2012 Monzinger Halenberg Grosses Gewachs

Though the Halenberg 2012 is still reticent on the nose, there are at least promises of exotic fruit, fragrant herbs and flinty-smoky minerality. The palate is compact with substance and requires dedication to pry apart its individual components into more easily identifiable flavours. I think it would be fair to say that at this early stage a salty expression of minerality has the upper hand over the fruit, and much of the early appeal of this concentrated Grosses Gewächs lies in the elements of texture and vinosity. In an aberration of a famous slogan one could be tempted to say ‘never mind the taste, feel the quality’. Very powerful and very long this might have been worth an even higher score, but sometimes top scores only serve to tempt premature consumption. (MS)