2016 Saarburger Rausch GG

Like this year’s Alte Reben bottling, the Zillikens’ 2016 Grosses Gewächs weighs in at just 11.5% alcohol and evinces a delightful sense of buoyancy, yet with striking creaminess of texture. Site-typical notes of stone and ash run from the nose through to the superbly sustained finish, accompanied by zesty, brightly juicy lemon and grapefruit. This sleek, treble expression of Saarburger Rausch conveys a mouthwatering alliance of crustacean-like sweetness, salinity and iodine. Hanno Zilliken opined that at this youthful stage, he favors his Alte Reben and Diabas bottlings, but amusingly, given my skeptical reservations concerning the genre, I give this Grosses Gewächs the edge.