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: 2018 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese Mosel

2018 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese Mosel

SKU #1461474 94 points Wine & Spirits

Outer quote mark Christoph Schaefer farms just 10 acres, and half of them are on the steep slate slopes of Graacher Himmelreich. A sunny, protected site, it often makes his most exuberant wine. The party hasn’t started for this vintage yet, but it will. Right now, it’s still got some of the sponti funk from its ambient-yeast fermentation in large barrels; it’s also weighted down with smoky mineral notes and fruit so ripe it edges toward red berries. While it will take a little while in the cellar for the acidity to organize all those flavors into a more Schaefer-esque sense of order and clarity, the wine already has a sense of energy that feels exciting and full of promise. Inner quote mark (2/2020)

93 points John Gilman

Outer quote mark The Himmelreich has produced a beautiful Spätlese as well in 2018, and this is destined to be a long-lived and superb bottle. The complex nose is vibrant and refined, offering up scents of lime, pear, a nice touch of orange zest, bee pollen, elder flowers, lovely minerality and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and zesty, with lovely inner tension between its beautiful fruit tones and mineral undertow. The finish is long, focused and bouncy, with lovely lift, cut and grip. (Drink between 2022-2075) Inner quote mark (4/2019)

93 points James Suckling

Outer quote mark Quite smoky with flint and chalk that work rather well with the notes of dried citrus and spices. Medium dry with a deep serving of acidity and peach and stone flavors. Finely tuned and sleek. Drink in 2022. Inner quote mark (10/2019)

93 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark A luscious, velvety spätlese, featuring concentrated ripe apricot, orange marmalade and graham cracker notes, balanced by intense acidity, with hints of honey and sage cream on the finish. Very giving right now, and will only get better. Best from 2021 through 2036. (AZ) Inner quote mark (2/2020)

K&L Notes

93pts Mosel Fine Wines: "AP: 08 19. The 2018er Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese was harvested at just above 90° Oechsle and was fermented down to fully fruity-styled levels of residual sugar. This offers a gorgeously elegant nose of mirabelle, greengage, dried herbs and earthy spices, all wrapped into some residual scents of spontaneous fermentation. The wine is gorgeously filigreed on the palate before a nice touch of creamy fruits joins the party in the finish. 2028-2038." (06/2019)

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2018 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese Mosel

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Varietal:

Riesling

- While the rest of the world has often misappropriated the name--Welchriesling, Riesling Italico, Gray Riesling and Emerald Riesling are all names applied to varieties that are NOT Riesling--this exceptional German varietal has managed to maintain its identity. Perhaps its biggest claims to fame are its intoxicating perfume, often described as having honeyed stone fruit, herb, apple and citrus notes, and its incredible longevity - the wines lasting for decades. Aged Rieslings often take on a distinctive and alluring Petrol-like aroma. Within Germany, the grape seems to do best in the warming slate soils of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Other German regions that turn out great Rieslings include Pfalz, Rheingau and Nahe. German Rieslings are made in a range of ripeness levels. The top wines are assigned Prädikat levels to describe their ripeness at harvest. These are: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese. Riesling has also achieved acclaim in France's Alsace, the only region in that country where the grape is officially permitted. Alsatian Rieslings are typically dry and wonderfully aromatic. Austrian Riesling is also steadily gaining praise and fine Riesling is also produced in Italy's Alto-Adige and Friuli, in Slovenia and much of Central and Eastern Europe. In the New World its stronghold is Australia, where it does best in the Eden and Clare Valleys. It is also planted in smaller amounts in New Zealand. In the US, winemakers are eschewing the syrupy sweet versions of the 1970s and 1980s, instead making elegant and balanced wines in both California and Washington State.

Country:

Germany

- Thanks to a recent string of excellent vintages and to the reemergence of Germany onto the international wine writing scene, this is a country that's hot, hot, hot! Germany is divided into 13 wine Region and produces a very wide variety of wine styles, from incredibly high-acid, dry wines to some of the sweetest, most unctuous concoctions on the planet and even a few surprisingly hearty reds. Most of the highest-quality wines are grown on steep banks along the rivers in these Region. Small vineyards are still mostly hand tended and picked, due to the difficult nature of mechanization on these slopes. White wine production accounts for nearly 80% of the total with Riesling being the most important varietal, though Muller-Thurgau is still more widely planted.

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