A duo of 2015 German rieslings for our wedding anniversary

My wife and I were married in 2015, not a shabby vintage for our beloved German wines. Decided to open a couple for the weekend.

Subdued steel/wet stone minerality, lime leaf, and a whiff of sea breeze initially on the nose. Given a couple hours of air, and this starts to open up with some fruit notes of quince, lemon pith, underripe pineapple, and star fruit. Broad and expansive, yet with an intensely focused and grippy steel and wet stone minerality that builds on the midpalate and lingers, with yellow fruit notes of quince, yellow apple, and mirabelle plum weaving their way in and out on the palate. The wine ends on a lovely saline mineral finish, with a hint of candied ginger.

No harm in trying a bottle out now, but there is lots of upside potential. Would probably wait another 5 years to open one if you have multiples, otherwise give this another 10-12 years. (94 pts.)

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Very coiled up at first, with just wisps of petrol, lime peel, and apricot. Opens up a little bit on the nose after about 90 minutes, with some additional pear, green apple skin, and exotic spice notes (turmeric?). Light and playful on the palate, this wine remains youthful but is now starting to shed its baby fat. As in its youth when I first opened one on release, its zesty acidity takes center stage and provides lift to notes of apricot, tangerine, dried apple slices, and garden herbs, which persist on the finish with some white smoke accents.

This kabinett is probably at the tail end of its muted phase, but there is absolutely no rush to try one now. It feels like it has a lot still hiding underneath. Will open my next bottle in 5-8 years. (92 pts.)

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I have been eyeing a half bottle of that Himmelreich Kabinett.

Mazel tov! champagne.gif

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6th anniversary gift is candy, so will you open an Eiswein on the actual date?

Go for it. It might show better than the 750 mL I opened.

2015 was indeed a great year to get married for German Riesling lovers! What foresight to pick that vintage.

I just had the 2018 GH Kabi. Too young, of course, and not great acid but I don’t think that is a problem with '15.

No 2015 Eiswein sadly. Closest is a 2015 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Beerenauslese, but I’m sitting on that for 20+ years.

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Yep. The few 2015s I’ve opened so far still need some time to get through their muted phase, even some more “basic” trocken and halbtrocken bottlings I’ve had, and for the acidity to become more integrated. I generally bought little in 2018.

I’m trying to wait on all of my '15s because I worry they’ll be muted. Thanks for the notes.

Ahhh…Wittmann is such a great producer. I really love their wines, and (I’m afraid to say) I find them under-valued.

Happy anniversary!

That Wittmann was a superstar on release. I’ve been trying to hold my remaining bottles.

Happy anniversary! If you have wines like these left when you get to your 12th or 15th, I imagine you’ll be very glad.

Half bottles of Kabinett should be banned.

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Brian, happy anniversary!!! Are you sure you got married this time of year rather than in November or December after you knew how good the vintage was? champagne.gif [dance-clap.gif] [scratch.gif]

Actually, I really am not one to talk. We got married on May 31, 1982!!! Not a great German wine vintage but not too shabby for another wine region.

They come in handy when I also want another wine.

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It wasn’t planned that way lol. We had our date set since 2013. Glad we didn’t get married a year earlier.

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We also went deep as it was our daughter’s birthyear. I sure hope she likes GKA. Those mags won’t be ready in my lifetime. That’s why I got a few 375s.

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Yes, also…happy anniversary! Opening great wines is a great way to celebrate these special moments.

I was just thinking the exact opposite. I need more half bottles of kabinett. I have 0 past and present that have ever passed the threshold of my cellar.

Wittmann = “Geheimtipp” (for now). [drinkers.gif]