A Dry and Sweet Riesling from One of the Great VIneyards of Germany: Goldtropfchen

Goldtropfchen
 - One of the Great Vineyards of Germany
 - Mostly Famous for Reinhold Haart's Sweet Wines
 - It's Incredibly Versatile 
 - Delicious But Contaned Fruit
 - Almost Hedonistic But Still Elegant
 - Spater Veit Makes Stunning Wines from Goldtropfchen

2016 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett Trocken "Grande Reserve"
 - One of the Greatest Mosel Kabinetts I Have Had
 - Aged for 30 Months on its Lees
 - The Extended Time on the Lees Makes This Crazy Dense and Complex
 - Only Has 3 Grams of Sugar so it is Trocken
 - Insane Nose: Classic Piesporter Spices
 - Intense Perfume. Peach Skin, Apple Skin, Honey and Tangelo
 - Juicy and Complex but Light and Lithe
 - Amazing Vivid and Pure Citrus Fruits

2018 Spater Veit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese "Jupp"
 - Opulence with Insane Acidity and Freshness
 - Slate, Apricot, Peach, Lime Blossom, Sweet Lemons
 - Palate is Decadent and Ripe but has Insane Freshness
 - Sweet Peaches and Candied Lemons
 - So Elegant

"We will not beat around the bush: If finesse and elegance are what you look for in Mosel wines, this Estate (Spater-Veit) is simply a must. The 2018er wines and the few 2017er/2016er which we have back-tasted are simply stunning." Mosel Fine Wine

"The wines are light on their feet yet packed with flavors in a way which we have learned to love from such great masters at this art as Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm or Hofgut Falkenstein. The wines are that enjoyable and captivating!" Mosel Fine Wine

Goldtropfchen is one of the great vineyards in Germany.  Alas, like many top German vineyards, it is

mostly known in the US as the top vineyard of Reinhold Haart.  And it is mostly famous for his sweet wines. To be fair, the Piesport name has been dragged through the mud by the tankers full of plonk with that name that have been sold here over the past few decades. 

Goldtropfchen is one of the most versatile vineyards in Germany. From exquisite TBA elixirs to dry GG style wines and genius pradikat wines there is something for everybody. If there is a beginner vineyard in the Mosel the Goldtropfchen is it as the flavor profile is hedonistic, obvious and also cerebral. So the geeks and the normies love it equally. That's very rare in German wine as many top vineyards can be a bit too cerebral.

Today I've got two brilliant Rieslings from the elite Goldtropfchen from Spater-Veit and they could not be more similar and different. One is an extra aged super Kabinett on the lees and the second one is an unreal Spatlese from a small parcel called Jupp.

The Wines
Up first is the 2016 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett Trocken "Grande Reserve" for $30.99 a bottle. This is simply put one of the greatest Mosel Kabinetts I have had.  I drank it over three days from the latest batch of samples. First this was aged for 30 months on its lees and was just released. It only has 3 grams of RS so it is Trocken but also textured and ripe so it does not come across as a screecher. The wine is insane.

Insane nose. Superb classic Piesporter Spices and such an intense perfume. Peach skin, apple skin emanate from the glass. So complex. The Piesport spice bazaar in full effect. Gorgeous hit of honey and tangelo.

Palate is a dream. Juicy and complex but light and lithe with such amazing vivid and pure citrus fruits on the mid palate and finish. Stunning complexity and depth yet so light and nimble. That's the day 1 note. Below are day 2 and 3.

Day 2:  Insane pure citrus, wow. Deep spice bazaar. Just stunning. What a palate. So sleek and ripe. Gorgeous and so pure. Wow. This is amazing. Awesome finish and texture. So special. Structured, grippy and so fresh. This is so so impressive.

Day 3: Haunting perfume, amazing aromas. Honey, slate, minerals, amazing perfume, huge pitted fruits like apricot, peach and also complex pithy citrus. Palate is so elegant and clean but also has requisite richness. Elegant and tangy with lovely grip and purity. Awesome.

Below is the Mosel Fine Wine Note. 91 pts. I'd give it 93-94 as they tasted it when it was closed a few years back and my bottle last week was wide open.

"The 2016er Riesling Grand Reserve, as it is referred to on the consumer label, was made from fruit harvested at 85° Oechsle i n the central part of the vineyard just behind the village, and was fermented down to bone-dry levels of residual sugar (3 g/l). It was matured on its fine lees for 30 months before being bottled (hence the late AP number). The wine delivers a fully aromatic and complex nose of beeswax, lanoline, ripe peach, prune, bergamot and minty herbs, as well as a hint of toffee. The presence of coconut cream and fine spices gives the wine almost the presence of a white Burgundy on the palate. The wine proves nicely structured, intense and dry in the very long and zesty finish. A touch of oxidative notes (toffee, nut and almond) and rather intense tartness emerge in the otherwise fresh after-taste of this fascinating even if quite unique expression of dry Riesling Kabinett. The wine becomes fresher with air, so we would opt to wait a little bit before starting to enjoy it. It could well have developed positively by then. 2021-2031 91 Pts MFW." 

Up next is one of my new favorite Spatlesen. The 2018 Spater Veit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese "Jupp" for $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is from a parcel in a vineyard that used to belong to "Uncle Josef." Jupp is local slang for Joseph. This is a genius wine and has all that 18 has to offer. Opulence with insane acidity and freshness. One of the best bottlings from this hallowed ground.

Stunning nose. Layered and complex. Slate, apricot, peach, lime blossom, lemon, but sweet lemons. Huge herbal streak as well. Wow oh wow oh wow. Just a stinking insane nose.

Palate is decadent and ripe but has insane freshness and the acidity is intense on the finish and mid but never intrusive. Palate is decadent and ripe but has insane freshness. Sweet peaches and candied lemons abound. So decadent but so balanced and ripe. Amazing stuff. Concentrated and super explosive. Amazing wine. A baby now but accessible. Stunningly long finish. So, so elegant. This is a brilliant Spatlese. So layered, gorgeous vivid and detailed. It is stunning. Tropical, herbal, red fruited and decadent. The palate has just vibrating freshness and explosiveness. But oh man is it elegant. Achingly, beautifully elegant. The finish is genius and the balance is just blissful.  Holy smokes. Below is my day 2 note.

Day 2: Silly great nose. Palate is icing on a cake with some opulence and so so pretty. Gorgeous purity, density, elegant and complex. Amazing so so deep. Top flight Spatlese. Will age wonderfully.

Below is the 91 point Review from Mosel Fine Wines


"2018er Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese Jupp was made from fruit harvested at 92° Oechsle in a parcel situated in the prime full south-facing Taubengarten sector of the vineyard which previously belonged to "uncle Josef" (Jupp is the local slang for Josef), and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (85 g/l). The wine proves is quite reduced and almost non-saying at first. It needs extensive airing to reveal its quite opulent and rich nose of candy floss, coconut juice, pineapple, pear and quince jelly. The wine is still quite sweet and smooth at this early stage, and only timidly shows quite some complexity in the very long and juicy finish. A touch of ripe acidity emerges in the after-taste. This impressive sweet wine only needs time to integrate all its richness. 91 Pts MFW."

2016 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett Trocken "Grande Reserve" - $32.99 ($123.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $3.10)  

Spater Veit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese "Jupp" - $31.99

 ($119.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $2.78)