Whoa!! Is this wine always this good!? … and this is only the entry-level bottling. Wittmann: officially on my radar.
2019 Wittmann Riesling trocken- Germany, Rheinhessen (6/6/2021)
– cracked and poured –
– tasted non-blind over approx. one week –
NOSE: strong petrol on Day 1; by Day 3 the petrol was gone, giving way to fairly intense tropical fruits. Some noticeable oxidation about one week in.
BODY: medium-light to medium bodied; pale green-yellow color.
TASTE: intense acidity; strong saline/umami character on Days 1 and 3, but not beyond; very fruity — enough to make me wonder if this isn’t completely dry (although it is labelled at 12.0% alc.); Incredible QPR at $20; have already purchased more of this vintage, and now I’m left wondering if this wine is always excellent. Gut impression score: 90 - 92. Drink Now and over the next 10 years.
Tech Sheet says it has 5g RS vs. 8 g acid. Of course, this means it is legally “trocken,” but also true that it is not completely dry the way Aussie or Austrian Rieslings are dry (or some Germans, too, of course).
To your question about “always excellent,” the answer is no, not for the estate in general. Don’t get me wrong - I love Wittmann. The only thing keeping me from fully adding it to my roster is that that they are inconsistent.
That said, the highs are high, as the prices are beginning to reflect.
The 2019 Morstein GG is out of this world. Only the second bottle of wine of my life where I’ve purchased more than 12. I also opened the brunnenhauschen and thought it was lovely, although it wasn’t quite at the same level as the Morstein. Haven’t opened a kirschspiel and didn’t buy aulerde.
Those are a bit high. You need to get these either on presale or soon after release to get good prices. Morstein can easily be had for around $100, for instance, with that timing. Kirchspiel $65-$70. I was on the lookout and got them for even a bit less than that.
A few months ago, Morstein was selling at between $100-120 at multiple outlets. I think that given the acclaim of the 2019 vintage that those have been snapped up and this $140 price (and the corresponding prices for the other GGs) are what is probably the current asking price.
I was eyeing the 2019 Westofener trocken (not the regular estate bottling). Looks like it’s made with grapes from young vines in Morstein and Brunnenhauschen specifically. Is the step up in quality from the regular trocken bottling to this worth the cost?