The Picture of Dorian Gray: My Favorite Mosel Vintage (1994), One of the Top Vineyards, Only So Many Bottles Left

I Am Buying These from The Cellar
 - Where They Have Been Since Bottling
 - Famous 1994 Vintage
  - "The Ethereal Lightness Of J.J. Prum" (Mosel Fine Wines)

One Village Near Piesport That Was The Bling 70 Years Ago

I Only Get Really Old Rieslings That Meet My Standards Every 2-3 Years
 - These Will Last for Decades
 - The Prices Are Very Reasonable
 - So If You Like Old Riesling, I Have Case Pricing

"Mosel's Best Kept Secret" - Mosel Fine Wine"

1994 Hermann Ludes Thornicher Ritsch Spatlese AP 96
 - Classic Mosel Aged Character on the Nose
 - Incredibly Complex 
 - Citrus Tones, Sweet Peach and all Types of Citrus Fruit
 - Palate: 70% Youthful Vigor / Vitality, 30% Aged Character
 - Finish: Incredibly Savory 
 - Huge Umami, Lime, Tea Flavors  
 - Zesty Clean and Mineral Presence
 - Vines: 50-75 Years Old
 - Easily 20 More Years of Life

A Collection of Aged Wines
One of the huge successes of Fass Selections has been us sourcing impeccably stored since release German Riesling from some of the most vaunted cellars in the Mosel.
 - First was the great run we had with Licht Bergweiler which does not exist anymore.
 - Next was the older Auslese Trocken of Martin Müllen.
 - Finally we are in the middle of the best one yet and that is the stunning wines of the estate Hermann Ludes in Thörnich.

The 1994 Vintage and AP #s
1994 is likely my favorite Mosel vintage ever.  The best examples of 1994 are almost
eternal wines. They have the acidity and balance to last for decades. In 1994, Ludes made at least 3 different Thornicher Ritsch Spatlesen and the only way to tell the difference is to locate the AP# on the bottle on the lower right hand part of the label. Today's wine is the best of the three AP's that I had tasted. It's not close.

Dorian Gray
We are all familiar with The Picture of Dorian Gray, the classic novel by Oscar Wilde.  Gray remains

unchanged through out the novel whilst his portrait suffers from his life of immorality.  This is the youngest, oldest Mosel wine I have ever had. It's freshness, has remained unchanged so far after 26 years, which is remarkable even for Mosel riesling.

The 1994 Hermann Ludes Thornicher Ritsch Spatlese AP 96 can be had for $32.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and a special case deal  of $29.99 a bottle. The pricing is a joke compared to how fine this wine is. You cannot and will not believe this is a 1994. It takes like a 2015 or something. But it also has classic Mosel aged character on the nose but the palate is like 70% youthful vigor and vitality and 30% slight aged character. In my professional opinion this wine has 20 years ahead of it. It is a mind bending wine and one that asks you to accept a wine that is 25+ years old can be this vigorous and youthful. The acid on this wine is lights out. I mean, this is like acid as a quadruple espresso shot. It will wake you up with one sip. It will command your attention. It is the best old Ludes one I have had yet.

These are made from vines that are an average of 75 years old and the youngest are 50 and the oldest are 100. This blew my mind. Next to 1990, 1994 is the best vintage of the 90s in the Mosel. It has freshness and acidity for days. This wine is stunning and will last 20 more years easily. It is a ridiculous bottle of Spatlese.

Stunningly pure nose. Just a nose that screams old young Mosel. It is in 4/D. There is just unreal clarity here. Wow. Sick forest floor, petrol, green tea, herbs, mint, really superb and fresh mint. It is so so complex with citrus tones, sweet peach and all types of citrus fruit. The full spectrum. It is so fresh, energetic and vibrant. Wow is this dense and structured with this insane mintyness. It is next level juicy and super clean with inner mouth aromas that age very confectionary. OMG so juicy and so clean.

Finish is so savory with huge umami, lime, tea flavors and a zesty, clean and mineral presence. So so long. Really fine oolong flavors texture is like icing on a cake. OMG that acid is sick. Pure. This is genius. Long. Mouthwatering. Candied rock candy. Inner mouth aromas. Just a work of art. None lasted till day 2. It was that great. I could not hoover it down fast enough. Amazing elegance and juiciness with startling length. It is soso persistent. The length is what I like to call sneaky. You think it's over but it really is just beginning. Wow. Wow. This is stunning. The balance of sweetness and minerality is just awe inspiring.

The Winery
First a little history. My connection to these wines is a winemaker named Julian Ludes but these two wines are made by his uncle Herman Ludes. Both are from the village of Thornisch which is near Piesport. Both have insane levels of acidity and both made from very old vines. They are from vineyards that were very famous in the 40s to the 60s. These are vinous gems and the only reason you are able to buy these is because of my deep deep roots in Germany. I've been going to the Mosel every year since 2006. People know that I respect these winemakers and wines and also can move them to the right people which is all of you. You are the reason why people offer me wines like this.

The Vines

The Thornicher Ritsch is grey and blue slate with 30% of the vines being "own-rooted."This is the Ludes main site and all the other growers in the village have very young vines that were only planted in 2016. Slopes are south facing and it's on the warm side of the slope but it has much more acid than similar sites in the Middle Mosel. The vineyard is crazy stoney and has so many jagged unkempt stones. The old vines give this wine a character that you can't find in this village or most of the Mosel.

1994 Hermann Ludes Thornicher Ritsch Spatlese AP# 96 - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack, $359.88 12 Bottle Case {$29.99!}) (*Including tariff of $2.43)