Age can do many things to Riesling. Sometimes it is taken over by aromas that have little to do with wine, while other times the essence of Riesling is laid bare. This is one of the latter. Certainly the vintage, with its notable botrytis, has a hand here, but the core of the wine is lingering fruit overlaying a salty, mineral base. With the botrytis layered on top, it’s as if the entire wine was coated with a thin layer of honey and then lit on fire. It’s flambeed but not obscured. A subtle sweetness remains - this is auslese after all, and completes the picture, as it balances the acidity such that neither is apparent, but both are clearly present. This is at peak, at peace and a record of how these wines used to taste.
David,
Thanks for the TN. How long would you expect the 1995 to age further for? The 2002 of this same wine is still youthful and with excellent acidity, when I last tried a bottle several months ago.
Honestly I could see this being in good form for at least another 15 years. Will it get better than it is right now? Probably not, but I do not see it going into decline for a long, long time. The perfect provenance from the winery does not hurt.
The 2001s that I purchased on release seem like they might be immortal.
He is. I had the 2023 ‘1896’ trocken from this site not long ago, thought it was excellent. But the old Schmitt-Wagner wines could be special at times, especially the Auslese. The 01 Aus is one of my favorite wines. (Also still have a single bottle of '06 BA sitting somewhere…)
By coincidence we had a Carl Loewen 1896 at dinner this week (posted on the ‘what riesling are you drinking?’ thread). The vineyard is clearly in excellent hands, still producing outstanding wines. While it would be amazing to try these Schmitt-Wagner wines, the 1896 Loewen wines are certainly worth getting into the cellar if you can get them. You can still buy a little bit of magic.
In my experience the ‘trocken’ versions from Loewen are good (and I’ve certainly bought lots for the cellar) but while the feinherb grey label is about twice the price it is a superior wine and a real experience. It maybe pricey in German riesling terms, but it’s a bargain compared to burgundy, Bordeaux, Piedmont etc etc.
Indeed the Loewen wines are excellent. If I had never bought the Schmitt-Wagner wines (which never cost me more than $30) the 1896 pricing probably would not grate so much. That and the fact that the Selbach Ur Alte Reben Feinherb is just as good and half the cost of the 1896.
