- One of the Most Heralded Estates in Germany
2017 Am Schwarzen Herrgott GG
- Their Best Wine
- Power, Balance and Concentration Equal to Any Burgundy
- Grand Cru Elegance and Finesse
- Very Limited and Will Be Allocated (Sorry)
2017 Battenfeld Spanier "Mölsheim " Riesling Trocken 1er Cru
- Perhaps the Best 1er Cru Value in the Wine World at $26.99
- A Masterpiece Every Year
- Will Age for 20 Years
- 2017 Has Unique Acidity - Think 2001
- You Will Drink Every Bottle You Buy Quickly - Complex and Delicious
"Winemaker of the Year"
Vinum 2018
"Vintner of the Year 2015"
Falstaff
"My own perspective is that while his wines have long been impressive in their relatively strict way, Spanier, along with his clearly talented team, has entered completely new territory in 2016, delivering a collection less rigid in its self-conscious sense of structure and mineral underpinnings and instead more dynamic and unapologetically thirst-quenching as well as more sensitive - or, if you will, more "transparent" - to nuance." David Schildknecht
A lot has happened in a year and Battenfeld Spanier is more accomplished and awarded than ever
- Joel Payne, who used to be at the Gault Milau which was THE most important wine guide in Germany, has opened up shop with a new wine guide called Vinum which is highly respected and has come on very strong with a sterling reputation. Battenfeld Spanier was crowned winemaker of the year for 2018. It is the highest honor that a German winery can achieve.
- Another highly respected wine guide, called Eichelmann awarded them.
- Battenfeld's sister winery got Best White Wine Collection.
- H.O. Spanier became a member of the Académie Internationale du Vin on November 30, 2017. This exclusive and prestigious association was founded in Paris in 1973 by Steven Spurrier to bring together the international wine elite and the world's most-renowned wine estates.
I sometimes feel like Battenfeld Spanier is our Taj Mahal. People always say that the Taj Mahal is very famous but gets little attention from Indians. Similarly, Battenfeld Spanier has been with us for 6 years. I sometimes feel that they don't get as much love as they should. This is one of the top estates in Germany and while the wines certainly sell well, as good as they are (and as inexpensive as they are), I always feel that they are under bought.
I am thrilled to offer what I think is the best wine at the estate, the 2017 Battenfeld Spanier Am Schwarzen Herrgott GG for $54.99 each on a 3 pack purchase. This is on some Montrachet level juju. 2017 is a vintage with terrific fruit definition, mineral force and clarity, forceful present transparent nuance and KILLER acids. Make no mistake, the power, balance and concentration in this wine are equal to anything you will get in white Burgundy.
Here is David Schildknecht's note on the 2016, of which only Keller and Schafer-Frohlich scored higher
"Scents of fresh apple and lime anticipate the bright, tart-edged fruit character on a firm, chalk-infused palate. One senses features familiar from the more austere, sharply penetrating Battenfeld-Spanier Grosse Gewächse of past years. But here the wine evinces welcome buoyancy, and a meaty, nutty, saline savor reminiscent of clam stock mingles with the juicy apple and lime. Invigorating skin chewiness adds to the appeal of a vibrantly sustained finish transparent to myriad mineral nuances." 94 points David Schildknecht
The nose has a touch of those sponti aromas from wild yeasts and beguiling, insanely complex minerality. It is so limestone and mineral you can't believe it.
Your palate is assaulted by waves of fruit, minerality and acidity. It changes constantly in the glass. Balance, purity, concentration, killer acids (2017 acids remind me of '01) a wealth of fruit and huge sicko twisted awesome, vivid and distinct minerality. Also the depth and concentration on this wine is incomparable. There is so much clarity and it shares that drinkability factor and juiciness that made the 16 so energetic and dynamic. The wine is pure art in 2017 and has intense emotional wallop as well as flavor impact and intensity. Clocking in at 8.2 grams per liter of acids this is terrifically fresh and juicy like you would not believe. I can't believe I can drink this wine young now. It can and will age but it his not a big beast young anymore.
The elegance and finesse of this wine are Grand Cru all the way. It is so wonderfully balanced but still has incredible tension. The Hergott exhibits some of the best tension of any GG I have ever had. That is the balance between fruit and acid. The 17 has a juicy fabulous structure. We are talking a 65 second finish. This is limited and will be allocated.
We are on our 6th vintage of the great 2017 Battenfeld Spanier "Mölsheim " Riesling Trocken 1er Cru for $26.99 on a 4-pack and the silly price of $25.99 on a case. For me, this is the perfect dry Riesling and epitomizes what I do at Fass Selections here regarding German wine. I want people to love, drink and age 1er Cru German Riesling for a normal price. I want beginners just wading into the shallow end to enjoy a Riesling with enough fruit to balance out the always intense minerality that comes with German dry Riesling. And Moelsheim has it all. It just has it all. Here is a video of me tasting the 2016 a few days ago.
The nose just leaps out at you with that Rheinhessen aromatic mineral riesling assault that is Battenfeld Spanier's trademark. What a Mölsheim. Best ever. And I love 13. Sick nose, complex citrus notes, mineral, apricot, a sense of deepness yet mineral and laser focused. Wafting. One of my favorite words. Citrus oil and honey. A confectionary aroma. Just so gorgeous. The palate is just incredible. The palate is just a force. Wall of flavor with big fruit, big minerals and electric acids. So drinkable and ridiculously juicy. Medium to full bodied but so elegant and intensely mineral. It goes opulent to scintillating in like a nanosecond and then fans out gorgeous minerals on the finish. Stunning. A gorgeous melange of fruit perfectly interweaved with classic riesling minerality and seamlessly balanced with acidity. It just hits your palate and almost encompasses it, blasting into every nook and cranny. It is an illustration of what great winemakers can do. There is particularly great tactile acidity and mouthfeel plus concentration in this vintage. The '17 has perfect tension between fruit, minerality and acid. And, of that dry extract makes this a baby GG Hergott (this is 100% young vine GG Hergott fruit). So zesty and tactile, salty and tangy, so opulent. So tense. Amazingly pure citrus fruits that are more on the fleshy side with some fruit pith in the background while the '14 was about pith and '17 is about fleshy fruits backed by this unique acidity. So great. The raves about the 17s are coming in.
This might be the most impressive Moelsheim from a bang for your buck perspective.
This is a wine that makes an evening. It is like drinking 1er Cru Chablis from an elite producer. Please do not think of it as a $26.99 wine. Schäfer Fröhlich gets $45 a bottle for his dry village wines and I would have no issue selling it for that. It's one of my favorite under $30 wines I've ever had.
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