- Just As Good As Hermannshole, Felsenberg, etc.
- 1/2 the Price
2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach
- I Gave This a 9.7
- My Highest Young Spatlese Score Ever
- Nose: Just Amazing.
- Floral, Rainer Cherries, Apricot, Vineyard Peach, Sick Minerals
- Special - Smells Like $100 Spatlese
- Palate: Insane and Electric Acidity
- Combination of Elegant Nahe Fruit with Mosel-like Minerality
- Finish: Endless, Insane Energy and Length
- At $24.99 on 4, the Pricing Is a Joke
- Case Pricing ($22.99) - This Will Age and It's a Silly Value
2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach Riesling Trocken "GG"
- I Gave this a 9.5 on Delectable
- An Insane Marbach
- Wet Stones, Meyer Lemon, Hints of Cherry. Huge Minerals
- Complex, Dense, Powerful and Juicy
- Massive Structure
- Huge Mouthfeel and Stunning Purity
- At $29.99, An Incredible Value for a Dry Wine This Complex
The Miracle of Marbach
How can a vineyard be underrated? It's a weird question. I know. But in a wine culture like Germany if you have so many great Grand Cru vineyards, and it truly is ridiculous how many rock star Grand Cru sites there are in Germany, some can just get lost in the mix for various reasons that have nothing to do with the inherent quality of the wines or the site.
I've tasted a lot of German wine and before Fass Selections opened in the Mosel/Nahe I thought I new all the Grand Cru sites.
- With Martin Müllen I've brought you many iterations of the great Trarbacher Hühnerberg which is on the same level of the top Grand Cru sites in the Mosel like Domprobst, Juffer-Sonnenuhr, Doctor and Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
- In the Nahe I have come to the conclusion that the Grand Cru site
"Marbach" in Sobernheim which is mastered by Andi Schneider is the most underrated Grand Cru site inGermany.
The Nahe is super small. And the names of the top sites are towering and famous. Hermannshohle, Felseneck, Dellchen, Halenbeg, Felsenberg & Kupfergrube are Nahe royalty. Allow me to introduce Marbach as well into Nahe royalty.
I've never had anything except brilliant wines from Marbach and even in Andi's own portfolio his Marbach is overshadowed by his Felsenberg. The Nahe great vineyard bias is real. But Marbach is such an insane value as it's just as good as the other sites I listed off .
No VDP, Much Lower Prices
Andi, not only is a super talented winemaker, but he also is not in the German trade association, the VDP, which means that his wines are astonishing values. Most of the top producers are in the VDP but a good number are not. At Fass Selections, Thörle, Schneider and Müllen are the big three outside the VDP that are terrific values and make wines as good as anyone in the VDP. Immich-Batterieberg and Hofgut Falkenstien are also not in the VDP. The VDP forced wineries that join to have minimum prices for the GGs. So as soon as a winery joins the VDP the prices go up. I sell both of Andi's GG wines for $29.99. If Andi got into the VDP tomorrow I'd have to sell his wines for $45.99 or so via my model. If we do 3-tiers then that gets into the $60s. Long story short, these are amazing, transcendent values and if you love Riesling these should be case buys. They also won't be values for long as Schneider will be in the VDP one day and prices will increase significantly . He wants to be. Producers making world class wine from Grand Cru sites that are not in the VDP are where the value is at in German Dry Riesling today.
and costs 1/2 as much.
Andi sent me a case of samples and I did a little Marbach flight and was floored. I really don't know where to start as both wines were so sick.
I'll start with the greatest sweet wine value I've ever sold at Fass Selections. The 2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach Riesling Spatlese for $24.99 a bottle and $22.99 a bottle on a case. I gave this a 9.7 on Delectable. For those of you who follow me on Delectable a 9.7 is something I never have ever given to a Spatlese. The Mullen's from Huhnerberg will get there one day but for pure unbridled joy today, or when this is delivered in the Fall there is no better young Spatlese than this 2018 Marbach. It's just absurd how good this is. I had a witness. As next day I took it over to a friend/client's house and he was blown away by it. He's only bought the dry before.
Nose is just amazing. Floral, Rainer cherries, apricot, vineyard peach, sick minerals. Dripping. Amazing purity. Such detail. So so clean. What a nose. Smells like $100 Spatlese. This is special. Ethereal. Omg.
What a palate. Just insane and electric acidity. Like make you notice acidity. Insane citrus and cherry fruit. Superb electric acidity. This has the combination of elegant Nahe fruit with the minerality normally found in the Mosel. Just echoes on the palate. A hit of the savory on the mid and finish as
Finish is endless and has insane energy and length. It's so long. My god. Really young but just absolutely thrilling drinking. I could drink a bottle in 30 minutes.
On day 3 the nose is a bit quiet but more like silk than an in your face thick rope like the day before. Floral, mineral and very zen. Apple. All so detailed like an amuse bouche. Super complex and so much energy and that insane acid. Lovely mouthwatering freshness and so so pure. Wow. Long. Dazzling. Amazing finish. Juicy and balanced. So so so elegant. Complex and so so fabulous. Just gorgeous. Pristine. Truly one of the greatest young Spatlese I've ever had. A remarkable wine. This is maybe the most insane value ever. I know all of you won't buy it as som people don't like Pradikat Riesling but it is your loss as this wine is freaking amazing. That's why there is a case price.
Next up is the 2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach Riesling Trocken "GG" for $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This wine is also psycho brilliant. What this wine does for $30 is nothing short of a miracle. The miracle or Marbach let's call it. I gave this a 9.5 on Delectable. Andi's 18's are sick. Super sick. This is an insane Marbach. Wet stones, Meyer lemon, hints of cherry. Huge minerals.
Complex, dense and juicy. Powerful and concentrated with an insane finish. Just so complex. This is just brilliant. Nose keeps changing with air. Vulcanized rubber, white almond dust, an almost tannic like finish as so much material is here. Massive structure. Amazing finish. One of the best young wines from Andi I've ever had. Just sick.
On Day 2 the nose has huge fruit and minerals. Gorgeous citrus, confectionary aromas, lovely and layered, smells like fruit soup. Stunning. Even a bit of honey. Complex and mineral with huge mouthfeel and stunning purity. Amazing wine. So serene. Structured and driving mineral. Lovely persistence. The 2018 Marbach has some of the best and cleanest Riesling fruit I have tasted. The palate is an exercise in precision, depth and complexity with gorgeous elegant and wake you up acidity woven throughout. There is also beautiful driving elegant and distinctive minerality that really is the star of this wine. The acid is off the charts and makes this wine so explosive. The length is very, very impressive.
2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach Riesling Spatlese - $26.99
($99.96 4-pack, $275.88 12 bottle case {$22.99}) (*Including tariff of $1.88)
2018 K.H. Schneider Marbach Riesling Trocken - $31.99
($119.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $3.08)
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