2015 Riesling Reiterpfad Hofstuck Grosses Gewachs

Both floral and spicy on the nose. Falls away a bit on the finish. Light suggestion of sweet herbal oil. Forward. (JR)

Christmann's 2015 Reiterpfad-Hofstück Riesling Trocken GG displays a lovely, deep, intense and concentrated lemon flavor with floral/herbal and some almond aromas. Very complex! Piquant and firm on the palate, this is a very elegant, compact and densely woven Riesling with a silky texture, great balance and expression. The finish is dense, aromatic and very long. This is an enormously complex Riesling to be aged for 10-15 years.

Christmann's 2015 Reiterpfad-Hofstück Riesling Trocken GG displays a lovely, deep, intense and concentrated lemon flavor with floral/herbal and some almond aromas. Very complex! Piquant and firm on the palate, this is a very elegant, compact and densely woven Riesling with a silky texture, great balance and expression. The finish is dense, aromatic and very long. This is an enormously complex Riesling to be aged for 10-15 years.<br><br>After his excellent 2014s, Steffen Christmann has bottled another great range of 2015s. "2015 is well succeeded," he says, adding that "everything was ideal when you were able to be quick and punchy." Since the harvesting windows have become smaller and smaller in the past years, team Christmann was pretty big this year again--and that was crucial to get everything in before overripeness occurred. "We managed to pick 1.5 hectares per day," he says. Again, Christmann harvested all of his vineyards in only two weeks, between September 14 and 30. Grapes where botrytis was already on its way were kept on the vines during that time and picked no earlier than around October 10. "These berries turned from golden-yellow to pink and purple in a matter of 14 days," he says. These grapes were picked on one day and finally resulted in the very few noble sweet wines Christmann produced (Auslese and Beerenauslese).<br><br>From the 2015s, the Idig GG is again the first among equals, although stylistically slightly varied compared to former vintages. The fermentation and aging in Doppelstück (wooden 2,400-liter vats) took place in partly two-year-old oak, which has its influence on the texture and structure of the wine. Oak was also used in the Ölberg GG, and with less success maybe, the Kapellenberg Erste Lage. The qualities of the Langenmorgen GG and the Reiterpfad-Hofstück GG, as well as the Paradiesgarten GG and the Meerspinne GG, are outstanding, too. Whereas among the village wines, the Königsbacher (from younger Idig vines and lower parts with deeper soils) is again my favorite and a best buy. Jul 2016, www.roberparker.com, Drink: 2016-2030