ELECTRICITY
2010 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden GG
Extremely Limited
In the past decade, Schloss Lieser has gone from a small, rather unknown estate to a full fledged cult producer.
The problem is the estate is still small.
Demand, even in the most generous of years, is always high. I remember tasting the 2009s at the estate in March of 2010 and they were almost sold out - keep in mind that many of the higher Prädikat wines were still fermenting!
Things are going to get ugly with the 2010 vintage, quantities are so drastically low. This is why, for example, you're only going to see a few stores in the U.S. with any Schloss Lieser to speak of.
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Writes John Gilman in View from the Cellar: "The 2010ers from Schloss Lieser are going to be hard to find and will require studious research of the market to locate. But, they will be very much worth the effort, so get started now!"
We are getting the lion's share of the U.S. allocation of the only "Grosses Gewächs" (Grand Cru dry Riesling) that Thomas produced in 2010. Sadly, there is no Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr GG in 2010.
2010 is an extreme vintage - record high ripeness levels matched to record high acidities, meaning these wines have everything and you can taste it. (I'm sorry, I'm still working on the vintage report. I promise it by later this week!)
I have never experienced a vintage like 2010: The wines are simply electric and Schloss Lieser, whose wines are normally high-tension sculptures in fruit and mineral, are among the most scintillating out there.
The "fruity" wines are simply gorgeous - crystalline and pure and more vibrant than any Schloss Lieser collection I have ever tasted. They are stupendous wines. I have not tasted the Niederberg Helden GG; even in the biggest of vintages these wines need time to round out, which is why by law producers cannot release their GGs until the fall.
So while we'll have this wine later this year, you are best advised to buy as much as you can (you are really unlikely to ever see this wine again) and bury them in the cellar for a year before you try one. Or, if you can't resist, certainly open the bottle a day before you plan on drinking it and don't be shy - revisit on day 2 and 3 and 4...
Quantities are limited; quality is extraordinary. We'll conclude with a few words from John Gilman's summary of the 2010 Schloss Liesers from View from the Cellar:
"Cellar Master, Phillip Veser of Schloss Lieser has done a magical job with the estate’s 2010ers, and has clearly made some of the most brilliant examples on the Mosel in this vintage... while a few bottlings will not be for the faint of heart, the precision, depth and vibrancy of the Schloss Lieser wines in 2010 is going to make a lot of German Riesling lovers very, very happy... [The 2010 Schloss Liesers] are going to dazzle folks lucky enough to chase down a few bottles. ...I do not think it would be overly risky to suggest that pretty much anything that Schloss Lieser has produced in 2010 will be well worth adding to the cellar."
While Gilman is probably right, this is not "anything from the cellar," this is the grandest dry Riesling the estate has made in 2010. Give us your maximum order and we'll do our best. All orders subject to confirmation.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Director
Crush Wine & Spirits
Niederberg Helden Grosses Gewächs"
Special Email Bottle Price: $46.95
No compare at pricing available
Special Email 3-Pack Price: $131.85 ($43.95/btl)
Wine arrives in the fall
NET | No further discount