2015 Weingut Spreitzer, Riesling Trocken, Hallgartener Hendelberg “Alte Reben” Rheingau Germany.
Spreitzer’s Hallgartener 2015 is everything you want in a rich style Riesling from this sexy vintage, and the best part is that it is drinking rich and full bodied almost with great intensity and mineral clarity showcasing what the year has to offer, which is firm and nervy wines, but with lavish and seductive detail, depth and length. Andreas Spreitzer showing me around the vineyards and explained the different soils and terroirs, stretching from the clay/loam/limestone area closest to the big river to the pebbly quartz, loess and red slate influenced high elevation of Hallgartener that is high up and near a dense forest, amazingly beautiful old world area with ancient farms, grand homes, Klosters (monasteries) and rustic villages. Most of this area near Oestrich-Winkel is rolling hills, like Burgundy I guess, it is also home to Schloss Vollrads, Kloster Eberbach and Robert Weil, it is a historic region all on it’s own, they’ve been making wine here since at least the 12 century, with it’s loess and loamy terroirs making for delicate and fruity wines historically know for off dry Kabinett styles wines, but a place where great dry wines can thrive, wines especially like this one. There was so many interesting elements to the upper Rheingau to absorb I can get a bit off track as I process my thoughts on this interesting place, but back to Spreitzer’s seriously brilliant 2015 wines, some of the finest to date from this old family winery that started way back in 1641, this is a winery that is raising it’s game with almost every new set of releases, and a winery that honors it’s family, every detail of the cellar, the tasting room and offices show this love and respect of family, it is a place of warmth and pride, welcoming and with a sense of purpose, all of which shows in the wines. This decedent Trocken Hallgartener Hendelberg Alte Reben, old vine, shines in the glass with pale gold tints and flows across the palate with succulent extract and texture, this wine goes much deeper and offers more than the lighter 2014, which losing it’s subtlety and grace with the elegant detail coming through with time in the glass, there’s so much to love here with green apple, quince, tropical notes, wild herb, lime blossom and white cherry notes as well as earthy wet stones and a touch of leesy roundness and well judged wood. This is a top dry Riesling from this great vintage that you can really enjoy young, especially as the fantastic Spreitzer GG’s (Grand Crus) will benefit from years in the bottle. This is a wine that never puts a foot wrong and it should gain even more elegance with time, though it might be hard to be patient, lovely tangy apricot, lemon, saline, clove spice and tangerine along with sweet brioche linger on and on, drink over the next 10 years, and be sure to keep an eye out for these Spreitzer 2015’s, in particular in the states, the Grosses Gewachs Jesuitengarten, the Oestricher Lenchen Kabinett and the flamboyant “303” Spatlese!
($33 Est.) 93+ Points, grapelive
