The Cult of Hanspeter Ziereisen Extends Its Reach Like Enderle & Moll: The Reds Are Brilliant
- But the Whites Are Incredible, Exhilarating, Wonderful and Unique
93 Points for the 2013 by Stephan Rheinhardt
- VERY ALLOCATED - They Sell Out In Germany On Release
"The man is a superstar, whose Pinots are up there with the very best."
Tim Atkin, Master of Wine and award-winning wine journalist, broadcaster and commentator
"Ziereisen is a little bit like Bayern Munich. Another dimension of complexity and expression."
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate German Reviewer 11/6/15 (Facebook)
German Wine Collection of the Year, 2015 Gault Milleau
I wrote a top ten list in September called the top 10 non Riesling/Pinot Noir Grapes Grown in Germany according to me and Hanspeter Ziereisen had 4 entries on the list. That is 40% of the list. It's quite impressive and there is almost no grower, when it come to range and high quality, as impressive as Hanspeter is in Germany. He, to put it succinctly, kills it with whatever grapes he decides to grow. Besides being renowned for Pinot Noir he thrills with everything from Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) to Syrah to an absolutely stunning and frightfully expensive Gutedel. If all of a sudden all he could grow was Dornfelder and Muller Thurgau, I guarantee Hanspeter would the the top producer of both those grapes in Germany. He is one of those people who excels at anything he does because of his uncanny drive. Today, I have two wines from Ziereisen that were amongst the standouts at my tasting in August and both are almost sold out as people go absolutely mental for these wines in Germany. He cannot keep them in stock. There is a reason.
Up first is the 2014 Ziereisen Mussbrugger for as little as $24.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. I cannot emphasize how great a value this is and how good a wine this is. The QPR for this has to be one of the best I've ever offered here at Fass Selections. Stephan Rheinhardt (the Wine Advocate), who is a huge fan of Ziereisen gave the little brother of this, the regular Grauburgunder a 92. He has not tasted this yet. This is the next level up. The 1er Cru if you will, with the Jaspis Grauburgunder being the Grand Cru. I'm buying a case of this wine and that never happens. The Mussbrugger has a huge nose and an even huger body yet ridiculous freshness. Amazing dryness and beautiful structure. The wine is so long and has wonderful opulence. Damn tasty. Gets to every nook and cranny of your palate. Brilliant use of wood. It's an amazing wine but will also be terrific for spring BBQs and for that weirdo family member who always insists on Pinot Greeeeeeeegio. It will scratch that itch and you can also enjoy the wine instead of drinking industrial Pinot Grigio from Italy.
Next up I have a wine that I just had to sell. It is the 2014 Ziereisen Hard which is 100% Chardonnay and can be had for $29.99 on a 4-pack. I had no intention of offering this wine when I saw it on the list. From what I've tasted of German Chardonnay, I've not been impressed. The Germans, mostly, just don't get it. But this one? This wine is absurdly brilliant. It is an exhilarating bottle of Chardonnay and dare I say profound? Rheinhardt (The Wine Advocate) gave the 2013 a 93 and I think 2014 is the superior wine. Such finesse. Such elegance. Hanspeter only uses special German Oak and a specific toast that makes the oak imperceptible. It's unreal. Stunning wine. Huge evocative and creamy nose. Mineral, beeswax abound. The palate has amazing density and purity. Such killer fruit on the mid palate that is so detailed and vivid. This is stunning. Long and exquisite. Amazing delineation and purity. This is a steal at this price as at this quality level you cannot find wine in Burgundy for this price. This will age 10-12 years if you can keep your hands off it! Sick wine!
These BOTH are very limited and about to sell out so they will be allocated! They sell out as soon as they are released in Germany.
Also to leave on a quote from Stephan Rheinhardt about the future of Ziereisen as it pertains to the new cellar they built.
"Even more important, though, is the new cellar with its constant coolish temperature. Where the wines were aged in different locations and under different conditions before, they now benefit from a homogeneous and slow aging process in the barrels. We can expect a lot of great red and white wines coming from them in the next few years. They could be probably even finer and finessed than they already are today."
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