Dispatches from the Road
2013 Spater-Veit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese
– Zeusian Levels of Acidify Will Keep This Fresh for Decades
– A Stunning, Stunning Wine That Blew Me Away
– Nose: Some Gorgeous Mosel Age
– Apricot, Dried Apricot, Spice
– Umami
– Dense and Layered
– Lovely Peach Flower Notes
– Layered, Gorgeous, Vivid and Detailed
– Pineapple, Cassis
– Drop Dead Stunning
– Palate is Absolutely Psychotic
– Dried Peach, Some Apricot
– Aged Character with Terrific Complexity
– Vibrating Freshness and Explosiveness
– Precision, Depth
– Unreal Richness and Gorgeous Finesse
If there is one thing I love about tasting with Niklas Welter of Spater Veit it’s that he has an endless supply of mature or maturing sweet wines. Sweet wine is my passion and I will always import it and it is not going to make me rich. Americans are hard to sell sweet wine to despite the most popular drink in American being Coca-Cola. It’s even harder to sell sweet wine in Germany and Niklas’ biggest and newest sweet wine customer is 1-2-3 star Michelin restaurants in the Netherlands as they pour some wines with age by the glass as with Scandinavian food aged German sweet Riesling is a perfect match. Also as I get older I like my sweet German Rieslings with around 10-15 years of age on them as that is when they still have youthful vigor but also aged character as well. Best of both worlds. Niklas is perhaps the most underrated producer of sweet wines in the Mosel. The guy does not miss and his sites in Piesport which include some of the best parcels in Domheer and Goldtropfchen are just amazing and he tasted me on some really fantastic selections but one aged version stood out amongst the many excellent wines.
The 2013 Spater-Veit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese for $38.99 a bottle (750ml) on a 4-pack is as prodigious an Auslese as I have ever had. This has Zeusian levels of acidify that being the thunder and the lighting like nothing else. 2013 is a smaller vintage with prodigious levels of acidity and this has around 11 to 11.5 grams of acid and around 90 grams of sugar and was picked at around 110 Oechsle. This is a stunning stunning wine that blew me away. I gave it a 9.6 and it is drinking so well now. Thrill a minute drinking like nothing else. The acidity gets to every nook and cranny of your palate and is so bracing and commands your attention. It is dramatic as an Auslese as I can remember. You cannot believe this acid. It’s just incredible.
Nose is showing age. Apricot, dried apricot, spice, umami. dense and layered, slatey and airy, so expansive with white chocolate, blood change and some bittersweet cocoa. There are lovely peach flower notes. So layered, gorgeous vivid and detailed. It is stunning. Tropical, herbal, red fruited and decadent. With air the nose gets exuberant with pineapple, cassis, apricots and peaches. It has fresh honey as well like the bee just deposited it in the glass. It’s profound. Also an overwhelming sense of herbs. Mint, thyme even. Just drop dead stunning. This is the unparalleled complexity of aged Mosel riesling in full bloom. If you’ve never had it, your wine education is incomplete. Get at least a bottle – I have enough to give everyone at least a bottle.
The palate is absolutely psychotic, as expected. Palate is so rich, ripe and amazing and very very high acidity. That wakes you up. Acid is 11 or 11.5. And this is a freak show. Wow wow wow. Bracing. Unreal intensity. Just stunning and an emotional wine. Dried peach, some apricot but of an aged character with terrific complexity. Remarkable density and power. Still remarkably fresh as that acid kicks your ass. Awesome intensity. The palate has just vibrating freshness and explosiveness. The palate is just an exercise in precision, depth, unreal richness and gorgeous finesse. This has brilliant acidity that keeps this insanely fresh. Its crazy good. The acid combined with the richness and lasers all over the palate with the finish one mile long. This is genius. Again, Fass 4-3-1 plan. Auslese deals do not come up like this often! But oh man is it elegant. Achingly, beautifully elegant. The finish is genius and the balance is just blissful. For $39 this is a freak show.
The internal aromatics are brilliant with aged Riesling character, intense peach flower and richness. The finish is long and juicy with tons of elegant peach.
I have less than I think that you will want so please don’t sit on this. I looked at wine-searcher and let me tell you for 2013 Auslese in this price range there is not top tier stuff.
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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