2020 Günther Steinmetz Brauenberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein GK
- A Fleeting Part of German Culture
- Almost None on the Market
- 500 ML
- Compare Selbach-Oster ZH Eiswein 2016 at $95 for a 375
- The Best Value Riesling Eiswein in History
- 94 Points (Mosel Fine Wines)
- Nose: High Quality and Elite Caramel
- "almond paste, dried fruits, raisin, pear puree, pineapple, and coconut emerge" (MFW)
- Palate: Ridiculous Freshness
- "Dried exotic fruits and almond paste" (MFW)
- Outrageous Complexity
- Purity So Great It Stunned the German Wine Bureaucrat
- Likely the Longest Finish I’ve Ever Tasted on a Steinmetz Wine
- Can be Drunk and Enjoyed Young
- Outrageous Complexity
Today is a historical day at Fass Selections in that we are selling the rarest wine in Germany as
far as category goes. With the progressive effects of climate change and global warming, Eiswein has become a rare delicacy. As far as I can tell the last vintage where a few were made was 2016. Today I’ve got the best value Riesling Eiswein in history. That is not hyperbole. I adore Eiswein and the last one we sold was the brilliant 2016 Sven Klundt SIlvaner Eiswein and while I adore that wine to really see the heights Eiswein can achieve we need to really to see what frozen Riesling grapes have to offer. Silvaner is a wonderful grape but it’s not quite as diverse as Riesling and it’s highest level incarnation is as a dry wine. Just ask Paul Weltner. Riesling Eiswein has better acidity and minerality that cuts across your palate like a rapier and has intense sweetness that creates a fascinating juxtaposition. 2020 was a vintage that did create some of the most perfect conditions for Mosel Eiswein since 2016 and before that since 2011.
A Fleeting Part of German History
First, let me say that this is actual Eiswein, not icewine (where the grapes are stuck in the freezer). These grapes were left on the vines and harvested in the freezing cold in mid January. Most German wines are harvested by Eastern European workers who have long gone home at this point so the wines were harvested by the townspeople. Imagine walking up and down steep, frozen slopes in the cold. So not many people make Eiswein any more and when you see one at a fair price, you should grab a case.
The Wine
I'm thrilled to offer the 2020 Günther Steinmetz Brauenberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein GK for $54.99 a 500ml bottle on a 3-pack. For such a rarity that is this great the value doesn’t get better. This is a stunning stunning wine and a wine Stefan is particularly proud of. The wine is utter genius and you’ve never had a Riesling Eiswein I cannot recommend this enough.
The color is gorgeous. It’s got a lighter color than normal for an Eiswein.
The nose jumps out with high quality and elite caramel. Something you’d find in a dessert in a Michelin *** restaurant. Some nougat and glazed pear as well. And these pears are glazed in sugar. Like a candied pair.
The palate is very decadent and not fat at all but on the contrary it is very lean. It’s only got 140 grams of RS. Many BA/TBA wines have north of 200/250 RS. The material is so clear. It’s the cleanest, purest juicy material can imagine.
The wine controllers who taste all Eiswein and watch you harvest the grapes to vouch for the legitimacy of Eiswein could not believe how pure it was and they even commented on it. The wine control woman didn’t want to believe that the Eiswein could be that pure.
The acid is not super high at only 6.5 grams per liter which is to be expected when one harvests that late but that is enough when combined with the minerality to give this wine ridiculous freshness. It’s not overly sweet like one would expect from a very late harvest wine. It has that balance that only the most special and elite late harvest wines have.
It has energy that combined with the aforementioned purity gives this wine a finish that lasts a mile. Likely the longest finish I’ve ever tasted on a Steinmetz wine. Not in a fat way but in an elegant super refined way. It’s got the structure of a GK Auslese. According to Stefan, Eiswein does not age well (7-10 years). The concentrated acidity of Eiswein tends to not age well. But this one has somewhat lower acids and Stefan believe that lower acid Eiswein ages much better than higher acid Eiswein. This can be drunk and enjoyed young. It’s got outrageous complexity in a feathery lighter way. This is not a heavy BA/TBA, this is more like a very fine and very elegant GK Auslese. Maybe slightly heavier. This is a light, elegant and playful Eiswein that is unlike any other Eiswein I’ve ever tasted and is a testament to Stefan’s genius. This also got 94 Points by Mosel Fine Wines and the review is below.
"The 2020er Brauneberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein GK is a noble-sweet wine made from fruit picked at 140° Oechsle at -9.5°C on January 13, 2021. It proves bright-yellow colored with a huge nose more akin to that of a BA as scents of almond paste, dried fruits, raisin, pear puree, pineapple, and coconut emerge from the glass. The wine proves aromatically very precise on the slightly ample and soft-tasting palate. Dried exotic fruits and almond paste amplify the creamy side of the wine. The finish is still a bit driven by brown sugar, barbeque herbs, and fine spices. This dessert wine is beautiful but one needs to take into account that it behaves more like a Vin de Paille / Passito than your usual racy and zesty Eiswein packed with fruit sorbet flavors. The touch of softness would make us enjoy this dessert wine in the early part of its development. Now - 2030. - 94 Points, Mosel Fine Wine
Gunther Steinmetz Brauneberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein GK 500 ML - $56.99 ($164.97 3-Pack)
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