Selbach-Oster Riesling Feinherb Zeltinger Sonnenuhr “Ur-alte Reben” Spätlese 2018

Reviews

Wine Advocate – “From more than 100-year-old ungrafted vines, the 2018 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese feinherb “Ur-alte Reben” opens with bright and herbal, very fine, intense and elegant fruit aromas with noble concentration and beautiful balance. Absolutely gorgeous and seamless, with a coolish-flinty tone in the underground. Lush and round on the crystalline, refined and silky-textured palate, this is a salty, very juicy yet concentrated and persistently structured ZSU with a tight tannin structure that is perfectly interwoven with the concentrated fruit. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.” (96 Pts)

Wine Spectator – “A dryer style, with a beautiful velvety texture and a spicy, leesy profile, driven by electric acidity. Aromas and flavors of elderflower, hops, bergamot and green apple mingle harmoniously, while savory mineral notes glide along and mark the mouthwatering finish. Could benefit from short-term cellaring. Best from 2022 through 2033.” (93 Pts)

Vinous – “This “ancient vines” bottling delivers a haunting and site-typical nose featuring heliotrope, honeysuckle, apple, quince and lime, along with subtly Pinot Gris-like brown spice and smoke. The combination of creaminess with freshness and levity exhibited midpalate is adeptly poised, and the wine’s mere hint of sweetness is entirely supportive. The lingering finish is admirably transparent to stony and alkaline nuances as well as lightly sizzling with cinnamon stick. (There are, as usual, two sweeter Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlesen – a “one-star” and a “no-star” – from this collection but, regrettably, I have not yet been able to taste either.)” (92 Pts)