2008 Theo Minges Gleisweiler Hölle Riesling Kabinett Trocken –Pfalz, Germany 11% alc.
Terry has spoken many times about the similarities that Minges shares with his Mosel brethren. Perhaps so, but NEVER has a Minges wine or any Pfälzer wine outside of a Meßmer Burrweiler Schäwer struck me as so very Mosel and maybe not even then. It isn’t the soil that does it in this case (the Hölle contains no slate, but rather chalk, clay, sand and loam), but presumably the farming and the long-lees contact. The vintage has a lot to do with it as well, and this has silvery acidity to grace the slightly more generous fruit than a Mosel Riesling might give. But that fruit is apples and pears, not peach and apricot and plum like we normally see in the Pfalz. Elegantly floral with just a touch of what the Germans call UTA (Untypischer Alterungston) and everyone else calls petrol. It is absolutely amazing at this point, and it makes me very happy about the amazing diversity of Riesling that can be found in the Pfalz. If you are a lover of Mosel Riesling, especially one with drier tastes (seemingly on the upswing), I cannot conceive of why your cellar would not be stocked with Theo Minges wine.
Cheers,
Bill