WTN: Hipping, Hipping Shake

[David M. Bueker]

2016 Strub Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Spätlese "Flachenhahl" - Germany, Rheinhessen (12/25/2017)
Bright as the star in the east, this Strub Spatlese served very well as our Christmas Day wine. Fresh acidity balanced the fruitiness and deftly managed sweetness. The wine actually finished no more than halbtrocken. Crunchy tree fruit-apple, white peach-was supplemented by an iron core of minerality. This was really a great showing for such a young wine.

Any sense yet of '16 as a vintage?
I used to buy Strub regularly as a fine value, but seldom see any more

[David M. Bueker]

So at my sense is that it is a moderate acid vintage overall. Less harsh than 2015. Should provide lots of early pleasure, and then age in a way not unlike 1997.

I think the bloom is not only off the rose for German wine, the petals are dead and dried out. Access has become difficult, even for me.

I don't have a ton of exposure yet, but having tasted at Kruger-Rumpf, Toni Jost, Eymann, Bürklin-Wolf and Bassermann-Jordan in the summer and after, I think I would liken 2016 more to the 2012 vintage in Germany. Acidity feels slightly more prominent than in 2015 but this is probably mostly due to fruit ripeness being a little more subdued, which also allows the stony and salty minerality to really shine.

Either way, for me, so far It's been a really tasty and understated vintage full of clarity.