The Thorle Brothers
- The Boy Geniuses of the Rheinhessen
- Until Now, More Famous for their Epic Pinot Noirs
- In 2019 and 2020 the Whites Have Burst Through
- In the Conversation for Top White Winemakers in Germany for 2019/2020
More Classically Chablis than most Modern Chablis
2019 Thörle Probstey (GG) Riesling Trocken
- Amazing Wafting Nose
- Intense Minerality
- Gorgeous citrus, so detailed
- Almost citrus jelly
- Dry, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine
- Floral as it Aerates
- Palate: Unreal
- Deep and elegant
- Lovely Ample Mouthfeel
- Elite Levels of Elegance Wow
- Concentrated and Very Deep
- Intense Energy and Freshness
- 94 Points (2017/2020), $36.99
- Insane QPR for an Elite Grand Cru Wine
2019 Thörle Schlossberg (GG) Riesling Trocken
- Cross Between German Riesling and Grand Cru Chablis
- Nose: A Riesling Geek's Dream
- Super Mineral with Lemon and Lime Rock Candy
- So Clean
- Huge Confectionary Aromas
- Lemon Drop, Lime Rock Candy
- Stunningly Deep
- Floral as well
- Elite precise aromas
- Palate: a Mineral Rockstar
- Forceful Driving Stone Fruits As Well
- Complex. Very Concentrated
- Dazzling Purity and Freshness
- Beautiful, Regal, Aristocratic Elegant Wine
- 96 Points (2020) Stuart Piggott / $31.99 INSANE QPR!
Days of Future Past
Many of us are familiar with the famous X-Men comic book series and movie "Days of Future Past." A detailed description of the plot would take too long (it's rather complex) but suffice it to say that it involves time travel. And, of course, the idea that we are writing future history today.
Christophe Thorle is literally writing the history of German wine as we speak. He's been at the forefront of German Pinot Noir for years. His wines scored alongside several top 1er cru Burgundies at a blind tasting a few years ago. I had a 2016 Holle Spatburgunder recently that was breathtaking. One of those wines that you can't believe how good it is and one of the best reds I've had in the past 12 months. And he has gotten 99 pts for 19/18 Holle Spatburgunder from Stuart Piggot and an argument can be made that is the best Pinot Noir in Germany now.
The whites have caught up to the reds in recent years. They get that stunning fruit and density but do not allow it to take over the wine and make it boring - they still have that tight acidity and focused minerality to keep the wine on a line. And then the secondary and tertiary flavors express themselves and you have.... Well, you have magic. That is what great winemakers do And that is what makes great wines age into something magical. These are exhilarating, mineral-driven, world class wines for very little money and the 19s (and 20s) are the greatest Riesling vintages for Thörle yet.
If your future self could time travel, he or she would certainly stock up on these. The future history of German wines is being written. And these play a prominent role.
The Style
I have one client, who is very loyal and has a terrific palate, and out of all my German Estates he believes Thörle is my greatest discovery. I find it hard to argue as I always seem to run out of Thörle wines and the last bottle is always the best because age is this estate's friend. I never let these age long enough as I keep drinking them as they have a somewhat youthful accessibility and I love the wines and am infinitely curious as to how they taste.
Each bottle of Thörle is an experience and as we have only worked with them since the 13 vintage for the Rieslings and Pinot Noirs. I'm still learning about each Grand Cru site and how amazing the Ortsweines are. One thing that I really love about the Thörle Grand Cru Rieslings, Probstey, Hölle and Schlossberg is how different they are from each other but also how much they complement each other so well. The spherical grandiosity of Hölle, the minerality and high acid of the Schlossberg, the lusciousness, fruit and minerality all in perfect harmony in today's wine, the Probstey. This is a good time to remember that Thörle is not in the VDP which means their wines are serious values. They are easily GG quality but are not classified as not in the VDP. Wineries like Immich-Batterieberg and Martin Müllen are also not in the VDP. The VDP is not necessarily a moniker of quality. I think Thörle is the best estate in the Rheinhessen not in the VDP. The wines should cost 3-4 times more. Smart Fass Selections clients have been scooping these up as they won't be this inexpensive for long.
The Wine
The 2019 Thörle Probstey Riesling "GG" Trocken for $36.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. Oh man is this a great wine yet so different than the Hölle. This is a very subtle wine that reminds me of Grand Cru Chablis. Out of all 3 Grand Cru sites this can be approached the youngest. For some reason Piggott didn’t review this vintage but did the 20 and 18 so I’ve included those reviews.
This Would Be via 3-tier $80.
The latest version of the great Probstey "GG" Riesling is ridiculous.
