Wednesday Wines – Episode 276 – Four Exceptional Wines from Weingüter Wegeler
I rarely write up German wines, not because I don’t adore the finest examples (like those below), but because I seldom taste them! While not available in the UK, this is a stellar quartet from a first-class estate, so if you are travelling in Germany, do your best to track them down!
Weingüter Wegeler
In 1882, Privy Councillor Julius Wegeler, co-owner of the Deinhard sparkling wine cellar, bought a winery in the Rheingau. With Riesling vineyards in some of the finest spots in Rüdesheim, Johannisberg, Geisenheim, and Oestrich-Winkel, this elite estate is one of the largest privately-owned wine businesses in the country.
2021 Geheimrat J Riesling, 16 Grosse Terroirs, Trocken, Rheingau, Weingüter Wegeler, Germany 12.5% alc. (€39, www.weinzentrale.de).
Harmonious, layered and light, this is an exercise in the entire citrus spectrum, with green apple skin notes coming in on the finish and pristine minerality bringing a lightness of touch throughout. The acidity is gentle, and not scouring, yet present, making refined Riesling delicious now, but with plenty of life ahead. 18/20
2021 Bernkastel Doctor Riesling Spätlese, Grosse Lage, Mosel, Weingüter Wegeler, Germany 8% alc. (€50, www.grosse-lage.de).
Clean, succulent, ripe and silky, this is a super-classy spätlese, with a full frame, pliable fruit notes and lovely cleansing acidity. The sugars are generous, but fabulously controlled and never intrusive, making this the perfect, teasing aperitif style for life-long classicists and those in search of life-affirming nostalgia. 18/20
2021 Geisenheim Rothenberg, Riesling GG Trocken, Grosse Lage, Rheingau, Weingüter Wegeler, Germany 12.5% alc. (€59, www.wegeler.com).
Firm, decisive, bone dry and gently palate-scruffing, this is a mighty wine with shivery acidity and a very long life ahead of it. The scale of flavour seems too intense and expansive to fit into the framework, but it does so and with ease. There is staggering potential here, making this one of the most arresting and memorable dry German Rieslings of the year! 18.5+/20
And a wondrous curio –
1999 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Weingüter Wegeler, Germany 8.5% alc. (€129 euros, half bottle, www.greatestwines.com).
Lovely, gentle, harmonious and sensual, this venerable wine is drinking perfectly right now, and it is a triumphant example of just how age-worthy these wines are when cellared correctly. At 26 years of age, there are still acres of freshness and bounce in this awe-inspiring wine. 19/20