- The Boy Geniuses of the Rheinhessen
- Until Now, More Famous for their Epic Pinot Noirs
- In 2019 and 2020 the Whites Have Burst Through
- In the Conversation for Top White Winemakers in Germany for 2019/2020
2019 Thörle Holle Riesling "GG"
- A Level of Complexity Only Found in the Great Dry Wines of the World
- His Most Dense and Complex White Wine
- Nose: Citrus Oil, Dried Stone Fruits
- Freshly Exploded River Rocks - Simply Insane Minerality
- Intensity Is Almost Stinging
- Stunning Palate Presence
- Opulence, Power and Density of a Great Grand Cru White
- Terrific Grip
- 96 Points - Piggot
- Majestic Power and Minerality
- Every Sip is Unreal
- Very Few Winemakers Anywhere Can Marry This Level of Density with this Level of Balance and Minerality
- This Is a Very, Very Important Offer...
2020 Thörle Saulheimer Kalkstein Riesling Trocken
- 94 Points For The 2019
- The 50% Dropoff in Price Is 10 Times More than the Dropoff in Quality
- At Under $25, A Ridiculous Value Even for Fass Selections
- Drink This Young While the Holle Ages
- 1er Cru But Really a Baby Grosses Gewachs
- Stunning Fresh Air Minerality
- Profoundly Harmonious
- Hugely Deep and Expressive
- Lemon, Minerals, Limestone. Lime Zest and Lime Flesh
- Huge Meyer Lemon and Lime
- Dense But Juicy
Days of Future Past
Many of us are familiar with the famous X-Men comic book series and movie "Days of Future Past." A detailed description of the plot would take too long (it's rather complex) but suffice it to say that it involves time travel. And, of course, the idea that we are writing future history today.
Christophe Thorle is literally writing the history of German wine as we speak. He's been at the forefront of German Pinot Noir for years. His wines scored alongside several top 1er cru Burgundies at a blind tasting a few years ago. I had a 2016 Holle Spatburgunder the other night that was breathtaking. One of those wines that you can't believe how good it is and one of the best reds I've had in the past 12 months.
The whites have caught up to the reds in recent years. They get that stunning fruit and density but do not allow it to take over the wine and make it boring - they still have that tight acidity and focused minerality to keep the wine on a line. And then the secondary and tertiary flavors express themselves and you have.... Well, you have magic. That is what great winemakers do And that is what makes great wines age into something magical. These are exhilarating, mineral-driven, world class wines for very little money and the 19s (and 20s) are the greatest Riesling vintages for Thörle yet.
If your future self could time travel, he or she would certainly stock up on these. The future history of German wines is being written. And these play a prominent role.
The Wines
different wines. Or 30, depending on how fast you drink it.
The 2019 Thorle Holle GG is so insane. But what separates this wine is that there is an ethereal complex quality. You get this in Schonfels, Scharzhofberger, Pettenthal and Frauenberg - this level of complexity that exceeds what you normally find in the great dry wines of Germany. As expected this is more mineral-driven and tighter than the Probstey. Holle is a cooler site and mostly limestone.
Nose is super complex but mad closed. Always the best wines take the longest to unfurl. Spicy. Citrus. Massive limestone. Amazing purity and depth. The nose of a superstar wine. Herbal and mineral. Wafting. Always changing. It is so clean and airy with lovely minerality. It's a bit aromatically closed initially but it has a hidden depth just hinted at but it does get there with around an hour of air. It is monstrously deep and clear. It's so obvious as soon as you crack it open. The nose is just stunning. The nose has evocative, deep mineral and huge florals to start with and a stunning confectionary layer that swoops in like a SF fog. The minerality from the dense limestone soils in the Holle give the wine a brilliant aromatic lift once it gets going. Nose gets more complex as it airs. Just more and more. Dizzying. The limestone imprint is palpable. On Day 2 it was even better. Airy, floral and mineral with driving lemony pithiness and superb airiness. Deep tangerine and tangelo hints as well.
