2023 Battenfeld Spanier, Riesling Trocken, Mölsheim VDP Erstes Gewächs, Rheinhessen, Germany.
Wow, what a steal this wine is, with a beautiful generosity and precise detailing on display in the glass, this exceptional dry Riesling from Battenfeld Spanier shows off a ultra pale greenish/straw gold hue and fine aromatics leaning on a steely core of lime, green apple, mango, quince and unripe apricot fruits, along with flinty slatey wet stone, delicate florals, iron spice, verbena and leesy almond notes. Battenfeld Spanier flies a bit under the radar in the States, but have a serious following by Riesling fans world wide and I was thrilled to try this one, thanks to my friend Christian Adams of the German Wine Collection, who just added the label to their portfolio. Made by H.O. Spanier and his talented winemaker wife Carolin, this brilliant 1er Lage Trocken comes from VDP Ersten Lagen parcels in Mölsheim’s Silberberg und Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott, which has a complex mix of red slate, calcareous gravel and chalky limestone soils, that combine to make a wine of intensity, depth and elegance. The wines are limited and highly sought after here at Battenfeld Spanier and made without the winemakers getting in the way of the vintage and place, usually dome in stainless steel and some classic old German Füder or Stückfass with some lees aging to give mouth feel.
The highly regarded Battenfield-Spanier is co-owned by Carolin Spanier-Gillot, of Kühling-Gillot, and her husband H.O. Spanier, who founded the estate in 1991 just after finishing school with a prime focus on Riesling. They are located in the Rheinhessen. Spanier understood the greatness inherent to this site, early on, with its same limestone base that powers the Frauenberg also runs through to Mölsheim, and adds to the power and complexity of the wines here. The Schwarzer Herrgott vineyard of Mölsheim forms the border between the Rheinhessen and the Pfalz regions and is among the oldest officially documented sites. It has been classified as a Große Lage since 2007, and H.O. says it produces deep and powerful wines with a dark, saline character, which is deep in the soul of this wine. Spanier says that the vineyards in Mölsheim are higher than (most) those in Rheinhessen, and as such are cooler with winds from the Donnersberg massif giving the wines here a lovely tension and sublime balance. The winery really concentrates on allowing the vineyards, which are farmed all organic with biodynamic practices, do the work and try their best to be non interventionists in the cellar, all within reason, to produce pure terroir expressions in the bottle and this one highlight this approach perfectly. As a huge Riesling fan, it was a pleasure to experience the Battenfeld Spanier Mölsheim Trocken and I highly recommend chasing this and all of their offering down.
($29 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive