Wittmann Estate Westhofener Riesling Trocken ‘S’ 2007 (Rheinhessen, Germany)
$50, Screwcap
Sadly I don’t have a picture of the elongated Riesling bottle this wine is packaged in: With its stretched long neck and screwcap adornment it looks particularly high quality & prestigious, though difficult to fit into the fridge.
From a producer that has been organic since 1990 and with a family viticultural history that stretches back to 1663, its of little surprise to taste the quality here. The wine itself is a shy thing, its hidden layers take a while to really show through, though the acid on the back end is never far away. To be honest, this came across initially as simple, lemon/honeyed and one dimensional, and it wasn’t until it had spent some time in the glass that the wine showed some of its goodies. And good they definitely are.
A truly bright greenish yellow colour, the nose is actually deeply pure and intense yet I can understand why I would pick it as simple to start with – its just pristine lemon and slate juice, tinged with honeysuckle ripeness. The palate similarly strikes a chord with its pure simplicity, the flavours run with long lime juice and a integrated barley sugar sweetness, matching up with the blistering acidity. Its acidity that burns more like alcohol, hitting late and strong.
In the end its another great 2007 German Riesling, featuring the tug of war between acid and sugar as well as the delicacy of Riesling. Very good, if verging on the cusp of being great. 18.0
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4 days later and the remnants of the bottle are still fresh and crisp. This will be one long lived wine (if you can keep your hands off it).