2015 Weingut Riehen “Le Petit Rouge”
– His Premier Cru Bottling
– Gives Village Chambolle, Gevrey a Run for Their Money
– At Half the Price
– Nothing Like This – Like Smelling Truffles for the First Time
– Nose: Incredible Complexity
– Alpine Scents, Tree Bark
– Some Midseason Cherry and Black Cherry
– Very Intense Minerality
– Unique and Distinct Swiss Quality
– Classy, Earthy and Ethereal Nose
– Palate: Very Serious Mouthfeel
– Major Sap and Wonderful Deep and Dark Fruit
– A Unique Intensity
– Superb Concentration and Sap
– Startlingly Pure
– Incredible Minerality
– Integrated Opulence
– Insane Inner Mouth Aromas
– Sauvage Animal Character
– Like High Class Gevrey with a Twist
2015 Weingut Riehen Le Grand Chardonnay
– The Most Brilliant and Unique Chardonnay I’ve Ever Had
– Mountain Chardonnay with … Ziereisen-ness
– Perfect Balance, Elegance and So Distinctive
– Totally Different from His German Wines
– Full of Herbs
– Rosemary. Wild Mint. Sage
– So Dense and So Complex That It’s Dizzying
– So Layered, So Floral, So Perfumed
– 9.8 Nose
– Awesome, Power, Depth and Concentration
– Incredible Inner Mouth Aromas
– So Sapid
– Elite Elegance As It Airs
– Sadly Very Limited
Edel Ziereisen reached into the cellar and offered me these wines which is a very rare look at aged Swiss wines. I haven’t had these since release but they were made by Hanspeter Ziereisen and it is a privilege and an honor to sell these very very rare aged Swiss wines. I have TWO of the 2015.s BUT The Notes are for 2018.
Below are notes for the 18 Le Grand Chardonnay and the 19 Le Petit Rouge Pinot Noir as I haven’t tasted the 15s since 2016.
Jost & Ziereisen started as a partnership between German winemaking legend Hanspeter Ziereisen and one of his proteges Jost. Jost, after the 2017 vintage, left to become a key player at Molitor. There’s a new boy genius in charge of winemaking now (Silas Weiss – more on him in the future) and the winery is now called Weingut Riehen (after the town)
BUT – in 2018 (AND 2015!), the Swiss wines were made by the Master Himself. These are absolute collectors’ items.
Riehen is just over the border. In fact, if you walk the vineyards, there is a sign that says “welcome to Germany.” So it was a 10 minute ride for Hanspeter to make these wines.
THE WINES IN 2015 WERE CALLED “JOST & ZIEREISEN” AND NOT WEINGUT RIEHEN.
The Wines
Today I’ve got two of the best Swiss Whites we will sell. One is best of it’s kind and the other is one of the best Swiss white wine values I’ve ever had and it’s just a stunning wine. THESE ARE NOTES FOR THE 2018 BUT I AM SELLING THE 15’S!
First up is the 2015 Weingut Riehen Le Grand Chardonnay for $87.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is just a brilliant wine that is firing in all cylinders once you open it. It’s really unlike any Chardonnay I’ve ever had and has that brilliant …. Ziereisen-ness for lack of a better word. Just perfect balance, elegance. Totally different from his Baden (Germany) wines. Mountain Chardonnay with great density. Really a must try for Chardonnay lovers, sadly, I don’t have much.
Background on Nomenclature First a bit of background on what makes a wine have the “Le Grand” designation. At Riehen they don’t know if the Sauvignon Blancs or Chardonnays will be Le Grands or Le Petit Grands until all the grapes are harvested and are mostly done aging in barrels. Once it’s established that a barrel or two is Le Grand then the deal is done. In 17, for example, the Sauvignon Blanc was Le Grand. In 2018 it’s Chardonnay’s turn and what a turn it takes.
