2023 Weingut Spreitzer, Riesling Spätlese, Lenchen Eisenberg “303” Rheingau, Germany.
Tasted from a barrel sample, the 2023 “303” Lenten Eisenberg Spätlese is a show stopper and a great way to start celebrating Riesling’s 590th Birthday on March 13, with beautiful lush fruit and texture, but with a fine elegant balance. The medium bodied palate is layered with apricot, apple, mango, pineapple and tangerine fruits, along with flinty stone, clove spices, citrus oil, white blossom and lime sorbet notes. A sublime sweet table wine that will thrill with adventurous cuisine, but an excellent choice with some heat and Asian chili dishes or ginger beef. The “303” is in honor of a historic moment in Riesling history when the Spreitzer’s grandfather picked his Riesling grapes at the highest recorded sugars of all time. This wine comes from that same sub-parcel called Eisenberg (iron-hill) from which a TBA was picked in 1921 with the then-record must-weight of 303o Oechsle. The winery also notes that (the) Eisenberg can be found on the 1867 Royal Prussian quality map as the highest quality category in the Rheingau. The Lenchen parcels, part of the VDP Grosse Lage, overlook the widest part of the Rhein and this area gets an almost lake effect climate, warmer allowing for high sugars and early ripening grapes, so the Spreitzer’s can make a wide array of styles. Old fuder (German oak cask) was used to ferment and lees age this one, which is a signature Spätlese. One of the oldest family wineries in the Rheingau, Weingut Spreitzer, which I visited in 2016, is located in the tiny hamlet of Oestrich in the middle Rheingau is run now by Andreas and Bernd Spreitzer, who took over from their father Josef in 1997 and have really done an amazing job elevating this historic estate. One of their prize holdings, is the Lenchen Vineyard with its VDP Grosse Lage Rosengarten being the elite parcel here, it is set on mostly of gravelly loam and loess soils and not far from the Rhein and the winery itself.
The historic Riesling story, as explained to me and that I’ve reported on here in the past, begins historically with Count Katzenelnbogen, German wine extraordinaire, logged the first evidence of the Riesling grape near the Rheingau region on March 13, 1435, hence the birthday. One of his administrators bought a new white grape variety from a vineyard in Rüsselsheim for 22 shillings, and it caused a stir, as this grape variety, now know as Riesling, was much better in terms of quality than was typical for the time with its later ripening and its being more resistant to frost, and with a much more expressive aromatically. Thus, the Riesling legend was born and soon it was transported to other parts of Germany, maybe most notably the Mosel where it gained favor with Roman Catholic controlled vineyards in the region. So happy 590th birthday to Riesling and bravo to Bernd and Andreas Spreitzer for producing such gorgeous version of Riesling from not very away from where the grape was born! During my visit with Andreas in the 2016 harvest period I got a chance to see a lot of his vineyards and tasted in the ancient cellars and in the modern tasting lounge the Spreitzer’s have. It certainly was a fantastic experience and a beautiful place that I recommend to visit when you tour the Rheingau region. The whole area should be on your short list of paces to taste when in Germany and Spreitzer is not far from some other famous spots like Kloster Eberbach and Schloss Vollrads, as well as being close the Geisenheim University and just up Rhein River from Rudesheim, one of the Rhein’s most picturesque villages. I was thrilled to catch up with Andreas Spreitzer this last Summer and taste through his upcoming releases, including this one. In the current lineup, I can honestly say there wasn’t a dude and I highly recommend any of their wines, and while these 2023s are fantastic, the 2021s and 2022s shouldn’t be overlooked, especially the GGs.
($54 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive