2011 Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru

Finished at 13.5% alcohol and with 11 grams of residual sugar that manage to support the fruit but otherwise fade into the background, the Mann 2011 Riesling Schlossberg was picked on September 23-26 and displays an ample measure of ripe and infectiously juicy acidity as well as a surprising and delightful sense of lift. The apple, lime and orange found in the corresponding Cuvee Albert are here are joined by succulent white peach, pungently infused with green tea, and adorned with a heady garland of buddleia as well as with an even more intriguing not to mention prodigiously persistent set of mineral adjuncts, notably mouthwatering salinity and a somehow crystalline sense of impingement. The sleek, polished mouthfeel here further enhances an impression of refinement and elegance not easily achieved in this vintage. Look for this beauty to perform superbly through at least 2025. The Barthelmes were out picking Riesling already very soon after mid-September of 2011, and as Jacky Barthelme relates and the bottled results testify, “the skins were already ripe by then. And we picked one lot at only 12% potential alcohol. The vines were under no stress this year so their ripening cycle was finished early.” He adds that the vines weren’t hedged during the summer, an approach that is gaining support among growers internationally, not to mention support from the results I have tasted. Light pressing in small lots and minimal settling were parts of the crush regimen that may have helped in achieving some of the most refined, elegant, texturally alluring Rieslings I witnessed from this vintage. In some instances, the Mann 2010s were harvested at higher must weights than their 2011s, a function at least in part of low yields coupled with the need to let the fruit hang to moderate acidity and achieve ripe flavors. Despite the usual profusion of nobly sweet bottlings at this address, there happened to be only a single wine from either vintage that the Barthelmes chose to declare as V.T. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800