Wow, what a palate. Concentrated and dense with all sorts of pithy vineyard peach, apricot and citrus and then snaps back with intense minerality and ridiculous freshness. Wow. What presence. Takes over your palate and leaves an impression of minerals like nothing else. Super impressive. Sappy and long. Amazing density and concentration and as usual Holle needs the most time and air. The Palate shows the majestic power and minerality of the great Hölle. Really dense and elegant with amazing texture and just electric acid and minerality. Extraordinary purity and freshness. Great mouthfeel, piquant yet lacey, intense and very concentrated and mineral. Terrific energy that could propel rocket fusion. Wow. Incredible balance and this is a dense packed Riesling that can age 15+ years easy. Dense and concentrated and so young. But so awesome. Wait 5 years.
On day 2, palate is impossibly complex and dense with wonderful elegance and huge flavor impact. Very Stoney finish with incredible energy and precision. Lovely lemon and sweet grapefruit. Unreal structure and just mind bogglingy mineral! So pure. Unreal depth and concentration. What power and poise.
The finish is long, complex and very mineral. Stunning balance. Long and ridiculously juicy with just insane length. Juicy, pure and ultra concentrated. So silky and elegant. The dissipation on the finish is also another character of top wines that this shows. The density, sap and power are all impressive but the silkiness that ties it all together is what sets this wine apart. There is a elite silkiness, refinement and depth. It is also so straight and linear. 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.
Below is the 96 point review from Stuart Piggot.
"A near-perfect marriage of power and elegance gives this wine compelling presence and the precise interplay of lemon curd, nectarine, wild-herb and leesy aromas, with the impressive concentration and racy acidity, is a beauty to behold. Excellent length. Drink or hold." - 96 Points, Stuart Piggot
Up next I have a perfect 2020 Rheinessen Fass 1er Cru wine. The 2020 Thörle Saulheimer Kalkstein Riesling Trocken can be had for $26.99 on a 4-pack. This is as about as perfect an Ortsweine as I've had as it truly functions as a Grand Cru but on a smaller scale. One of the best wines that really gives one a sense of what Thörle can do at the Grand Cru level but on a 1er Cru budget. I don't call many wines baby GGs but this is truly one of them. It's like if you took Probstey/Schlossberg and Hölle and miniaturized it with some old hokey 50's science fiction movie technology then you have this wine.
Almost a GG like nose. Complex stones, citrus and stunning fresh air minerality. Incredible nose out of the gates let's you know you are in rare QPR air. Hugely deep and expressive. Lemon, minerals, limestone. Lime zest and lime flesh. Lovely fresh and dried herbs. Super complex. Interesting note of chalkiness. Wow. That's an epic nose. Just sickness. As it aerated a classic confectionary Rheinhessen is what I call it. Complex stones, citrus and stunning fresh air minerality. 2020 aromas are so great. And vivid. There is equal clarity in 19 and 20. What a gift to have two genius back to back vintages.
Terrific palate. Superb concentration and freshness. Crunchy minerals. Superb texture and density but being nimble and light as a feather. Long, massively mineral finish. The minerality here is compelling. Really long. Wonderful wine and value. Terrific intensity. This is exactly the way a 1er Cru / baby GG should be. Superb structure for short term aging but how can one resist? Huge meyer lemon and lime with insane pithiness and juiciness and just terrific minerality, precision and depth. White cherries and beautiful, striking and clear minerality. Complex palate with an amazing mouthfeel. It's quite profound how harmonious this wine is. Insane value! And will age 5-10 years.
2020 offers really sensational textures which is not something many Riesling lovers or critics speak about. Crunchy and long with a certain roundness that does not take away from the huge acid or the structure. Awesome texture and crunch and complex minerals on the finish. Just a brilliant wine and one that is so good now but can age 10 years. The juicy mineral density is unreal for a wine at this price point. Thunderous and nimble yet very present acidity and all the finesse. Like 1er Cru White Burgundy quality ... for $25.38! The wine is what I am all about. Juicy, elegant and has more phenolic intensity than your average Spatlese Trocken.
"What a great nose this has, offering leesy complexity that mingles with great, citrus and mirabelle aromas in a way that's enticing and tantalizing. Serious concentration for a village wine, but no less importantly, everything fits together so neatly and, in spite of the depth, the citrusy finish has a delightfully light touch. Drink or hold." -94 Points, Piggot, 2019
2019 Thorle Holle Riesling "GG" - $49.99 ($191.96 4-Pack)
2020 Thorle Saulheim Riesling Kalkstein Trocken - $27.99 ($103.96 4-Pack)
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