Monzinger, Riesling, Halgans, 2016
Pungent notes of slate on the nose yet on the palate a refined delicacy, with cool pure flavours suspended in a gentle structure, white peach, slate and pomelo. There’s great subtlety here. Delicious in the next two years, or five years later than that.
critic reviews
This bottling from the Halenberg is radically different from its “Frühtau” (Frühlingsplätzchen) counterpart – but not, as conventional wisdom would have it, on account of being somehow more mineral. Wet stone, moss, and smoky-sweet hints of machine oil on the nose dominate over white peach and lime, but the latter emerge more prominently and with animating juiciness on a polished palate. Walnut and peach kernel piquancy adds invigorating counterpoint en route to a finish of exceptional clarity, lift (even at 12% alcohol) and length.
Pure and stony on the flinty, quartzite nose, the 2016 Nahe Riesling Trocken "Halgans" (which is mainly sourced from the nine-year-old Ley) is a round, lush and perfectly balanced Halenberg with celery and minty flavors and perfect fruit ripeness. The finish is pure and crystalline, enormously salty and with great finesse. An impressive wine indeed.