2018 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese (Golden Capsule) –Auction– (AP 23) is brilliant, highly refined and elegant on the pure and finely stony nose that exemplarily represents the unique terroir of the Sonnenuhr. Lush and intense on the palate yet highly refined, it has serious phenolic structure on the long and stimulatingly salty finish. This persistent Spätlese was auctioned recently for 77 euros, without VAT and commission. It's crystalline and piquant, very fine and highly elegant, yet for my tastes, it's a touch too sweet. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Heady, decadent perfume of lily, heliotrope and honeysuckle liquefy on a buoyant, polished palate that, thanks to an onrush of juicy fresh apple and grapefruit, exhibits more cut and freshness, albeit less flattering creaminess on the palate than does the corresponding Wehlener. This wine’s sense of vintage-typical richness is conveyed on the impressively sustained finish largely by floral perfume, while the fruit flavors continue to project surprising freshness.
Gold capsule (indicating a sweet wine). Quite a bit on the wild side of herbaceous pungency, it seems the ambient yeasts were given free rein, just telling us to give the Zeltinger Spätlese time to grow up. The taste buds get almost confused by contrasting emotions, crunchy rhubarb and gripping graphite here, juicy grapefruit there. The gap is bridged by deliciously sweet sophistication, although its compact substance, hard to prise apart at the moment, warns against early consumption. Finesse and elegance are lurking around the corner, but that corner is quite a way away. (MS)
About the producer
Markus Molitor is now among the largest privately owned wine estates in the Mosel and also one of the best. With a focus on single-vineyard expressions, the estate produces between 80 and 90 different wines each vintage.