Two Bottles Riesling by Weiser-Künstler
We are drinking two bottles of Riesling from Weingut Weiser-Künstler from the Mosel. A Trabener Gaispfad from 2020 and a bottle of Brut Nature sparkling wine, also from 2020.
It happens again and again that I lose track of a winery. There are simply too many of them to keep up, and especially when, like us, you want to try as many different ones as possible, that’s automatically just the natural course of things. That probably makes us something like problem customers, because the scenario where we drive to an estate and fill up the trunk, no, that basically never happens. It’s much more often three single bottles here, two single bottles there, and maybe two bottles of the same wine, just in case one is corked. And cork is a good keyword. We’ve had some truly fantastic bottles from Weiser-Künstler, also here on the blog. But we’ve also had some real bad luck with corked bottles. Also here on the blog. Maybe that’s one reason they slipped off our radar. But ever since the owl on the sparkling wine, the estate is back on our internal list. You remember last week: animal labels. That’s just something someone in this household can’t resist. The Riesling for both wines still grows on the steep slate slopes of the Mosel. And it is lovingly and organically cared for by Alexandra Künstler and Konstantin Weiser. In the Gaispfad, the vines grow facing west, on the riverbank opposite Traben-Trarbach. All grapes are spontaneously fermented and spend a long time on the lees before being bottled. The sparkling wine is bottled without dosage.
Just like the 2015 did last time, the 2020 vintage from the Gaispfad starts off with a solid reductive funk. There’s a mix of flint and yeast on the nose that I honestly wouldn’t have expected to be so intense after a few years in the bottle. The wine is extremely compact in the first few minutes, both on the nose and on the palate. You can’t really get through, and then it slowly starts to open up. In the middle of the tongue there is fruity acidity and a note of yellow fruit, and behind that again this compact structure that doesn’t really let you in. It really needs time or a decanter.
A night in the fridge doesn’t make the funk disappear, but it noticeably shortens the time it takes for the wine to start showing more openness. Now it helps to swirl the wine vigorously in the glass for a few rounds to help the development along. The stony spice and the yellow Riesling fruit are now well balanced on the nose. It feels creamier on the tongue, more charming. It’s so clear now, juicy and long. Funnily enough, the Riesling now comes across as restrained, even though at first it jumped straight out at you. Now it just sits there, and if you’re not paying attention, you might not even notice how long it lingers. The aroma becomes ever more yellow, more apricot, more peach, and almost sweet by now. This is excellent, and I’m glad we hadn’t forgotten about the winery altogether. It’s a really wonderful Mosel Riesling.
The sparkling wine is pulling from the first sniff, but not in a harsh way. There’s Riesling fruit, lots of yellow stone fruit, stone, yeast, and a touch of bruised apple peel. When you taste it, it bubbles beautifully fine along your tongue, and then comes this incredibly fresh, fruity acidity that just doesn’t want to let go. Your mouth simply won’t go dry again, your mouth waters as you drink. And somewhere in there, someone has left an open bag of sour apple rings. This is outstanding Riesling sparkling wine that doesn’t even try to hide its varietal character. It’s so radiant, so clear, so direct. We do drink a lot of sparkling wine, but Riesling Sekt rarely gets enough of a chance. This one makes us wonder why that is. With some air, the nose gets yellower and smells a bit more of pastry. I think now the yeast is coming through more, but it never once threatens the drive or freshness. I’m genuinely enthusiastic. We recently had the outstanding Riesling sparkling wine from the Seckingers in the glass, which was more about structure and the ultra-long lees aging, the owl here is more about fruit, freshness, and stoniness. I wouldn’t want to have to choose which I prefer. Luckily, I don’t have to. I’ll simply drink both.