The nose is easily the most unique, fascinating and apothecary like nose I’ve ever smelled in any wine and easily any Chardonnay. Wow. What a nose. So unique, so profound, so grassy, full of herbs and at an apothecary level. Stunning. It’s so dense and so complex that it’s dizzying. I’ve never ever smelled anything like this but where has this been all of life. Wow!! Genius. So layered, so floral, so perfumed. God’s apothecary. Beyond complex. Wow. Like the best fresh herbs one can imagine. Major rosemary. Wild mint. Sage. Just insanity. How does a wine smell like this? 9.8 nose. Wow! This is as Grand as it gets. Doesn’t do anything except improve on day 2. Same crazy nose as day before. Stunning. So unique and transcendent.
On the palate, awesome, power, depth and concentration. Painfully young but so expansive. The palate really is similar to the nose. Herbal and apothecary like. Incredible inner mouth aromas. Huge depth. This needs so much air. It’s so sapid and so backwards. As it airs it gets sizzling complexity and depth. Wow. Elegance has come on strong. Insanity. On day 2, balance is out of this world. So long, so structured and so pure. Endless finish. Gorgeous. Drink now through 2040.
Finish is long and juicy and will fill out.
Today’s second wine is the 1er Cru level bottling. The 2015 Weingut Riehen “Le Petite Rouge” Pinot Noir can be had today for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. This is 100% Pinot Noir.
Nose starts out very quiet. Some alpine scents, some midseason cherry and black cherry, tree bark and very intense minerality. It’s holding so much back aromatically. But once is gets going the nose is like smelling white truffles for the first time. You’re like “what is this strange new smell I cannot get enough and oh my god now this is my favorite thing ever for the rest of my life.” This wine is just ridiculous and gives Burg villages like Chambolle and Gevrey a run for the money at half the price. Not only was the wine profoundly delicious and stunningly well made, it also had a unique and distinct Swiss quality to it. What a nose. So interesting. Darker cherry fruits but very Pinot and very earthbound and alpine. Scents like I’ve never smelled before along with this beautiful pure black cherry aroma. Floral, jelly donut filling, late season cherry and rocking black cherry develop over many hours. Really classy, earthy and ethereal nose. It’s very Pinot. But also very Swiss. Not Burg. Not Cali. Not Germany. Swiss. I mean this thing really really delivers.
These wines really deliver on the palate. The mouthfeel is very serious with lots of acidity but also major sap and wonderful deep and dark fruit. It’s so flavorful. It really has a unique intensity to it. The tannins are remarkable. They have lively acid to them but also are also sweet. There is just beautiful balance and purity to this wine. It is stunning. I’m just wowed by it by it’s combo of this is new and this is utterly delicious. Superb concentration and sap. This is a gentle giant. Awesome fruit soak. Just so compelling. Startlingly pure. Incredible minerality and just the cleanest Pinot you’ve ever tasted. Incredible palate. Just a small hit of opulence and then leans into the minerals and the linearity. Superb tannins and perfect balance. Awesome structure and sap.
Wow what a finish. Best version of this ever. The finish is so so long. Insane inner mouth aromas. I love how ripe the pretty tannins are. There is a wonderful freshness that is from the acid but also from the minerality; it brings such a unique freshness. There is also a sauvage animal character as well after proper aeration. I settled on 3 hours of air before it gets going and it really reminds me of a high class Gevrey with a twist. It’s so juicy and has a really terrific finish. I think it has the structure for long term aging. Truly a great wine. This is limited.
For me for a new wine to be delicious and distinctive like this is as rare as it gets. It has something to it that I’ve never had or tasted before in Pinot Noir and I can only assume that it is the quality of growing grapes in the mountains. The AOC is Basel-Stadt and the soil is blend of limestone and loess. This needs, no demands, a two hour decant. It was pretty tight when I opened it but I had faith that a wine Hanspeter had a hand in would eventually reveal its greatness. And oh man is it great.
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