This Is a Limited Edition Library Release
2018 Gut Hermannsberg Hermannsberg Reserve GG
– Riesling Grosses Gewachs
– Library Release Roughly 5 Year Old Vintage
– Top Estate
– Vinum Winemaker of the Year Winner
– $69.99 – $67.99 On A Case
– 97 Points, Piggot
Tasting Notes
– This Is Aged “German Corton Charlemagne”
– Ready to Drink
– I Gave This 98-100 Points
– Nose: Psychotic Levels of Complexity
– Gorgeous, Precise Lemon Oil
– Finely Powdered Minerals That Powerfully Penetrate
– Palate: Total Wall of Flavor (Midjourney Pic Is This Image)
– Massive and Shocking Density
– Gorgeous, Elegant, Sweet Lemon
– Mineral Crack – Beautiful Sweet, Delicious Minerality
– Phenomenal Tension Between Fruit and Minerals
– Hedonism for Connoisseurs
– A Vinous Pas de Deux
– A Hint of Savoriness
– Long, Dense, Delicious, Lingering Finish
– At the Beginning of its Drinking Window
– One of the Greatest and Most Distinctive German Wines We’ve Sold
This Was Previously Sold as a Mystery Wine
I love the wines of Gut Hermannsberg but they are in a particular old school unforgiving style when they are young. They have intense minerality and huge acids and in general need many years to come around, but they do and when do they are just stunning. Please remember that serious Grand Cru wines that are able to be drunk young is a relatively new thing that wasn’t happening when I was coming up in the wine world. It was unheard of to drink Grand Cru wines or top wines young. But it is now possible to drink some Grand Cru wines young. The wines of some estates, that are still fiercely traditional, demand age. Clos de Gamot in Cahors, Gut Hermannsberg in the Nahe, the higher end syrah/gutedel/pinot gris/pinot noir bottlings from Ziereisen and many classified Bordeaux for example. Also tons of Barolo but less so than in years like 1989 and 1996.
We offered today’s wine at the end of June as a mystery wine. Today we are offering again with the name of the wine and super high score from Piggot. In a warmer vintage like 18 in a cool climate area like the Nahe one has a recipe for a delicious, profound and complex wine one can drink early.
The Wine
The 2018 Gut Hermannsberg Hermannsberg Reserve GG will cost $69.99 each on a 4 pack and $67.99 on a case purchase. Given the stunning quality and ageworthiness, I recommend a case purchase.
It is a Grosses Gewachs direct from the cellar with approximately 5 years of age. The grape is riesling.
Tasting Notes
In a word, this is “German Corton Charlemagne.” I’ve never said that about a German wine before but I’m saying it today. What do I mean by that? I mean that this wine has the unique combination of density/power, elegance, fruit and mineral character that you get from Corton Charlemagne. But it’s a German wine made from Riesling.
It’s one of the most distinctive wines from Germany that I’ve ever tasted or sold. I’ve had German wines with this level of density but not the elegance. I’ve had many German wines with the elegance but not this level of density. The combination? Never.
The nose is simply a psychotic adventure. A shocking tour de force from the first sniff. Honestly, this is a wine that you don’t even have to swirl. It’s ready to go and just forces itself into your nose. Bam – you get this gorgeously sweet lemon oil. It just forces itself in and takes over your nose, adhering to everything from the tip of the nostril to halfway down the trachea. It’s paired in this pas de deux with wonderfully fine, elegant, beautiful mineral powder. As bracing as 4 shots of espresso. As elegant as a ballerina. Absolute top tier /elite nose.
The palate is simply the wall of flavor. The absolute wall of flavor. By that I mean that the fruit and minerals hit you at the same time and in absolute perfect balance. You can feel the density and power of this wine but the balance is an absolute knife’s edge. Again – elegance and balance at this level of density? I can only go Corton Charlemagne. Specifically, you get sweet lemon fruit. Mineral crack. The minerals are so beautiful and powerful, they almost shatter the jawbone. Utterly massive density. There’s also a hint of savoriness in the wine. The word hedonism has a bit of an unsophisticated ring to it but for me, this wine is utterly hedonistic. It just hits all of the pleasure areas of my brain in such an elegant way. Wow!
This wine is ready to drink right now but will age for 20 plus years.
“A very fresh, elegant and delicate wine for the super-warm vintage! Tastes as if it is barely two-years-old! The subtle nose of fresh herbs and white tree fruit pulls you into this refined Nahe riesling masterpiece. Breathtaking freshness at the super-long finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.“ – 97 Points, Piggot
Midjourney
As you know, we believe that strict recitations of tasting notes is only part of the story of a wine. We’ve always tried to include metaphors to try to give our readers a better understanding of how wines impact us. These metaphors have included architecture, painting, music and poetry.
We’re trying something new to help create visual metaphors using Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence program that is by far the best image gneratour out there. I’ve messed around with a bunch and this is by far the best. We look forward to hearing your feedback.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your first order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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I am big into certain social media and I want people to take pictures of the wines they have received or will receive and tag me in them and share their thoughts. I a am on Instagram. Please tag me there. I also am on Delectable which I love a lot. It is Iphone/Ipad only, but it’s like Instagram meets Facebook for wine. Tag me there and find me there as well. I want to know if you liked the wine, were not moved by the wine, hated the wine or the wine gave you a religious experience. I want to know it all. Feedback is key and I will answer all feedback e-mails as quickly as I can.
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