Ahh the glorious Probstey. Actually some fruit on the nose in 2019! Lemon. Meyer lemon, spice and expansive minerals. Gorgeous almost cloud like in its purity. Some bitter citrus notes as well. Amazing aromas that shows the warmness of the site along with the intensity of the minerality. Gorgeous citrus, so detailed, almost citrus jelly, but also dry, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine and gorgeous deep minerality backing it all up. Floral as well as it aerates. Super wafting aromas that get more intense and nuanced by the minute. Amazing nose. Sick confectionary aromas after a while. Unreal nose now. Sicko purity. Bergamot. Almost green tea. So so good.
Salty finish which is typical for this wine. For me this the ripest of their 3 Grand Cru Riesling sites but also has that fantastic Thörle minerality. This is top stuff. The finish is exceptional. Complex and very long. What balance, poise and length. On day 2 it was insanely great. Elegant and such a pure nose. Huge mineral depth. Lemon rock candy, lemon sherbet. It is so so fine and so precise. Wow! Brilliant finesse with lovely, clearly defined apricot and peach fruit. But also it is contrasted with a searingly mineral side as well with terrific texture and sap. Long with a very serious structure. This is great now but in 2-3 years watch out. What an insane value.
“Intense lemon-curd and reine-claude plum nose with just a hint of oak. In spite of the excellent concentration, this has a suave and creamy personality, the tannic base wrapped in the rich texture, so that you barely feel it until the deep, powerful finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.” - 94 Points, Stuart Piggot (2020)
“Open mirabelle fruit, yet discreet, in spite of the considerable power and ripeness. The long finish packs a big punch with a lot of textural complexity. Drink or hold.” - 94 Points, Stuart Piggot (2017)
This next Riesling is insane and one I have not sold many vintages of. The mineral and super geeky and beautiful Schlossberg. It's the most mineral of all the Thörle wines. Thörle is in the Rheinhessen but they are also close to the Rheingau and you can tell it most from this wine as it has that extra minerality.
The 2019 Thörle Schlossberg "GG" Riesling Trocken ($31.99 on a 4 pack) is sort of like a cross between German Riesling and Grand Cru Chablis. It's the only Grand Cru site that is 100% Riesling. No Pinot here!
The mineral bomb from Thorle and it does not disappoint. Massively mineral nose. Like a spice bazaar perfume mixed in with mega limestone. Hugely expansive and just gorgeous. The mineral is such a nice perfume. Nose is slamming after an hour. Super mineral with lemon and lime rock candy. Incredible minerality. So clean. Like smelling vapor. Huge confectionary aromas. Lemon drop. Lime rock candy. Stunningly deep. Floral as well. Elite precise aromas. Amazing. I mean this thing just wafts and wafts with searing and intense minerals. Iced lemon sherbert, limestone, airiness and iodine after air. Very perfumed. Huge acid and mineral comes at you with an awesome texture. Sappy and deep with lemon and lime rock candy sweet tart fruit that is just so so tasty. Big time Jellybaby vibes. This is a Riesling geek's dream. Superb wine and will age wonderfully. Intense stuff. Nose starting to get herbal and groovy after two hours. What a vintage 19 is.
The palate is a mineral rockstar but has forceful driving stone fruits as well. It's a beautiful, regal, aristocratic elegant wine that is firing on all cylinders. There is also lovely, pure, clear, pithy and intense citrus fruit with grippy acidity but this wine is, like great classic Chablis, all about the minerality that comes from the limestone soils. That's the nucleus. The protons, neutrons and electrons are the fruit, honey and acid. Crunchy, elegant and deep. But also slightly closed for the first hour. Insane minerality and freshness after an hour. So pure. I think right now there is zero fruit on the palate and my score goes up a few points because of that. Just a stunner. The level of crystalline purity on the palate is just stunning. It cleanses the palate. Excellent acidity but the freshness of this wine is what truly stands out. The geekiest Thorle. Just insane. Buy it all. Man does this slap. Leaves a ridiculous mineral impression on your tongue. Like a mineral fossil. This is an utterly brilliant wine with just incredible focus and purity that is as transparent as air in its expression of its terroir. Complex and very concentrated with dazzling purity and freshness. This is showing out of its mind. The 2020 got 96 points by Stuart Piggot and the review is below.
“A very elegant and graceful dry riesling with impressive concentration of orange and nectarine character. Really fine-grained tannins and cool minerality that underline the generous body beautifully. Super-long and super-silky finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.” - 96 points Stuart Piggot (2020)
I know that you're thinking, "oh another great Riesling," but these guys are really really special. You really need to try at least a bottle of this. You'll be annoyed you didn't buy more but, I'm warning you so my conscience is clean.
2019 Thörle Probstey (GG) Riesling Trocken - $38.99
($147.96 4-Pack)
2019 Thörle Schlossberg (GG) Riesling Trocken - $33.99 ($127.96 4-Pack)
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