At Richter, I found both Elisenberg cuvées, both Kabi and Spat, to be all that you could ask for in '21, very much in the spirit of the vintage.
Their profile is generally “cooler” relative to other middle Mosel sites, as the little side valley that leads back to Veldenz is always a bit cooler from the wind flow.
I found the reviews from Mosel Fine Wines to be pretty good, although I can’t quite understand why they would rate the 2021 Kabinett at 92 points? and the 2020/2019 at 94/95 points. The quality is quite consistent and very similar…anyone who is a fan of the site/bottling from Richter will certainly be delighted by both the Kabinett and Spätlese…
For Steinmetz, indeed, the '21 Kabinetts are very very good, with very good balance for almost all of them, and a few certainly on the more “electric” high wire end of the scale. I will include all of them in an offer for the Kabinetts and his eye-opening 2018 Pinot Noirs, a break through vintage for him in Pinot Noir…the GG offer will be later.
I’m curious why the Goldrichs numbers differ from the numbers Jean and David are reporting at MFW (the source I used). For what it’s worth, I just went back to check on the MFW numbers for the 2020 vintage for those Spätlesen and they were 73 g/L (Elisenberg) and 80 g/L (WSU); which I guess negates my concern about the jump in sugar between the two vineyards for 2021 because it seems Richter’s WSU SL normally has more sugar than Elisenberg SL for whatever reason. The Loersch wine I gave for comparison was 70 g/L back then (finally a number in which MFW and Goldrichs agree). So, I guess they’re all 2 or 3 g/L lighter in sugar this time around, as per MFW numbers.
The acidities though… According to Goldrichs, for 2020 the WSU Spätlese had 9.0 g/L acidity (but Goldrichs reported sugar at 90.9 g/L instead of the 80 g/L MFW reported). The 2021 has 9.7 g/L acidity for its 82.4 g/L sugar (or 80 if we go with the MFW number). A significant jump, sure, but nothing compared to the 2021 Juffer Spätlese at 10.5 g/L or the more eye popping 2021 Elisenberg Spätlese at 11 g/L acidity (as you said). Can that be a mistake? It seems like one. Goldrichs is also saying the 2021 Elisenberg Kabi has 10.9 g/L acidity. How can the Kabi have less acidity than the Spätlese of the same producer/vineyard/vintage? For comparison, as per Goldrichs, the 2021 Kabis from WSU and Juffer fass 4 have 11.4 g/L and 11.1 g/L acidity respectively, and more than the corresponding Spätlesen. (Goldrichs says the Graacher Himmelreich Kabi has 11.7 g/L acidity, but there’s no Spätlese to compare it to). So the Elisenberg would be the lowest acidity Kabinett but the highest acidity Spätlese? That’s odd. Incidentally, those are insane acidities across the board if Goldrichs is right and the 2020 Juffer Fass 4 Kabi had 8.8 g/L acidity (there’s yet another sugar discrepancy here with MFW which had reported sugar for this at 45 g/L while Goldrichs is saying 47.5 g/L). But it’s again weird that that 2020 Kabi had less acidity than the 2020 WSU Spätlese even if they’re from different vineyards. At least it seems weird to me.
A.J. Adam’s 2021 Dhroner Hofberg numbers according to Goldrichs: Spätlese (10.2 g/L acidity 65 g/L sugar), Kabinett (10.5 g/L acidity 45.5 g/L sugar).
Falkenstein 2021 Krettnacher Euchariusberg numbers according to Goldrichs: Spätlese AP 5 (10.4 g/L acidity 60 g/L sugar (MFW says 55 g/L)), Kabinett AP 14 (10.4 g/L acidity 39 g/L sugar (MFW says 40 g/L)).
Not sure I trust those Goldrichs acid numbers on Richter. Maybe Robert can double check with Constantin.
I will not spare you my acid pen! And I’ll include a note as to the super spicy food I was forced to eat with it. ![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin"){kind=small}
Though I imagine it’s not common, couldn’t a Spatlese have more acid than a Kabinett from the same vineyard as the grapes can come from different blocks, different parts of the same plant, from plants pruned differently; the fermentations can be different; and the resulting cuvees could be consist of different blends (i.e., different percentage of different blocks). I don’t make wine (which is probably clear from this post), but I imagine there’s more to TA than when the grapes are picked. I’m sure someone with much more knowledge will chime in.
That’s a perfectly valid question. The reason I said what I said is that, as I understand it, Spätlese is always the lowest in acid. It’s riper than Kabinett (plumper?) but not so ripe to have botrytis yet to concentrate the remaining acids. And since Pradikat grapes are picked by Oeschle (and specific Oeschle given) the ripeness should be the same regardless of block, and, in general “acidity is lost as grapes hang on the vine accumulating sugar” (Goode, Science of Wine p 202). That was my understanding. But like I said, it’s a fair question.
Looking back at my notes for Richter, with info from Dirk
GH Kabi 11.8 g/L acidity
WS Kabi 11.5 g/L
WS Spat 9.8 g/L
My strongest emotional response (at least in writing, and of several wines…) of all of the wines were the two Elisenberg wines, both stunning; they are regularly a personal pet favorite of mine.
