2014 Weingut Selbach-Oster, Riesling Spatlese, Zeltinger Schlossberg, Mosel Germany.
One of my all time favorite vineyard sites and maybe the best 2014 Mosel for the money the classic Spatlese Zeltinger Schlossberg from Johannes Selbach is really moving in the right direction and will offer great rewards for the cellar in the decades to come! The rich and layered Riesling has plenty of extract and depth to age and still thrill with youthful energy, this is highly impressive stuff in a very difficult year for growers in the region, tiny crops, humid and muggy weather and Asian fruit flies played havoc with the grapes, but in the end there are some wines that are spectacular, this is one of them. Of course in recent years the talk has been mostly about Grosses Gewachs and dry style wines in Germany, with good reason as they are some of the best white wines in the world, but overlooking these slightly sweeter wines is a serious mistake, with the mineral driven character and beautiful acidity they are gorgeous to drink and have sublime balance, especially the ones from Selbach-Oster. The 2014 Zeltinger Schlossberg bursts from the glass with white flowers, saline, stones and a hint of honey leading to a gloriously decedent palate that shows a trace of botrytis with lush layers of apricot, dried pineapple, minty herbs, flinty/steely mineral and sweet yellow peaches. This wine is developing a wonderful mouth feel and texture, but a underpinning of bright and tangy acid keeps these in control and there is a nice play of savory and briny elements to keep your interest. Finishes with nice energy, lime blossoms, kiwi, mango and tree picked apple haunt in the background. You can easily enjoy this Riesling now with many foods, but 10 years in the cellar would really be the best option, a treasure for those with patience.
($30 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
