Startlingly Impressive, Ruthless Cut
2013 Weiser-Künstler
Ellergrub GE, Gaispfad and Steffensberg
"The Weiser-Künstler 2013s are filigreed structured, light-footed and elegant wines that are rather discreet than forward." -Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Weiser-Künstler's 2013s are startlingly impressive and intense. They are diamond cut wines that boast a razor's edge. They are ruthlessly mineral, shimmering wines.
They are also in painfully short supply, particularly the dry-tasting wines on offer today. I'm happy to offer these wines, which represent the pinnacle of Weiser-Künstler's dry range.
The Mosel Fine Wine Review, the insider's Mosel journal if there is one, has written: "These are consistently among the top wines produced anywhere in the Mosel..." We absolutely agree. The only thing that prevents the world from recognizing the elite level of this domaine is the size.There is only a mere trickle of profound wine that leaves this 3ha estate.
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| Konstantin Weiser & Alexandra Künstler |
Starting with the Steffensberg, the site's weathered slate and south-facing exposition give the wines more of a textural dimension than Weiser-Kunstler's other sites. However, in 2013, the wine has ridiculous cut. There's a driving, unrelenting saline minerality. Stephan Reinhardt just comes out and calls it: "perfect Mosel Riesling"
Then there's Trabener Gaispfad, a top stony iron-stained site that's home to very old, mostly ungrafted, vines. Weiser-Künstler has 0.5ha here. The 2013 is beautifully clear and finely calibrated. It shows a beautiful integration of acidity, minerality and fruit. And clearly highlights the world-class winemaking here. Stephan Reinhardt sums it up as the "perfect balance of sugar, minerality and acidity."
Finally, there's the Ellergrub Grosse Eule (Great Owl), the estate's top dry wine(Grosse Eule is a play on Grosses Gewächs). Many German wine scholars place Ellergrub as one of the best sites in the Middle Mosel. Weiser-Künstler's parcel in this steeply terraced, mostly blue slate, vineyard is home to hundred-year old ungrafted vines.
It is a fascinatingly cerebral Riesling. Weiser-Künstler gives their Grosse Eule a 24-hour maceration. It then goes into old barriques to be made in a more oxidative fashion. The result is a more savory expression of Riesling. The 2013 shows an incredible amount of stature and breeding. It's one of the most thought-provoking and compelling Rieslings around.
These are some of the most thrilling Rieslings of the vintage. They are classic Weiser-Künstler - delicate, pristine, shimmering - but with an edge. I'm excited to watch them unfold.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2013 Weiser-Künstler
2013 Steffensberg
Special Email Bottle Price: $33.95
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate: "From a south exposed side valley of the Mosel with vines up to 40+ years on weathered grey slate the 2013 Steffensberg Riesling is a lovely spicy, piquant and juicy wine that is much less pure and austere than the Ellergrub GE but intertwines a bright and sappy fruitiness with a lingering salinity and stimulating raciness. This is perfect Mosel Riesling with 10% alcohol and 18 grams of residual sugar (and 11 grams of acidity). Lovely to drink now but with potential for 15 or 20 years."
2013 Gaispfad
Special Email Bottle Price: $38.95
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate: "From really ripe and healthy grapes and with more skin contact than the Kabinett, this barrel-fermented 2013 Gaispfad Riesling from blue-slate soils with a higher iron content was kept on the lees until the bottling end of April 2014. It opens clear, subtle and still with notes influenced by the spontaneous fermentation. The wine is very clear, light and lovely piquant and the finish is salty and very lingering. This 10.5% Gaispfad is a very elegant, transparent Riesling with finesse and the perfect balance of sugar, minerality and acidity."
2013 Ellergrub Grosse Eule
Special Email Bottle Price: $49.95
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate: "From highly ripe and healthy grapes and fermented in old barriques the dry 2013 Ellergrub GE from 60- to 100-year-old vines on blue slate offers a noble, very well concentrated, smoky and herbal bouquet of ripe apples and grapefruit along with notes of oregano, sage, a dash of lime juice, gooseberries, blackcurrant and lots of nuances of crushed stone dust. Full-bodied, pure and elegant on the palate, this is a dense and expressive and salty wine full of melting stones and with a remarkable nobility. The finish is very long and limey, still closed but very promising."
Special Email 6-Pack Price (2 of each): $220.95