2011 Weingut Leitz, Riesling “Rudesheimer Berg Kaisersteinfels” Terrassen, Rheingau, Germany.
I waiting almost 6 months to post this review, but finally I’m ready to complete my thoughts on this amazing Riesling, which has to rank in my top 5 wines of the year period, and it looks like Riesling from this vintage in Germany may fill 4 of my top 10 wines! The Leitz Kaisersteinfels is a pure terroir wine, coming from unique slate soils and exposure it is strikingly different from the rest of the Rudesheimer Berg wines, like Roseneck, and this weighty mostly dry white has impressive clarity and depth already, but should age effortlessly for two or more decades only getting more interesting as it does so. Johannes Leitz is a well known name to Riesling fans and is one of the most personable of people, making some of the greatest Rhein Rieslings of his generation and offering a great range of value priced wines as well. The 2011 Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Kaisersteinfels Terrassen opens with lime blossom, sliced peaches, pineapple and mango with loads of chalky mineral notes, flinty rocks and mouthwatering saline savory elements with bright acidity and a hint of brine. The weight gives an impression of sweetness, but this wine never feels cloying on heavy and there is so much going on you almost instantly want to refill your glass and guard it with your life. There are more layers coming at you with apricot, apple and white peach and lemon/lime notes as the wine opens and the tension is full of Riesling energy and vigor. This wine has it all, power, refinement and length making it a classic, and a true Rheingau treasure, luck those that put a case away of this, as the rewards will be grand indeed.
($55 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive
