Hirtzberger's Singerriedel Riesling is one of the famous Riesling wines that I yet had to taste, so when I found that it could be ordered at our monopoly stores, I did not hesitate. Tonight we had it to a dinner of wild arctic char and a creamy wine sauce with chives, a splendid combination.
The wine has a rather deep yellow colour. The nose, a wonderfully deep Riesling fruit, concentrated, with notes of roses, herbs and mineral. In the mouth the wine positively explodes with a deep and intense Riesling fruit. Spicy, almost peppery. A racy acidity and a minerality that increases towards the end. A long and intense aftertaste with just a slight bitterness from the alcohol. Although I would have expected its 14% ABV to be too much for a Riesling wine, the deep fruit of this wine manages to balance the intensity and bitterness of the alcohol. Possibly the alcohol will become a bit overpowering with time when the fruit subsides, but right now it is a remarkably good wine, clearly explaining the fame of the Singerriedel. The style reminds me of the premier cru Rieslings of Bürklin-Wolf, for which I have also at times had doubts about the development of the alcohol with time. Some of them have developed well, but other have been defeated by the power and bitterness if the alcohol.
Cheers,
Anders