Is it the best deal in dry Riesling right now? YES
A dry and lively wine that would do a great job convincing Sauvignon devotees, it is citrusy and mineral, light on its feet and bright through the finish, and, perhaps most importantly, BONE DRY...
We were very happy with it at $19, but at $14 we are THRILLED... I saw the price and immediately said, we'll take everything.
I'll paste my note, as well some general commentary about Steinmetz from David Schildknecht. The wines of Günther Steinmetz deserve to be better known, as even at full price they are fabulous bargains. Today's deal probably won't happen again...
Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Riesling (AP 09) 2021 - $14 (reg. $19)
Airy and fresh on the nose, aromas of citrus, gooseberry, green herbs, wet stones, sea-breeze, this is slightly reminiscent of Chablis... hints of sweeter things like honeysuckle, peach and melon as well... on the palate it is crisp and lively, light and invigoratingly tart, awash in mineral and saline nuances, hints of herbs and leaves provide lift and intrigue. Finish is super mineral and dry, intense citrus character gets a boost from subtle crunchy peach and melon notes. Drink now and over the next 2 or 3 years. Will be fabulous with oysters or just on its own.
Stefan Steinmetz has been in charge of his family’s estate for 15 years. In his early 20s when he took over, it isn’t surprising that he needed time to hone his craft and find his way. Happily, he was willing to let his wines speak with distinctive voices quite unlike those considered typical among growers along his stretch of the Middle Mosel. A laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar resulted and continues to result in a predominance of Rieslings that are not genuinely dry but not sweet either, instead inhabiting a “sweet” spot when it comes to balance as well as culinary versatility – and a place that a preponderance of German growers unfortunately treat as no-man’s land. And a laissez-faire attitude toward malolactic transformation, allied to a penchant for skin and lees contact, led to wines whose textural richness sometimes came at the expense of clarity or precision. Over the years, though, Steinmetz has increasingly captured delicious distinctiveness without tradeoffs. He has largely resisted any temptation to rein in his wines’ fermentative courses or to hurry their development, yet his choices of picking dates, crush techniques, fermentative vessels and other factors have led to greater refinement and enhanced diversity. - David Schildknecht, Vinous Media
As usual, this wine will combine with others to get 10% off a mix of 6 bottles, or 12% off a mix of 12 bottles.
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