2017 Zellertal Kreuzberg Auktion

Spanier and Gillot’s Kreuzberg abuts their Am Schwarzen Herrgott, but the Einzellage Kreuzberg extends west past Mölsheim and is technically assigned to the village of Einselthum, which puts it officially in the Pfalz. Spanier has been working for more than a decade to restore this site and its old vines to top condition and to understand the particular virtues of the resultant Riesling. Toward that latter goal, he soon began executing dedicated bottlings, but on a very small scale. “We drank most of the wine from previous vintages ourselves,” reported Gillot, who calls their Kreuzberg “a very, very special spot of land.” Vintage 2017 – the contents of one 600-liter cask – was sold at auction, where it went for 182 Euros per 750ml bottle. Spanier recently replanted a formerly abandoned portion of the site, so eventually there will be a larger volume of wine. The VDP has classified Kreuzberg as an “Erste Lage.” Unsurprisingly, Spanier and Gillot would like to see its status upgraded, which would permit offering it under the rubric of “Grosses Gewächs.” The palpable impression of density shared by so many Battenfeld-Spanier 2017s is here, improbably raised to the next level. The same could be said of the midpalate impression of chalky and oily suffusion, conveying as vivid a sense of vinous mineral matter as one can imagine. The nose is a bit quiet and, in keeping with Spanier’s ideals, mineral-dominated. But pit-inflected white peach and zesty lemon make welcome appearances thereafter. The finish is grippingly sustained, but delivers enough primary juiciness to ward off outright austerity.