The Spatlese has, to my taste on that day I tasted, some version of ideal proportions of fruit, acid, and dry extract, in a way that is a very special kind of beautiful, and as good of a “classic” example of the Elisenberg as one could hope to present.
Dirk also mentioned that about a third of the vineyard was torn out after the 21 harvest, and that fans should be aware that production will be smaller moving forward.
I think you are overthinking this. At the end of the day it is about how the wine tastes and the phrase I heard over and over on my trip is ripe acid. You can’t just look at total acid because this is comprised of tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. PH is also very important. As is how the wine was made full stainless versus some wood. And then of course the RS. I did not taste a single wine where I felt the acid was out of balance, of course I tasted at the top estates.
I spent 10 days in Germany on a trip primarily organized by Stephen Bitterolf, founder of Vom Boden, Rieslingfeier and my partner in source | material. Stephen did an incredible job organizing the trip so it was comprehensive but not overwhelming for those new to wine tours. The level of respect the German growers, those he works with and those he does not have for him, is unparalleled and really enhances the trip along with his knowledge.
While we were in Germany The Black Wine Guy podcast dropped Stephen’s interview:
It was a wonderful trip that I was able to share with three friends Eric Wareheim, Skinny Pablo and Joe Beddia all of whom had never visited German wine regions on a comprehensive trip. You can see highlights on all of our instagram feeds, in addition to tasting and drinking ~500 German wines we ate Schnitzel, drank some Burgundy and Champagne and listened to lots of great music!
We visited the following estates:
Wolfram Stempel* (Mosel)
Martin Müllen (Mosel)
J.B. Becker (Rheingau)
Saalwaecher* (Rheinhessen)
Keller (Rheinhessen)
Schäfer-Fröhlich (Nahe)
Emrich-Schönleber* (Nahe)
Ulli Stein (Mosel)
Phil Lardot (Mosel)
Herman Ludes* (Mosel)
Vollenweider (Mosel)
Weiser-Künstler (Mosel)
Julian Haart (Mosel)
Falkenstein (Saar)
Lauer (Saar)
Egon Müller* (Saar)
Lukas Hammelman* (Pfalz)
*the stars are those where we have sold or will sell through source | material. As I have mentioned in the past yes this is a for profit venture but it is still just a passion project for me.
Let us start with some overarching themes from the trip:
2021 is an absolutely great, great vintage and quite possibly one we might not see again for many years to come. It was a cooler, classic vintage but yet everything was ripe, precise and in harmony.
The strength for the vintage IS Kabinett! I disagree with Mosel Fine Wine whom I have the utmost respect that it is Spätlese, the ones I tried were very good but they were not as unique as the Kabinett and frankly I think you could get similar wines in riper years by just downshifting to Kabinett. I am personally going LONG on Kabinett and I mean long. The wines are ethereal….
Feinherb and Halbtrocken wines are also excellent and some growers are paying attention to these categories and the subtle differences, for example Weiser-Künstler made a stunning Gaispfad Kabinett Halbtrocken that is usually the Kabinett Trocken. I asked why they went with Halbtrocken for the label instead of Feinherb and they said because Feinherb has no limits and some can be too sweet and in Germany it is understood that Halbtrocken is close to trocken whereas Feinherb can be anything. German wine law states that Halbtrocken can be up to 15 grams/liter of residual sugar. Feinherb is not an official category. Not suprisingly their answer made perfect sense in that wonderful German way.
There is a massive shortage of bottles that is concerning many growers and price increases for materials and supplies is concerning.
Silvaner! Silvaner! Silvaner! There is a much greater focus on Silvaner and it is a grape you must pay attention to in the near future. Caarsten Saalwaecher an extremely, young talented grower in the Rheinhessen said it is a big part of German wine culture DNA and he is making it the primary focus of his winery and the wines are stunning.
Yields were definitely way down for many growers so act fast to secure what you want from this vintage as it is going to disappear.
The new wave of younger German winemakers like Julian Ludes, Caarsten Saalwaecher, Wolfram Stempel and Lukas Hammelman are making incredibly stunning wines! Their dedication, passion and competitiveness is infectious. There are many, many more, please try these wines!
There is a renaissance happening in the Mosel, young winemakers coming from outside the region like Jakob Tennstedt, ambitious restaurants like Die Mosel, young next generation winemakers taking over family estates like Julian Ludes. This is just the beginning and I could not be more excited for the future of the Mosel!
Kabinett Trocken is a special category from another era that needs more attention! I made three for my soilpimp selections project and I tasted many great ones! Pay attention. 10.5 abv fully ripe energetic complex wines that are just joys to drink.
The wine of 2021 vintage for me based on what I tasted was the Keller Schubertslay Alte Reben Kabinett which is going to the auction. Yes I know not many of us will get to buy this wine and my no say no limit (meaning no limit bid at the auction). Another wine that deserved special mention is the Schäfer-Fröhlich Finale, a special selection GG made for Tim’s father who recently passed away that will also be sent to auction.
