Selbach Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Anrecht Riesling Auslese 2019
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Robert
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James
Suckling
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This wine is a true expression of terrior from the single best parcels from each of the three vineyards. Anrecht, a the south-facing parcel representing the most prized piece of the Himmelreich which was ranked in the top categories of the 1868 Prussian classification. Anrecht has the deepest subsoil of broken slate mixed with organic matter (humus) and loam. It is further away from river and village compared to Rotlay and Schmitt, hence a tad cooler but nonetheless excellent.
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Wine & Spirits
Since 2003, Johannes Selbach has been experimenting with picking a parcel of vines all at once, combining grapes at different ripeness levels rather than selecting them out for different Prädikat bottlings. It’s an old way of making wine, and one that makes a lot of sense when you taste a wine like this 2019. From a sliver of the Zeltinger Himmelreich vineyard with deep, loamy slate soils, it adorns strident, cool mineral tones with a riot of succulent flavors, from crunchy golden apple to meaty yellow peach, apricot nectar and ginger preserves. An earthy turmeric-like spice runs underneath, warm and golden. The wine retains its vivacity and detail for days after opening, suggesting this will live for years in the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bottled in early July, the 2019 Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Anrecht is clear, fresh and complex on the precise, concentrated, bright and almost floral nose with its dried fruit yet less botrytis aromas. Crystalline and salty on the palate, with enormously piquant and razor-sharp acidity, this is a stony, dense and elegant Anrecht with concentration, persistent salinity and mineral tension. There is great grip and tension here but sharp as a Japanese knife. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.
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James Suckling
A wonder of balance, thanks to its thoroughly cool nature, this naturally sweet riesling zips along, in spite of the very high ripeness. Uplifting acidity through the long, mineral finish. Enchanting! Drink or hold.
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2021-
Robert
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James
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Robert
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Since 1661 the Selbach family has owned vineyards in the Mosel region. Their main treasure is simply what nature presents us with: excellent vineyard-sites, and old, ungrafted vines on steep, south-facing slopes planted on heat-retaining, mineral-rich, rocky slate soil. Their philosophy of winemaking is "hands-on" in the vineyards and "hands-off" in the cellar. Most of Selbach Oster wines are still fermented and matured in the traditional oak "Fuder"-barrels supplemented by a small number of stainless-steel vats. They do not use new oak for Rieslings to preserve the delicate structure of subtle fruit and crisp acidity as purely as possible
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.
Following the Mosel River as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the Eifel Mountains in Germany’s far west, the Mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the world’s finest and longest-lived Rieslings.
Mosel’s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Many of the Mosel’s best vineyard sites are on the steep south or southwest facing slopes, where vines receive up to ten times more sunlight, a very desirable condition in this cold climate region. Given how many twists and turns the Mosel River makes, it is not had to find a vineyard with this exposure. In fact, the Mosel’s breathtakingly steep slopes of rocky, slate-based soils straddle the riverbanks along its entire length. These rocky slate soils, as well as the river, retain and reflect heat back to the vineyards, a phenomenon that aids in the complete ripening of its grapes.
Riesling is by far the most important and prestigious grape of the Mosel, grown on approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard land—typically on the desirable sites that provide the best combination of sunlight, soil type and altitude. The best Mosel Rieslings—dry or sweet—express marked acidity, low alcohol, great purity and intensity with aromas and flavors of wet slate, citrus and stone fruit. With age, the wine’s color will become more golden and pleasing aromas of honey, dried apricot and sometimes petrol develop.
Other varieties planted in the Mosel include Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), all performing quite well here.