2023 Final Riesling Trocken

The 2023 Riesling Final was picked from 60-to-64-year-old vines on a mix of Devonian slate and quartzite high up in the Felsenberg. Schäfer-Fröhlich first made this cuvée in 2018, but the 2023 is only the third release, following the 2021 and 2022 vintages in the two previous years. Reduction clouds the nose with its aromas of flint and smoke. More air reveals glimpses of citrus foliage and wet, crushed rock. The palate also carries this reductive vibe, fed from its deeply salty, yeasty backdrop and lending substance to this stony, taut, uncompromising wine. Textural depth adds dimension, underlining the very nature of the variety. This is a graceful monument of a fully articulated Riesling with brooding, well-controlled power and exquisite depth. Whoa. Available at auction: 300 bottles, 12 magnums. (Bone-dry)