Karl Haidle - Stettener Pulvermächer
We drink two bottles of Riesling GG harvested in the Stettener Pulvermächer from 2016 and 2017 made by the Karl Haidle Winery in Stetten within the Rems valley.
In Württemberg it is difficult to avoid the Rems valley. This week the wines have been harvested there once again. We are drinking two Rieslings from the Stettener Pulvermächer from 2016 and 2017 made by the Karl Haidle Winery. Just a stone’s throw away from Beurer, whose Riesling from the same vineyard we have already tasted, the winery is located in the middle of Stetten. Around the Y-Burg, which stands in the middle of the vines, the grapes for the Grosses Gewächs are grown. Moritz Haidle, who has been responsible for the wine production since 2014, has switched the cultivation to organic and the wine from 2017 will then also carry the certification on the label. The Riesling grows on reed and pebble sandstone and is then fermented in large wooden barrels. The two bottles are again tasted over three days, with the first day being just a small sample sip before going back into the refrigerator.
The 2016 starts with rather dark aromas. Very full on the nose, some spicy honey, yellow fruit, a little nail polish remover in the background. Otherwise very compact, in the mouth crisp, juicy, spicy and at outthe back almost a little sweetness, but that fits well. Promising start.
Overnight the aroma really opens up and everything that was suggested the evening before has become stronger. Yellow, ripe, partly exotic fruit, mirabelle plums, pineapple, peach, mixed with some honey, deep, complex, very slightly matured, and then the acidity on the tongue, on the point, focused, exactly where it should be. A little acetone, with some thyme in the background, light, buttery creaminess, extremely juicy and full of mineral spice. No big transformation happened overnight, it’s more like when you focus the camera some more and the picture is crisp and sharp. This is great wine, which always shows new facets over the evening and has everything I would wish for in a bottle of Riesling. Actually already a bit irresponsible. How are you supposed to taste it over three days and not just drink it right now. But we are strong and we can do it.
Fortunately, the third evening continues right where the last one left off. The way things are now, that’s a really good bottle.
Compared to that the 2017 is downright quiet. Much brighter in the fruit, already from the first sip. Much cooler, more mineral, but also clearer in the fruit. Mirabelle plums fresh from the tree, floral notes. In the mouth juicy, clear and long. More delicate, elegant.
Unlike the other vintage, the wine remains on the reserved side even after a night in the fridge. It is much quieter in the glass, but also much finer and more differentiated. Light phenolic, stone fruit, some stone. There is a delicate structure, especially on the edges of the tongue, with a little quince, a few berries and a little flint. Here attention is required, otherwise you simply miss out on what is offered. At the back of the tongue there is something like a draught and the taste stays there forever.
Here the night brings a noticeable boost for the third evening. More spice, more concise fruit, apple skin, more mirabelle plum, and also more minerality. But this does not change the fact that the wine has a hard time here in direct juxtaposition with the previous vintage. But it is not worse, maybe it is actually the more interesting wine, with more to discover if you are looking for it. But against what 2016 is currently doing on the palate, the quieter, finer tones of the 2017 unfortunately get a little lost. You would have to taste this alone again for the right appreciation. What remains of this round is a real bam from 2016.