2022 Weingut Reinhold Haart, Riesling Kabinett, Goldtröpfchen, Mosel, Germany.
The 2022 Haart Goldtröpfchen Kabinett is smoky reductive on the nose and still very youthfully tight on the palate, only revealing its generous nature after lots of swirling and time in the glass and is much better with food, especially cured meats, medium spicy Asian cuisine and pork dishes. This very austere, slightly off dry and slate driven Riesling starts with that flinty/share note before opening up to an array of bright citrus, leading with lime and tangerine, along with green apple, mango, quince and unripe apricot fruits, along with gunmetal, raw ginger, a faint touch of honey and green tea accents. This light and crisply serious Riesling should go a few years with ease, though I don’t think patience is need as I don’t think there much more to come, but that said it is a solid effort and I wouldn’t pass up a glass if offered. I haven’t done a lot of the Reinhold Haart wines, which are very limited here in the States, in recent years so it was fun to try this newer release, thank you Christian Adams of the Germany Wine Collection for his enthusiastic sharing of this one with me in Carmel last month.
The Goldtröpfchen vineyard, in the Peisport Grosse Lage, according to the winery, is a south facing slope of loamy grey slate soil above the village of Piesport. Even in hot and dry vintages water supply is sufficient due to the woods above the vineyards. Yields are kept very low (around 35hl/ha) to achieve a maximum of flavor during the long ripening period. The Haart family goes bank in Mosel winemaking or growing to 1337 and seen a lot of history in the region, with Johannes and Marcus Haart leading this old estate these days. The winery is on the Mosel riverbank and immediately behind the family’s estate, the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard begins its uphill climb, and only a few steps from the winery are the remains of the first and oldest Roman grape pressing house that has been unearthed along the Mosel. For this 8.5% alcohol Goldtröpfchen Kabinett Johannes says they hand-picked the grapes and quickly crushed and pressed carefully right after arrival at the winery. After a 24 hour settling period the must is fermented at low temperatures with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, after which this wine saw just 6 months on the lees before bottling, all to preserve freshness and detail.
($42 Est.) 89 Points, grapelive