Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Quarzit 06

A mouthful of a name, and quite a mouthful of a wine too.

Oddly (for me) the Nahe produced the only two Kabinetts I bought from the 06 vintage - not a single one from Mosel.

Oh Happy happy joy! This really sings. This smells like green pineapple, cut grass, gooseberry, perhaps sauvignon blanc like after a bit of breathing. A spring meadow once again. Palate is pineapple, lemon, mandarin, lemon sherbet with a beautiful zingy acid lift balanced off by orange pith, which might be a bit of botrytis, at the end? Lovely, if just a touch heavy in weight. The lengthy aftertaste is lemonade like. 10.0% alcohol and very slurpable. 90/100.

Cheers

Andrew

[David M. Bueker]

Of course this isn't a kabinett, but rather spatlese-level juice that was just slightly chaptalized & thus not allowed to have a pradikat. It is in fact a QbA.

spatlese-level juice that was just slightly chaptalized

Really, why? I would not have thought sugar was a problem in 2006?

[David M. Bueker]

spatlese-level juice that was just slightly chaptalized

Really, why? I would not have thought sugar was a problem in 2006?

The chaptalization allows the achievement of the desired alcohol level (the Quartzit is always at 10%) while retaining the desired residual sugar in the finished wine without using sussreserve. Hexamer gets better integration in the finished wine this way (Leitz makes his Dragonstone in the same manner).

spatlese-level juice that was just slightly chaptalized

Really, why? I would not have thought sugar was a problem in 2006?

The chaptalization allows the achievement of the desired alcohol level (the Quartzit is always at 10%) while retaining the desired residual sugar in the finished wine without using sussreserve. Hexamer gets better integration in the finished wine this way (Leitz makes his Dragonstone in the same manner).

Aha, interesting. Thanks. I guess it's best not to be too pedantic about this anti-chaptalization stuff.

[David M. Bueker]

I guess it's best not to be too pedantic about this anti-chaptalization stuff.

I could not have said it better myself.

Of course this isn't a kabinett, but rather spatlese-level juice that was just slightly chaptalized & thus not allowed to have a pradikat. It is in fact a QbA.

Whaddya know. I bought this on someone elses recommendation, and with no higher Pradikat mentioned anywhere assumed Kabinett.

Thanks David,