As I was thinking all day about what to write about on my visit to Thörle in the beautiful, picturesque village of Saulheim in the Rheinhessen so many thoughts raced through my head. There were so many great moments during this visit I did not know what to focus on. As I was recalling the tasting and all the conversation we had, what struck me was when Johannes Thörle told me about a tasting of the '14 Grosses Gewachs/Grand Cru wines. All the big shots in the Rheinhessen were there. It was a VDP tasting but the VDP also invited some non up and coming VDP estates and Thörle made quite an impression on one enthusiastic winemaker, none other than Wittman. He pulled Johannes aside and said something to the affect that the Thörle wines were as good if not better than many of the VDP wines there and he was very, very impressed. Only after a few hours tasting and touring the vineyards did Johannes tell me as his as humble as they come and not one to brag, but he was obviously proud of this moment. I would be as well.
Quite often, you can tell when winemakers are great even before you taste the wines. Everything about the estate is just perfect. The tasting area and how it is decorated. The professionalism with which they conduct the tastings. Even the logo ( I love the logo). The Thörle brothers are creatures of precision and perfection. The wines have that absolute precision, focus and crystalline expression of terroir that you see in the great winemakers like Shaefer Frohlich, Battenfeld Spanier, Florent Garaudet and Chavy-Chouet. The mineral expression in the Rieslings is nothing short of extraordinary. One could argue that the Pinot Noir are the tops in the Rheinhessen. I think that they are top 10 in Germany and more importantly, the Pinots are incredibly distinctive.
The Thorle brothers took over an estate that sold most of its grapes and within under a decade have turned it into one of the hottest new estates in Germany. Everyone in Germany knows Thörle as all the top German winemakers gave a nod of approval when I mentioned that I am working with Thörle. I truly love these wines.
Today I have an extraordinary 2015 Riesling up for offer. The 2015 Thörle Holle Riesling for $34.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. The sweet spot for Riesling in 2015 is the Rheinhessen and the Mosel. I also think the vineyards in the Rheinhessen that are limestone based are particularly favorable in 2015 (Battenfeld has limestone as does Thörle). This wine is the Thörle equivalent of a Grosses Gewachs if they were in the VDP (in Germany, unlike France, you have to be a dues paying member of the VDP to get Grosses Gewachs/Grand Cru status). The Holle has an evocative, deep mineral and honeyed nose to start. The minerality from the dense limestone soils in the Holle give the wine a brilliant aromatic lift. Great mouthfeel, soft yet lacey, intense and very concentrated and mineral. The finish is long, complex and very mineral. The density, sap and power are all impressive but the silkiness that ties it all together is what sets this wine apart. Compared to their other two Grand Cru sites the Holle's temperature is higher on average than Schlossberg yet is also more mineral than the great old site, Probstey. The wine is incredible and I cannot wait to taste this when it gets here. I can already a anticipate a tasting in a few years of the '15 Jewel "Fruhmesse" Riesling, the Battenfeld GG's, and the Thörle '15 Grand Cru Rieslings including today's Holle. I gave it a 9.5 on Delectable a month ago when I was tasting at the estate.
I believe estates that make VDP quality wine but are not in the VDP represent the best value wines in all of Germany as the pricing does not have that VDP bump yet and as such, they are severely undervalued. Also factor in that I am buying direct and offering a once in a lifetime vintage of an "VDP Quality" estate for $34.99 and $39.99 a bottle and the value becomes especially enticing.
The Spatburgunders that the Thörles make are stunning stunning wines. These have to be among the most slept on Spatburgunders in all of Germany. These wines are class in a glass and in a mineral, deeply fruited but never even going close to over the top way, which can happen in the Rheinhessen sometimes with Pinot Noirs. These wines are an exercise in restraint. The Thörle's also know how to use oak better than most. See the full article here that Christophe Thorle wrote for us about German Reds and the use of oak. There are a lot of great quotes in the piece but the takeaway is below.
"Our philosophy with the use of oak is that the oak should be a support of structure and an element of complexity but we never want the fruit to be masked by it." - Christophe Thörle
And boy does he stay true to that philosophy. From the same vineyard as today's Riesling the 2014 Thörle Holle Spatburgunder for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is one of their two Grand Cru Spatburgunders. I loved both of them but wanted to offer the Holle first as it would be cool to have with the Riesling from the same vineyard and also because it sells out the first in Germany. We don't want that. Very mineral nose. The limestone just emanates from the glass and we all know how special limestone and Pinot Noir can be. Citrusy and earthy aromas speak to the uniqueness of the Holle terroir. Elegant texture, which is oh so important with Pinot Noir and just so streamline, straight and focused with very juicy explosive fruit. The freshness is uncanny and it is very impressively concentrated with unreal purity. Texture is on point and the tannins are velvet. God this is so good. It is unique in my book as the preponderance of limestone makes this so expressive. Maybe the most Burgundian of all my Pinots. The most classic as well. If there is one thing that I adore about the Thörle wines is how utterly classic they are. Like a great painting by a master. There is nothing out of place. The balance is extraordinary and nothing is forced.
I hate to repeat myself, but this is another buy them before they're famous. It's another Murat, Chavy-Chouet, Galeyrand, Enderle & Moll. It's why you buy from me; to get the before-they-were famous (and expensive) wines. Pre-Unicorn If you must. These guys are very good at marketing so it won't be long.
2015
Thörle Holle Riesling - $36.99 ($139.96 4-pack) (VERY LIMITED)
2014
Thörle Holle Spatburgunder - $41.99 (
$159.96 4-pack)
(VERY LIMITED)
No comments:
Post a Comment