In the last 15 years our understanding of what Riesling is capable of has certainly expanded; today we break through to another level.

While there's no denying that the frenzied vogue for zero-sulfur wines can produce mixed results, wines like Beurer's "Nothing" are serious reminders of the profundity that these wines can deliver. This is a devastatingly impressive wine.

It's ironic that one of the last countries that you'd associate zero-sulfur winemaking with is one that is most conducive to the style. The natural acidity of German Riesling offers the wine an inherent, natural stability.

Today we present a revelation in this style, perhaps the most elegant and filigreed zero-sulfur Riesling we’ve ever had: Jochen Beurer’s 2016 Riesling “Nothing".

This wine represents just one, very special, twelve-hundred-liter barrel sourced from kieselsandstein, a poor, red and chalky limestone soil that produces some of Beurer's most linear wines, and some of his best. It fermented for nearly three years before being simply transferred from barrel to bottle. Nothing added, nothing taken away.

What is so brilliant about this wine is that, while the absence of sulfur adds to the bottle’s complexity, it does not neutralize the region or the grape’s signature. This is undoubtedly dry Riesling. It has the razor-sharp edges of a rapier; yet here the dangerous edges have been polished to a fine, porcelain smoothness.

As with many of Beurer’s wine, there is an energy here; the wine levitates. It is airy and crystalline, showing fascinating and finely delineated flavors from lemon pith to orange peel, minerals and marine notes, faint traces of almonds, smoke and dried herbs. Beurer’s “Nothing” unfolds like origami with a decant, or better yet, enjoyed over 2 or 3 days.

For those who know the other masterpiece of this genre, Ulli Stein’s “Ohne,” we can’t recommend Beurer’s “Nothing” enough. It is perhaps not as deep and powerful, but its energy and clarity are perhaps more extreme. Beurer has long been one of Germany’s most influential biodynamic winemakers. Here he is in his element.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer

Crush Wine & Spirits

 

2016 Beurer Riesling "Nothing"

Special Bottle Price: $51.95

Special 3-Pack Price: $143.85 ($47.95/btl)