Best Auslese Deal of ALL TIME - And I've Seen A Lot of Auslese Deals - $19.99 on a Case for .750 ML Bottles of 9/10 Year Old Auslese - Ludes, My Great New Culty Estate

"Is This A Typo?"
 - My First Reaction to The Price Here
 - Top Tier Mosel Estate - Very Culty

"the greatest secret in the Mosel."
Mosel Fine Wines

2010/2011 Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Auslese
 - I Gave this a 9.6 on Delectable
 - 50% of the Great 2010 and 50% of the Very Good 2011
 - I Thought It Would be $30-$38
 - It Has That Breathtaking and Dramatic Quality
 - Nose: Bonkers
 - Smells Serious and Aged and Also Young
 - Deep, Floral, A Hint of Honey 
 - Palate: Refined with Citrus and Apple Fruit
 - Ken Kesey Levels of Acidity
 - The Terrific Precision of  a Great Winemaker
 - Elegant, Intense and Ripe
 - I Really Have No Idea Why This Is Priced Like This

In the seven years of Fass Selections there are deals and there are steals. Today's offer is in the latter category as it's the greatest steal we've had since the famous 2004/2005 Keller Von Der Fels for

$18.99 a case. For those of you just learning about this now I'm sorry. For those of you that still have some, I'm jealous. But now we have an offer than can make all your friends jealous. This is from one of the most culty estates in the Mosel and has gained a following thanks to all of you and also thanks to Mosel Fine Wines who has called it the "greatest secret in the Mosel." I've gotten so many e-mails and tags in Instagram stories and posts about the brilliant wines of Hermann Ludes I can hardly keep track. Having access to a old European wine cellar full of older Riesling is just a great treat for me and I let Julian choose what to send me.

Today's wine, when I opened it up from the case has no vintage on the label. I'd never in my life seen anything like that for a German wine. Only on bad wine lists. But I knew there had to be some reason and also I knew there had to be wine from more than one vintage in this bottle. Turns out it's 50% of the great 2010 vintage and 50% of the very good 2011 vintage. Obviously if you have more than one vintage in a bottle according to German wine law, the vintage goes off the label. What's the wine?

It's the 2010/2011 Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Auslese for $22.99 on a 4-pack and the crazy, ridiculous price of $19.99 on a 12 bottle case. Before I get into the the note you need to understand that I had no idea I'd be selling this wine for this price. I thought maybe $30-$38. I knew Ludes' pricing and figured with this age and another 2010 I sold I was expecting a certain range. When he came to me with the price last month my jaw dropped on the floor. I'd tasted and loved the wine and also had an expectation that it was priced a certain way. This is an insane giveaway at $19.99 a case. I gave this a 9.6 on Delectable. That's insane for $19.99. Never ever happens. This also is from Thörnicher Ritsch which, after tasting a lot now from this site, I hold it in high regard and can safely say it's an a vineyard similar to Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Domprobst or Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr. It's got that breathtaking and dramatic quality as well as insane acids. Plus all the wines it yields have top top finesse. Ok here's the note.

The nose is bonkers. It just jumps out of the gates with herbs and sweet Mosel slate. Oh it's the very very good slate on this nose. Oh what herbs. This smells not like your normal tarted up Auslese. This smells serious and aged and also young. Some mint, some menthol. Gorgeous. It's deep. It's floral. There's a hint of honey and it is so so pure, detailed and vivid. Wow. Insane honeyed depth as it opens.


Palate is so refined but then there a lemon nuclear blast of acid and then so many rocks and lime. Wow! This is incredible. So precise. But that blast of acid then straight into the acid lemon lime electricity on LSD. This is some Ken Kesey acid here. Wow. This wine is crazy. The finish is remarkable. This is a force of nature in vinous form. On Day 2 it was even better. Nose was even more integrated. Still the huge herbs are there. You can smell the acid. Wow. Loads of slate upon slate and herbs. Some citrus and apricot fruit. Palate is elegant, intense and ripe with gorgeous texture. Long and juicy. So so complex and long. Stunning purity and freshness. This has 25+ more years ahead of it.

2010/2011 Hermann Ludes Thornicher Ritsch Auslese - $24.99 ($91.96 4-pack, $$239.88 12 bottle case {$19.99!}) (*Including tariff of $1.41) (LIMITED)