He said it was the GG.
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Had 21 Spat GK last month. So tight and structured.
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I, um, may, um, have some 2020, 2021 2022, in 750s, mags, 3L…
Feel free to inquire.
The '21 Felseneck GG has been my favourite of ~50 x 2021 German Rieslings drunk so far. So much so that I was compelled to buy the Spatlese GK (excellent), Auslese (outstanding) and Eiswein renditions.
@Robert_Dentice - from previous threads, I know my Riesling palate is well aligned with yours. Have you had experience with their Eiswein also? One of the many things that has impressed me about the Felsenecks is how layered with fruit, ‘minerals’, salts, etc they are - I presume the Final is in the same vein?
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No experience with their Eiswein. And I yes on the Final lots of mineral and savoriness. If you have a really high end Sake it reminded me of that.
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Slight thread drift - what about the other SF GGs? Might just be my feeling, but most of the excitement seem to be about the Felseneck.
I am planning a horizontal with six of the vineyards at a local dim sum place early next year. I will check in afterwards.
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I had Felsenberg, Fruhlingsplatzen and Kupfergrube side by side and then Felseneck and Stromberg side by side. Differences between them but with a consistent thread - found something to love about each of them and they are outstanding wines.
Scores are reflective of my strong feelings for Nahe, Schafer Frohlich and the vintage. Tasted from cold (out of the fridge) to warmer and over several days.
Felsenberg: very bright lemony nose, higher acid, lemon fruited with a bit of tart passionfruit, tangy and intense. Best when colder. 96+.
Fruhlingsplatzen: More saline and less fruit on nose. Thick mouthfeel of minerality, a bit less lemon and more white nectarine fruit. Most minerality and hint of saltiness. Long and textured. 96+
Kupfergrube: in between Felsenberg annd Fruhlingsplatzen - diverse mix of citrus fruits on the nose with lots of minerals. Over time it turned into a dense textured concoction of citrus fruits (lime, mandarin, tangelo and lemon) all swirled together. Needed air and some warmth. 97.
Felseneck: Deep lemon talcum powder nose which leaps out of the glass. Very intense, layers of tart citrus sherbet. Lots of thyme and lemon thyme. Layers of minerals, fruit, sherbet. Very very long. 97+
Stromberg: More restrained nose than the Felseneck. The lemon tastes a little riper and rounder. Lower key and smoother than Felseneck with layers of minerals and fruit. Salty and minerally. Strong green apple coming out as it warms. 96.
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I drink a lot of Schafer-Frohlich and what I can say is Felseneck is consistently great young, middled age or old. The others all have various aging curves that make it hard to taste them side by side.
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Robert, is there a reasonable sweet spot for when they all should be tasted.
Robert will have his own views, I’m sure, but I think Kupfergrube is the best young, I’ve always generally described it as a “happy wine”.
Fruhlingplatschen next.
Stromberg and Halenberg (for which I prefer the E-H usually) need the most time.
Best time to do a horizontal is probably about 10 years. 2013 is a good vintage for it.
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The only time I’ve done a side by side of the S-F wines was during my visit there in 2018. I loved all the ‘17 GGs. My notes weren’t great but that day I preferred the Stromberg and Felsenberg over the Felseneck. Ended up buying them all.
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Thanks (to all) who shared thoughts about the other GGs, very educative. More than curious to try them side by side at some point, and also to hear about Mark’s experiences.
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I think Stromberg definitely needs the most time, 5+ years at least. Fruhlingsplatzen seems to start to open up after 3 years and starts to give Felseneck a run for my favorite. The other three seem to have a similar aging arch over 10 years.
I am not too familiar with the lifecycles of GGs . Do they close down at all? Also side question, do they ever get premoxed?
This is a broad generalization but rarely have I seen anything similar to premox in GG’s from top producers. Occasionally you get an over the hill bottle due to storage or a difficult vintage. The majority don’t shut down. Top wines from the likes of Keller or Breuer do need a lot more time. Again broad generalization the aging arch to me is gradual over a 10 year period. I personally don’t like older GGs better than young ones, I like them both. But I would also say they category is relatively young so I have not had 30-40 year old examples. I have had many dry wines from the 90s and I do like the savory / umami character they get with 30+ years of age.
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I’m surprised it was accessible this young. I had a 15 Keller Absterde GG the other day and thought that was young.
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It’s worth noting that the upper Nahe has some similarities to the Ruwer and Saar. The regions are on the edges of the Hunsrück, the hill country to the east of the Mosel. The soil consists primarily of slate, and many vineyards are in side valleys on south-facing slopes, such as the site of Felseneck in the village of Bockenau. Felseneck, like some of the best sites on the Saar, also has quartzite mixed in with the slate. Ditto Halenberg. Schäfer-Fröhlich has 21 ha and categorizes its top sites by soil type—i.e., either slate or volcanic rock. Felseneck, Halenberg, and Frühlingsplätzchen are slate, whereas Stromberg, Felsenberg, and Kupfergrube are volcanic.
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@Lars_Carlberg - would you mind giving us a brief description of how you find Rieslings from each soil type differ?
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Although I’ve visited the Nahe many times, I can’t give you such a description. There are different types of slate soils and volcanic rocks, and I just haven’t tasted enough Nahe Rieslings, much less those from Schäfer-Fröhlich, in recent years to answer your question. Perhaps someone who collects Schäfer-Fröhlich can give you a brief description.