Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, TBA
Zilliken

Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, TBA


Destination

vintage


portfolio

Portfolio
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2018
37.5cl
DP
£435.35

2018
12x37.5cl
DP
£5,224.18


Zilliken, Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, TBA, 2018

2018

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

Zilliken, Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, TBA, 2018

A rare non-auction TBA, the product of extreme selection and 100% shrivelled grapes, through shrivelled rather than botrytised. In numerical terms it’s extreme, with 12 grams of acids and sugars at, wait for it, 350 grams per litre! Chamomile notes, mint, apricot conserve then strawberries and fresh fig and sweet honey. You can’t help but feel this might be an immortal wine - you certainly wouldn’t want to approach it in the near term!

Maturity:
Keep/Drink
ABV:
8%
98/100
David Schildknecht, Vinous

Although an oily and viscous product of shriveled grapes, this elixir’s shockingly light green-gold color seems to bear out Hanno Zilliken’s insistence that precious little botrytis was involved in the fruit’s concentration. Candied lemon peel, glazed pineapple and dried apricot, allied to a Chartreuse-like, high-toned concentrate of floral and green herbal essences, deliver an aromatic display so penetrating that it made my nose hairs stand at attention. And high viscosity comes as almost an afterthought given the sense of ethereal levity and the sharply clawed grip with which this wine impinges on one’s soft tissue. Fig, quince jelly, crème de cassis and salted caramel add colorfully to this kaleidoscopically complex performance, and the vibrantly, mouthwateringly sustained finish features pungent counterpoint of lavender and citrus peel even as it coats with creamy persistence. This bottling reflects 100 liters and was offered on the estate’s price list in late 2019. A second TBA that I have not yet tasted – A.P. #1, representing 150 liters – was due for later auctioning.
Date Reviewed:
07/2020

specifications

country:
Germany


Appellation:

Producer:
Zilliken

style:

Grape Variety:

Allergen Information:
This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.


Zilliken

Zilliken

The life of a Saar Riesling grower is not an easy one. Possibly one of the coldest and most marginal corners of Germany, the Saar can produce some of the world’s great white wine in hot sunny years such as 1990. However, these are usually outnumbered by cold wet years resulting in over astringent and unripe wines. There are a small band of growers though who have a distinct advantage over the rest in the land that they own. A handful of Saar vineyards are steep enough and exposed enough to ensure a decent level of grape ripening even in poor years. Hanno Zilliken is fortunate enough to have sizeable holdings in Saarburg’s great vineyard, the steep south-facing Rausch. He exploits these slate based vines to the maximum through careful pruning and hand selection. When the wine is pressed, it gently descends by gravity into the oak casks lying in Hanno’s dark damp cellars. The wines are prime examples of Saar Riesling, being mouthwateringly taut, mineral and sophisticated.

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