By now some of you have tasted the 15's from Germany and specifically the Mosel and you know how spectacular they are. The buzz is out there and it is real and legitimate. This is the best vintage in the Mosel since 2001 and 1990, but seems more like 1990 as it is riper than 2001 but also has awesome cleansing acids. But the aromas are also really something that sets 2015 apart. These are heavenly scented wines. Herbal, fruity, mineral and layered with nuances developing after they aerate. I am very excited to see what everyone will think of them once they ship. I'm in love with the vintage and will go deeper than normal for some wines. Today's wines I will go deeper than normal on because there is no greater German value in the whole marketplace than these wines from young Christophe Licht. I also drink them so fast. To have under $20 Mosel wine from one of the great Stefan Steinmetz's protégés is an honor to sell. These are some of the most honest, authentic and downright delicious wines in the Mosel. They are both under $20 a bottle. That is beyond ridiculous. He is making wine from very steep vineyards (albeit he has a day job as a mobile bottler) with almost barely any help. It is truly a one man show. And these wines are beautiful. They are utterly classic expressions of what I want to be drinking from the Mosel. Dry to dry tasting, low in alcohol wines that have plenty of fruit but also reflect the terroir they come from through the unique minerality that the Mosel brings to the table. Christophe is a master and many palates who I respect immensely have written me clamoring for more. This is a once a year offer for these two wines and this is the 3rd year on a row I am offering the same two wines. I like continuity with a grower and following certain bottlings vintage to vintage. Especially a new and up and coming grower like Christophe. Also to be able to offer my clients bottles of Riesling that can age for 15-20 years for under $20 a bottle is a great thing for all involved.
Today up first I have the 2015 Licht-Stadfield Juffer Spatlese Trocken for as little as $19.99 on a 4-pack. This is Christophe's greatest vintage. He has told me, I have tasted and been properly floored, and Stefan thinks so as well. I love love this wine. It is so light and elegant yet has chewy, intense minerality yet on a nimble frame. It is particularly aromatic in 2015. It jumps out of the glass at you with piercing yet gentle herbs, apricot, green apple, melon and peach fruits and vibrant and vivid slate. It's a knockout nose. All of these young winemakers just just get better every year. There are only 4 grams of RS in this wine and still that balance between acid, mineral and sugar is pitch perfect. He is truly a young master and I believe this is his trademark wine. The mouthfeel is very inviting which is a testament to the fruit quality of 2015. The finish is all slate, juicy fruit and minerals. Wonderful interplay. This is a terrific wine and a wonderful value. A buy by the case if I ever saw one. This wine is too good to be under $20. It really is.
Next up I have the 2015 Licht-Stadfield Klostergarten Riesling for $19.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is a brilliant effort and Christophe is the most excited about this than any wine in his output in 2015. It has the faintest touch sugar, think Champagne that is not ultra brut. Fuller in the mouth and on the palate than Juffer. Lots of pear and yellow apple on the nose. With the extra 2 grams of RS the minerality is there, but less than in the Juffer. But the trade off is a wonderful mouthful of luscious 2015 Riesling juicy fruit. Very dry tasting with great energy and minerality and so clean and so precise. The finesse is stunning as is the palate presence. This is a ridiculous value.This is just happiness in a bottle. Dare I say German Glou Glou. The sugar varies in every year I've had it, with 2014 being the driest. I think it had 4 last year and might have 6 this year. So it should be labeled Trocken and not feinherb. We will see. But as I said in my intro he is making dry to dry tasting wine. Which is the best type of Mosel wine to drink on a hot and humid day. Christophe says this is a perfect summer party wine. I would have to agree. The reason is because it is absolutely perfect with so many foods. I've always said 6-14 grams of RS is the perfect number for good quality food matching. Under that I prefer with oysters, shellfish, or on its own. Possibly cheese as well is a nice match with the low RS bone dry German Rieslings. The wine is a stunner. Again, it is silly that this wine is $19.99. It is light had playful with that requisite Licht-Stadfield elegance which I am beginning to think is his trademark. It has wonderful juicy, explosive fruit, that is just so 15. It hits all corners of your palate with waves of fruit, acid and mineral. Just a dream. That little extra RS works so perfectly in '15. In the Mosel, under 9 grams is legally Trocken and the disparity between .4 and say 3 is significant. Christophe is a master on this sliding scale of sugar under 9, as is his mentor, Stefan Steinmetz.
2015 Licht Stadfield Juffer Rielsing Spatlese Trocken - $22.99
($79.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
2015 Licht Stadfield Klostergarten Riesling - $21.99 ($79.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
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