The concentration, balance, complex flavour and textural profiles, extract and sleek velocity of the 2021 wines will make these some of the greatest and longest lived German Rieslings this century. A cool and late vintage of cut and finesse, but also fleshy mid palates, buffing and softening those mineral edges.
Not since 2012 have we tasted such a high toned vintage, but I feel that 2021 has even more to offer. They are certainly more complex and don’t have the hard edges often prevalent in cooler vintages. Most of the wines are drinkable upon release, and due to the sheer volume of lavish fruit, will cellar for longer. Much longer. 2021 was a very tough vintage for the winegrower, yet all you taste is sunshine and joy.
Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spatlese 2021
Bright, intense and tingling with tang. Incredible focus of citrus, stone, orchard and tropical fruit. Fresh herbs from the garden, mint, marjoram and tarragon, mingled with jasmine. Incredible depth and power, the flavours layered and being so bright, bordering on hedonistic. Pure, clear, ethereal and elegant, brimming with energy, character and driving power. Remarkable wine, the sweetness balanced by the most remarkably ripe acidity. Will be very long lived.
Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2021
Freshness and lightness with the crashing power and vitality of a swim in the winter surf. Clear and translucent, and a pristine velocity of flavour inconceivable anywhere else in the world. Similar fruit profile to the Juffer, but with a deeper core of fruit, buoyed by smoke, herbs and subtle cream. Great energy and lift, taking this to another level, the palate filling out and gaining weight, the longer in the glass. Wonderful wine, with many delectable decades ahead.
Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese 2021
A great year for connoisseurs who favour cooler racier Ausleses. Indeed the Juffer and Juffer Sonnenuhr are better suited to savoury dishes over desserts. Bright and clear, with fresh mint, plum, lime, lemon zest and tropical notes. Linear and precise, with great purity and drive. Sleek, with a hint of tempering silk. Needs time. Give it time.
Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2021 750ml and 375ml
An absolutely stunning wine, and if your perception of Auslese is as a sweet or dessert wine, then you need to taste this. There’s sweetness to be sure, but it is entirely in the shade of volumes of fruit, herbs and minerals. White cherry, green mango, nougat, gardenia, citrus, nectarine and white peach. Breathtaking purity, the sleekness of the Juffer is tingling tang to silk here. Intensity is matched by smooth elegance rendering this as a thoroughly complete wine.
Essentially a feinherb in style, and a terrific introduction to the wines of Fritz Haag. Super complex with grapefruit, cherry, mango and guava. Bright and tangy, linear and direct in profile, flecked with herbs and subtle extract. Super long, the acidity and extract driving the carry and hold over the palate. Estate defining and total bargain.
Burklin-Wolf Hommage a Luise Riesling 2021
Sourced from cool vineyards that abut the forest in Wachenheim. Weighted like a feinherb and the delicious tension of a Kabinett. Showing great complexity with passionfruit, green mango, fresh thyme and mint, white peach, mustard seed and jasmine. Succulent and tangy, the sweetness balanced by surging acidity and there’s a touch of extract that holds the palate. Very long carry. Delicious now, though I’m curious to see how this ages. Very well I should imagine.
Burklin-Wolf Altenberg PC Riesling 2021
Incredibly pristine, intense and pure. White peach, jasmine, lemon, lemon zest and salty. Delicacy and refined power, with a pinch of herbs, zesty grip and minerals.
Burklin-Wolf Bohlig PC Riesling 2021
Fuller bodied than the Altenberg and the shape is rounder, the palate ample. Mandarin blossom, yellow peach, grapefruit, lime preserve, spring jasmine and lavender. Grippy and mineral, the acidity abundant with a hints of mustard and sunflowers as the wine opens up. Focused and controlled, almost hedonistic and will live for a very long time.
