Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
After a wet spring with very poor fertilization of the grape blossoms and a hot summer until early October, the harvest of the 2016 Heerkretz Riesling GG took place between October eighth and 30th. In fact, the wine is characterized by its late harvest and the long hang time of the grapes that gave perfectly ripe and concentrated yet finely flavored berries. The nose is coolish, precise and spicy, with perfectly ripe apricot aromas intertwined with herbal and stony notes of the specific Heerkretz terroir. On the palate, this is a very elegant, lush, savory and saline Riesling finishing with a salivating combination of mineral acidity and fine phenolics. This is a classical, lean and linear but complex and concentrated/fleshy dry Riesling with a rather coolish, stimulating character. 13% 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.