However the collection of the 2021 vintage for me is Julian Ludes and although yields are down these will be available in the U.S. through Fass Selections and Vom Boden at very fair prices.
Acid, acid, acid seems to be the topic of this vintage because one thinks cool vintages produce high acid wines I too thought this vintage was like 2013 based on what I had read prior to tasting the wines after tasting the wines I have a different impression. Ripe acids is what we should be talking about. I know it sounds crazy but in away 2021 reminds me of 2015 because everything is ripe, balanced and in perfect harmony. If one could simply take 2015 and just dial it down two notches it could be 2021. 2021 is a vintage you really need to taste for yourself and not look at the analytics.
The dry wines are going to be great as well just not as singular as the Kabinetts. Personally as it relates to dry wines I will be buying my usual producers that I buy every year in similar amounts, which of course is a lot but I am going to buy 15-20x of what I usually buy in the Kabinett category.
The one winery I did not taste that almost every grower mentioned excelled in 2021 is Willi Schaefer, which is not surprising.
This is a vintage to focus on the entry or mid-level wines from top producers wines like Stein Blauschiefer, Weiser-Künstler QBA the blue lable with the owl, Lauer Senior or Barrel X, and Schäfer-Fröhlich Vulkanstein and Schiefergestein. Don’t think of these as lesser wines, think of them as wines made in the same way as the higher end wines that are drinkable for the next 5 years while you wait for the higher level wines to age.
That is it for now…I will write up producer by producer observations where I highlight certain wines or themes as a part 2 but I am not going to have time to type up 500 notes.
One last time yields are down so act fast!
Robert Dentice The daily and relentless photos from you all on my instagram feed subconsciously ended with my family having homemade schnitzel for dinner on Saturday night! (Beer not wine was drank)
The trip looked wonderful, I’m looking forward to more written reports from you.
Just to be clear, I’m not claiming otherwise. I was just questioning the Goldrichs-reported numbers because they seemed odd (re acid) and are different from the numbers reported by MFW (re sugar). On sugar, they simply can’t both be right. Robert’s new acid numbers he got from Dirk Richter are also different from Goldrichs but in every one of those cases it could be a rounding issue.
Hans-Peter was the one who said he tasted the Kabinetten (though not the Elisenberg) and said he’s not buying them because found the acidity “whopping” and decided they could be the “best ever made” but only if the acidity “works out;” having said earlier that there could be under-ripeness and too-high acidity issues with Kabinetten in all/many producers that would not resolve with age. Thus he’s sticking to the Spätlesen, especially Wehlener Sonnenuhr in Richter’s case. He’s tasted the wines. I haven’t. I’m just addressing what seem to be off numbers.
Understood. I think acids are misunderstood in this vintage until you taste the wines. As I mentioned I have never heard winemakers talk as much about ripe acid as I did on this trip. Don’t get me wrong I love the numbers and it is just another of the geeky things we riesling freaks love!
Thanks for the kind words I got up at 3:00 a.m. to put something together because I owe it to the most passionate and hard working growers in the wine world.
Hmmm. After reading this thread, I am finding it very difficult to stick to my “don’t buy more wine, especially German wine” pledge.
Thanks for the notes!
Are they replanting Riesling, changing varietals on that section (presumably PN if he’s doing that now) or is it something else permanent?
Tell your friend Skinny Pablo that his python coat he wore to Weiser Kunstler is genius.
After talking up Lukas Hammelman so much, if you’re not selling his wines, who is?
Awesome notes thanks! So far have just ordered Willi Schaefer but anticipate many more.
Ah yes good catch. We will be selling his wines. We sold a few cases in the first offer. But have been unconscious slip because I really don’t want to sell them I would rather just open them for people and drink them…luckily Stephen has the final say.
Robert, it was good to see you at Hofgut Falkenstein. We initially planned to sit in the back garden to taste the first few wines, but Johannes wanted to show you some of the vineyards right away instead. You got to taste 6 of the 20 or so Rieslings from 2021. Unfortunately, we had to pick and choose, but I think it gave you a good snapshot of the vintage. Missing in the lineup of 2021s were, among others, Egon, Meyer Nepal, Palm, Gisela, Ternes, Klaus, and Förster.
(Note: you forgot to include Hermann Ludes among the estates that you visited on your list.)
I’m glad you had a blast in Germany and a safe trip back to NYC.
WHAT?!? Not Max Kilburg??? I was sooooo looking forward to hearing how well, or poorly, Max managed the 2021 vintage.
Very interested on your take on Hofgut Falkenstein, Julian Haart (such a pity the yields are so minimal!) and Keller Scheurebe (as well as the others).
Unfortunately I don’t have Instagram, but it sounds like an astonishing trip!
I’m a fan of Willi Schaefer. Both 2021 Kabinett wines, Graacher Himmelreich and Graacher Domprobst, are very good. I was also impressed with the 2021 Graacher Domprobst Kabinett auction wine. It’s a stunner.
Thanks for the catch on Ludes! And of course thanks for an amazing visit. The Saar is just so damn beautiful and your wines were just stunning.