critic reviews
This is sourced to a significant degree from young vines in the top-notch Halenberg and Auf der Lay vineyards. It lives up to its name on the nose, evoking ocean breeze in its combination of alkalinity and salinity. Behind that, tangerine and lime deliver zesty pungency while a brothy sense of meat stock is reminiscent of Chablis, a comparison that has fit this bottling on more than one occasion. At around 13% alcohol, there is a fullness one does not usually expect with a Schönleber “Mineral” Riesling, but fortunately, neither heat nor heaviness. The finish comes off like a mouthwatering suffusion of mineral matter in a citrus and meat stock matrix.
The 2018 Riesling Trocken Mineral is clear and fresh on the flinty/mineral nose. Lush and round on the crystalline and elegant palate, this is a powerful and salty-mineral Riesling with concentrated stone fruit flavors, and it reflects the vintage as well as the stony terroir around the Halenberg. Elegant and fresh, even fine and piquant, but powerful. Tasted in July 2019.