2007 Westhofener Morstein Trocken Grosses Gewachs

The Wittmann 2007 Westhofener Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs is in another class of flavor intricacy from its Grosses Gewachs siblings. Narcissus, grapefruit, and apricot on the nose are then allied on the waxy-textured palpably dense palate to saline, chalky, cyanic, nut oil, and roasted autumn squash elements. No youthful tartness or excessive astringency bars this from finishing with outstanding refreshment and length. It should be worth following for a decade or more. Philipp Wittmann’s top dry Rieslings all finished below 13% alcohol and all boast vivacious, ripe acidity, factors no doubt contributing to an especially expressive as well as for this estate unusually refreshing and youthfully appealing set of wines. The majority of dry Riesling was harvested between October 10 and 20 – pickings of Aulerde, Kirchspiel, and Morstein, in succession, being separated by several days – while the nobly sweet wines and a few remaining parcels for Grosses Gewachs were harvested over an exceptionally long period thereafter, until the 10th of November. (I learned subsequent to by visit here that a small lot of 2007 Grosses Gewachs from the Aulerde – officially Brunnenhauschen – was auctioned, but I was not able to taste it.) Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Date of harvest 6-24 Oct, yield 46 hl/ha; number of bottles 12,000 Very bright, pale straw; very fresh and invigorating aromas of grapefruit and peaches doused in generous helpings of herbs and minerals; juicy fruit, racy acidity, fine herbal notes, lots of substance, all balanced in the best possible taste, maybe 19.5 next year? (MS)

A little too sweet for my liking, but well saved by pronounced minerality and firm structure. Not necessarily a food wine. Nevertheless impressive, very concentrated with good length. (MS)