The 2023 Vintage At Weltner
– An Awesome, Dense Vintage
– Unreal Depth and Finesse
– A Unique Mineral Expression
2023 Paul Weltner Hoheleite Sylvaner Grosses Gewachs
– Arguably the Greatest Sylvaner on Earth
– Even More Incredible than Usual in 2023
– Unreal Intensity on the Nose
– Serious Depth
– Elegant Spice
– Flowers, Herbs, Mint
– Wet Stones
– Fine Gunsmoke
– So Noble
– Palate: So Incredibly Compact
– Floats on the Palate
– Structured and Dense
– A Stunning Driving Force – You Can Feel the Almost Living Intensity on the Palate
– Lemon, Lemon Oil
– Great Richness in 2023
– Amazing Purity and Uncommon Depth
– Terrific Acidity – So Vibrant
– Structured and Deep
– Wonderful Structure and Silly Depth
– Mineral Expression is Taut and Intense
– Long, Long Mineral Finish
– So Distinctive
I am traveling and will be away so my e-mail responses will be delayed. Thanks in advance for your patience.
The Story
‘m not sure if many of you know this but Paul Weltner was the first producer we signed at Fass Selections and it was because of Sebastien Furst, the famous Pinot Noir producer in Bürgstadt, Germany. I was having dinner with Sebastien and he brought a bottle of Paul’s Rödelsee Schweinlatte Scheurebe Alte Reben. It was a revelation and I was over the moon about this wine. I asked Sebastien who imported it into American and he said nobody. I said that’s a bummer as I would like to buy it for a store I was buying for. Sebastien then says to me that maybe I could import the wines. And I say of course not that is what other people do. I was not qualified. I truly believed that at this point in my career but even though I said no a seed was planted as I was intrigued that someone, anyone believed that I could be an importer. Anyways fast forward again to the next year and I am at Furst again and I am stirring at a table tasting Paul Weltner samples that he sent Sebastien as he was out of town when I visited. I tasted the wines and adored them and Paul was the the first ever grower at Fass Selections. We have been working together now for 12 years. One time a few years back when we were transferring to 750 ML normal sized bottles from the urn shaped bocksnbeutels and we thought maybe it was not going to work out and we could no longer work together Paul said “Lyle, we will always work together as I cannot imagine my winery existing without Fass Selections importing my wines to the United States.” And we worked it out and our collaboration exists to this day. It warmed my heart that something I created became so integral to Paul’s life. That’s partnership. That’s loyalty. And it was so pure. I am very excited for the next 12 years and beyond.
Tasting at Paul’s a few days ago was a thrilling and important experience for me as Paul made “The Leap,” as we like to call it. His 23’s have tuned another page in his continuing evolution as a winemaker and I simply was not prepared for it when I tasted the wines. The 23’s are the greatest set of wines I have ever tasted from Paul as he has now added the most unreal refined finesse and a supple like texture and it makes these wines drink like the most incredible version of Paul’s wines that have his classic “Wall of Flavor” profile but also this elite level of class and refinement and suppleness that makes them that much better and more delicious. We are at thrill a minute drinking at this level.
The Wall of Flavor…….Plus!
What is The Wall of Flavor? It is the effect that certain elite wine producers bring to the table. There are so few that do it. Generally it only happens with German wines but it can happen outside Germany at estates such as Guy Roulot. It is also only used for describing white wines. It’s when the acid, minerals andfruit explode on your palate like a dam has been released and the liquid rushes down your palate like a wall. But that wall all has flavor. The wall of flavor is intense but it does not lack focus or precision. And in Weltner’s case it has elite elegance as well which is what makes the Weltner Wall of Flavor so compelling. I’ve never not had a Weltner wine that doesn’t have The Wall of Flavor. But the finest expression of this unique vinous phenomenon is in Paul’s two Grosses Gewachs from Hoheleite. They are made from Riesling and Silvaner and are both Fass core legend wines.. But now we have added elite finesse and suppleness to the wall of flavor and wow this is beyond anything I have ever had in a wall wine. It’s like Paul added some of Tim Frohlich’s legendary finesse and his own brand of suppleness to crank these up to 11.
