Schwarzen Herrgott Grosses Gewachs which can be had for $49.99 a 3-pack; this is a ridiculous value for something this high quality. This wine is similar to the great white wines of the world for 2 reasons. First, it has The Wall of Flavor. When you taste it your palate is almost assaulted with fruit, minerality and acidity. Shaefer Frohlich, Roulot, Raveneau, all the great premium white wines have this. Second, it changes in the glass as you drink it; it's really like buying 20-30 wines for the price of one. If you ever buy $50 white wines, you have to buy this one. The finish is 45 seconds and you really need to sit down when you drink it. This wine competes with $80-$100 German wines like Keller, Rebholz and Schafer-Frohlich for quality. I loved the 2012 but the 2013 just seemed to have more of everything when compared to the 2012. More opulent, higher acidity and a finish and mid palate that were just awesome. The wine is just awesome. White wine at this level of quality for less than $50 a bottle just does not exist anywhere else in the wine world.
Thank you, thank you, thank you H.O. and Caroline for giving us an allocation of your most hard to get wine (that will sell out in about 5 minutes in Germany when it is released in September).
The second wine is an incredible wine in it's own right. It's absolutely delicious and should cost $30 but I bought it direct so it's under $20. I am proud to offer the 2013 Battenfeld Spanier "Eisbach" Riesling for as little as $19.99 on the 4-pack. I know many of you had the estate Riesling in 2012 and love it. This year I thought I'd offer something a little different. I wanted as many people as possible to taste the estate Riesling before they tasted the Eisbach. It is like a reserve estate Riesling and has the flavor profile of a $30 village wine. The 2013 is rich, powerful and loaded with fascinating flavors of tobacco, mint and herbs. As I have said before, sometimes estate wines are more about minerality than fruit. Not this wine. It is dry as the sky is blue but has the fruit and minerality that usually village level dry Rieslings have for the price of an estate wine. Who doesn't like more for less? So clean and refreshing and just cool. It is a case worthy purchase as it tows that line between wine geek wine and something that will please anybody.
Battenfeld Spanier is run by the lovely husband and wife team of H.O. Spanier and Carolin Kuhling-Gillot. For the pure dollar for dollar they over-deliver at every quality level. It is uncanny. From bottom to top they exceed all expectations. The wines are not shy, but opulent with intense minerality and that tell-tale Rheinhessen tropical fruit profile, but if there was ever lean, juicy tropical fruit it would be in Battenfeld-Spanier Rieslings. They are finesse-driven and have incredible structure that I think they will last much longer than I initially anticipated. That is one of the more unique things about being a wine importer. I am exposed to less wine as a retailer but the wines I am exposed to I know so much better than many wines I grew familiar with at retail. I know that Battenfeld Spanier Rieslings need a huge amount of air. Every bottle, from top to bottom. But for me the fun is drinking whole aerating these wines as they change almost, into completely different wines every 15-20 minutes. Especially the first wine I am offering today.
It just seemed to have more of everything when compared to the 2012. More opulent, higher acidity and a finish and mid palate that were just awesome. The wine is just awesome. GG at this level of quality for less than $50 a bottle just does not exist anywhere else in the wine world.
For more on Battenfeld Spanier, refer below in italics from the 2012 Hergott GG offer.
The Rheinhessen has the largest number of elite dry wine producers of any region in Germany. H.O. Spanier at Battenfeld-Spanier and his wife, Carolin Kuhling-Gillot make Grosses Gewachs from 6 sites - all of them are distinctive, almost like they are made by different winemakers. The Hergott is a very special site. It creates some of the most distinctive wines in Germany. H.O. Spanier makes 3 GG's and all are special but the Hergott, for me, is truly unique and that is what makes it a great wine. It is very concentrated, even more so in 2012, with perfect ripeness levels that offer the classic Rheinhessen perfectly delineated tropical fruit flavors. The nose has a touch of those sponti aromas from wild yeasts and beguiling, insanely complex minerality. The elegance and finesse of this wine are Grand Cru all the way. It is so balanced it has a zen-like effect on the drinker. Truly a "Serenity Now" wine if I have ever had one. It is just perfect. Everything I want out of my Rheinhessen Riesling GG's. Balance, purity, concentration, killer acids (2012 acids remind me of '01), a wealth of fruit and huge sicko twisted awesome and distinct minerality. And tension. The Hergott exhibits some of the best tension of any GG I have ever had. That is the balance between fruit and acid. Also the depth on this wine is incomparable.
For $45 or $49 this is the BEST value Riesling I have ever sold. Value does not mean cheap or inexpensive to me, but it means it outperforms most to all wines in its peer group. Heck, this kills most white burg and chenin at this price point. I have very little and this will be allocated. I want as many people as I can to get this wine. It is so special. I know I will sell out so customers who know and drink with me, please save a bottle or two to share with me!
2013 Battenfeld Spanier Am Schwarzen Hergott Riesling Grosses Gewachs - $53.99 ($149.97 3-pack)
2013 Battenfeld Spanier "Eisbach" Riesling - $22.99 ($79.96 4-pack)
Mix and match on 6 bottles for deepest deal.
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