreshing Pinot Blanc, exuberant Gewurztraminer, elegant Pinot Noir, and more. From traditional-method sparkling wines to easy-drinking AOC Alsace, to complex Grand Cru bottlings from 51 distinct sites, and rich, late harvest wines, Alsace produces a wine for every occasion. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and are labeled with the grape name. The region is also one of the greenest wine-producing areas in France, with 36% of its vineyard area certified organic.
Riesling, the region’s calling card, is dry, fresh and floral in its youth, developing complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Pinot Blanc is an affable food partner or porch sipper. Pinot Noir, the only red grape in AOC Alsace, is now authorized in three Grand Cru areas and is also used for Crémant d’Alsace sparkling rosé. Any bottle you choose will offer deliciousness, pleasure and value that is unprecedented in other wine regions.