The Wine
Up today is the Big Daddy, the Grand Pubah, the Bigger Than Life, the 2022 Weingut Weltner Hoheleite Sylvaner Grosses Gewachs for $54.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is in a NORMAL 750 ML bottle.
You can’t believe how good the Sylvaner Hoheleite is that it does this floaty thing on your palate for like maybe 2-3 seconds as your tasting it and that’s like the batter’s knee buckling. Your palate buckles on this Weltner Sylvaner GG because it floats so beautifully just for a flash of two or three seconds but you flutter, your stomach feels like when you’re on a first date with that special someone, you may laugh uncontrollably because that’s, at least what great Weltner GG does to me. The Weltner Sylvaner GG has THAT thing. You shouldn’t really need more of a note than this but I’ll deliver one anyway. But in 2023, which is an awesome, dense vintage with unreal depth, finesse, density and a unique mineral expression, Paul has added to his expertise in winemaking and now the Wall of Flavor is like a wall in an elegant piece of architecture like from Zaha Hadid or Frank Gehry.
Unreal expansive nose. Stunning nose of wintergreen, forest floor, some barely there lemon, spice, flowers, mint, wet stones and a sense of serious deepness. Sexy nose. Herbal, vegetable in the way Silvaner can only do it (sweet sugarsnap peas and the such) with intense minerality. So refined. I mean so refined. And floral. Just a symphony of Silvaner. So much more to reveal with time of course but stunningly clean and as GG as it gets. As it airs it gets krazor. Herbal, lemon oil, huge minerals, lanolin, bouillon, lime zest, soupy with unreal clarity and a transporting quality to it. The sense of nobility of the aromas is just unreal. The nose is expansive but also contained like an amuse bouche is contained.
The palate is packed, structured and dense with amazing purity and uncommon depth along with this new elite finesse and refinement and a suppleness that makes this hard to resist. Yes is has awesome acidity but it’s wrapped or knitted into the wine in such a way that it’s noticeable but not too dominant like in 21. It’s so well integrated yet high. There is a stunning compactness to this wine in 2023 that is almost over the top but it’s also ultra contained. It’s like a punch from Mike Tyson or Jim Brown hitting the line which are acts of power but they are also refine. Super sappy, rich, and vibrant with wonderful structure and silly depth. Akin to a Grand Cru Chablis. Perfect lemon and lemon oil. The mineral expression is taut, playful yet broad and intense. So so long. It’s complex and concentrated. So so so long. The mineral sap on the finish is remarkable as is the finish. Not punishing. So so long. It’s complex, concentrated and ultra dry. So long. Have I said that this is long yet? This is beautiful. This is remarkably accessible for a young Hoheleite GG but really will reward those who wait 3-5 years. Below is the 94 Points 2021 Review by Stephan Rienhardt as well as the Jancis review from 2018! I gave this a 9.8 on Delectable.
“Paul Weltner’s 2021 Sylvaner Hoheleite GG offers a clear, bright and coolish, slightly flinty bouquet of white fruits, lemon notes and crushed stones. Very delicate and playful on the palate, this soon becomes a serious, intense and firmly structured Sylvaner with a long and aromatic finish. The wine is juicy, refined and elegant, and its full body is carried by the thoroughly mineral backbone and the saline acidity. Fine bitters on the finish make this is a promising yet already stimulating Sylvaner. 13% stated alcohol. Tasted in Wiesbaden, August 2022.” – 94 Points, Wine Advocate (2021)
“Paul Weltner does not try to create a new image for Silvaner but works on preserving the authenticity of the classic style. Earthy is not a dirty word for him and is therefore allowed to manifest itself as part of a mineral expression, with herbal and stony components completing the profile. The 2018 Hoheleite almost tastes a little medicinal with a dash of quinine, putting invigorating freshness before fruity opulence. (MS)” – 18.0, Jancis Robinson (2018)
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your 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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