In Graach
I found myself in the Mosel last month and I'm still reeling from an auspicious beginning: a visit with
Christoph Scheafer of Weingut Willi Schaefer followed by the first night of Die Weinfest der Mittlemosel (the Wine Festival of the Middle Mosel) in Bernkastel. On Sunday morning I awoke to a town sleeping off it's collective hangover. At breakfast, only the over 50 crowd was in attendance, hopefully some of whom went to bed early with earplugs in like me!
Going to Bernkastel reminds me of some of the first visits I made to Europe as a touring musician back in the 80s and 90s, before everyone had a GPS in their pocket, and someone's opinion of everything at their fingertips. I got to Graach, where Weingut Willi Schaefer is located and my phone's GPS put me off track a few blocks. So I parked and did it the old fashioned way...asked someone for directions --and I got to the appointed hour on-time to meet Christoph. Graach an der Mosel is a tiny village with the impossibly steep vineyards of Graacher Himmelreich and Graacher Domprost looming over the town, just before you get to Berkastel on the drive from Frankfurt.
The wines of Willi Schaefer are my favorite Mosel wines and my visit further clarified what makes these wines resonate for me. Every wine has a thread of acidity running down the middle that always thrills and the magical vineyards yield a myriad of different tastes and aromas that they make you fall in love with Mosel wines over and over again.
A visit to the cellar revealed a lot. The wines of Weingut Willi Schaefer have a crystalline clarity without the common puff of sulfur that often hits, especially on the sweetest wines. When I asked Christoph to explain, he pointed to his immersion water chillers, which can quickly cool down the fermentation process to a near halt, limiting the need for more sulfur. To be clear, these are not un-sulfured wines, but wines treated with a minimal touch.
The wines come from 3 non-contiguous parcels surrounding Graacher am del Mosel, Graacher Himmelreich, Graacher Domprobst,and Wehlener Sonnenuhr - all slate dominated solis, which help give the wines such layered minerality. Quantities are tiny, just 2900 cases from 4 Ha of vineyards.
The Numbers:
Willi Schaefer uses a unique numbering system, which the collector or enthusiast should understand when choosing tonight's Riesling. For the Auslese wines brought into the U.S. by Skurnick/Theise, you will generally find bottles marked #11 or #14, usually on the back of the bottle. These are indications of different styles of Riesling, so wines from the same vineyard, but different styles, can be combined and bottled together. For Spatlese wines, you will generally find #10 and #5. Here's the decoder I got from Christoph:
No.11 - Classic Auslese. From intense yellow berries, but very little botrytis.
Späteses:
No.10 - Classic purity and moderate sweetness levels
No.5 - More textured wines that push sweetness towards Auslese levels. I recommend seeking these out.
Beerenausleses are made only when the weather gods smile on the hills, usually about every 3 years. There was a 2015 Beerenauslese released that can be found in specialty shops.
Tasting Notes:
2016 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
First hits the freshness and levity of this wine. It has plenty of minerals, but what hits you is the charm and openness with wildflower overtones. An astonishing value if you can find it.
2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett
Immediately one feels the power of Domprobst. It's more closed and restrained in its youth than the Himmelreich. Has more of everything: acidity, mineralogy, body. Hints of tangerine peel.
2016 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese
With a touch more sweetness, a more rounded wine emerges. This wine still has the grace and light hearted spirit of Himmelreich. Juicy, clean, fruity, and very polished. So delicious!
2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #10
The most minerals of the Spätleses from the wild yeasts.Less floral, more density and seriousness. Starting to get a touch of petrol on the nose (which I personally love).
2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5
More tongue coating and heavier bodied, Surprising amounts of wildflower scents.
2016 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese #11
Huge perfume of honey, raisins, and plums. Clean fruitless with perfect acidity/sweetness balance. Amazing.
2004 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese auction wine
Somewhere between the characteristics of a #11 and #14, pushing levels of kerosene, lemon peel, honey, flowers, white peach peel. At 13 years old, this still is youthful. '04 was a classic year so this was a huge treat. (Christoph says the '03 was a particularly opulent year for this wine)
2006 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese #14
This gave me memories of my grandmother's fruitcake and with the whiff of kerosene in the glass, made me wish I was drinking this at our long-gone family retreat in the Adirondacks where all the lighting was by kerosene lamps. This is a near-perfect wine with dried apricot and citron flavors that go on and on. I am so grateful to have been able to taste it.
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