Hexamer Riesling Spatlese Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg 1 star

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：2262

A shy aroma leads to well-defined ripe apple and peach flavors, which feature honeyed accents and an elegant minerality. The lush, spicy finish offers glazed citrus and persimmon notes. Best from 2013 through 2023. 100 cases imported.??–KM??Region: Germany / Nahe Select to Add

From the top of the Eisendell – at the edge of the forest – Hexamer’s 2009 Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spatlese One Star is overtly sweet, but along with that goes a reinforcement of ripe nectarine, pear, and papaya fruit and of lily-like inner-mouth perfume, as well as a near-weightless sense of delicacy, all projected on a palate of seductively creamy texture. Hints of peat and salt add counterpoint to a lusciously lingering, refreshingly stimulating finish. This beauty ought to be worth following for the better part of two decades. Harald Hexamer continues to expand his acreage in response to what I can well appreciate are almost irresistible offerings, and the latest round of sell-offs by one of the Nahe’s best-known and once-renowned estates at the beginning of 2011 is I suspect going to test the limits of Hexamer’s ambition and abilities to absorb yet more vineyards. (The number of 2009 vintage wines I have had to reference with A.P. #s due to there being alternate bottlings is in itself testimony to the rapid expansion of this estate.) No one who has followed this young grower over the past decade, though, can accuse him of lacking seriousness, and he has been subjecting his stylistic ideals and his accomplishments to rigorous examination, knowing he must balance the potential value of experimentalism with the need to focus both his attention to individual wines and his stylistic range. These latest results reveal a grower increasingly sure in touch and displaying a defter sense of balance at both the dry and sweet ends of the spectrum. By a considerable margin, they constitute this estate’s most consistently excellent collection in my experience. With the exception of a couple of partial lots of generic dry Riesling, no 2009s were de-acidified, and a majority of the dry wines kicked into spontaneous fermentation, although Hexamer brought cultured yeasts to bear in order to promote dryness. Both an Eiswein and a T.B.A. from the Rheingrafenberg were still fermenting in September and I’ll have to report on those along with Hexamer’s 2010s.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

A rich style, yet backed by bracing acidity, this white evokes apple, white peach and hard lemon candy flavors. A bit reined in right now, but give this some time. Best from 2012 through 2022.??–BS??Region: Germany / Nahe Select to Add

Ripe and fleshy, this Riesling offers peach and mandarin orange notes that stay defined by the vibrant acidity. Has fine length. This will come together nicely in time. Drink now through 2025. 19 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Germany / Nahe Select to Add

Hexamer’ “one star” 2006 Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spatlese – from the heart of the Rheingrafenberg – offers a heady corsage of gardenias backed by quince jelly, apricot preserves, and candied lemon. With an uncanny combination of polished richness with lithe, light-footedness and refreshing acidity, and at an astonishingly low 7% alcohol (and correspondingly high residual sugar), this manages perfectly to convey the botrytis-tinged super-ripeness of the vintage while offering wafting delicacy. Subtle salty, smoky notes add interest to the long, dreamy finish. If you have any kind of a sweet tooth when it comes to Riesling it will be hard to resist drinking this now, but I suspect it will be capable of up to 20 years positive evolution in bottle.Harald Hexamer has made major strides since I last described his operation in these pages in issue 161, refining his approach in the vineyards and cellar, and acquiring astonishingly many new parcels, so that he now has three – and a majority share – in Schlossbockelheimer In den Felsen, and owns or has under contract one-third of the entire Rheingrafenberg (including nearly all of the Eisendell). Hexamer sacrificed some of his remaining crossings in order to insure the harvest of healthy Riesling. His earliest-picked material tasted marginally under-ripe, but he did not finish until the 19th of October, and by then had amassed the finest collection I have tasted thus far at this address.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300