2011 Eva Fricke, Riesling “Lorch” Rheingau, Trocken, Germany.
Fricke’s Lorcher Riesling Trocken is beautiful and puckeringly dry with intensity and vibrant flavors that highlight the terroir and soils as is her way. As the world discovers these dry style Rieslings they may get scarce quick, with the home market in Germany already taking the lions share. Eva’s rise is wine world is from hard work rather than luck, she has worked around the world from Australia’s Hunter’s Valley to the Ribera del Duero region of Spain as well as Italy and Bordeaux, and she has gained lots of respect for her skills and dedication to her craft, she has also been a be player in the renewed success of Leitz as well. Fricke’s focus for her own label continues to be the old vine blocks in Lorch where she has found a perfect mix of vines and soils to suit her needs. These Locher Rieslings come from slate and quartzite mostly and they show intense salty/saline mineral tones and good acidity with yellow peach, golden apples and a hyper citrus core. This 2011 Trocken is bright and brisk with peach, verbena, lime and lemon zest leading the way with touches of chalk, orange rind and tangerine. This is a sizzlingly clear Riesling with utterly refreshing dry finish, making for a great summer sipper, but even better with delicate cuisine.
($24 Est.) 92+ Points, grapelive