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From what is probably the Saar’s most famous vineyard, this Scharzhofberger is one of the highlights of our collection. Often slightly reticent immediately after opening, it needs a little time to show its true quality. We therefore recommend that you uncork at least an hour before drinking.This Riesling has a fine vein of flint and gooseberry as well as a delicate mouthfeel and that very typical fine saline note that many Scharzhofberger share. Intriguing and full of tension all the way to the very last drop. A wine of a great ageing potential.

Ratings

View from the cellar, John Gilman - 90 points
Mosel Fine Wines - 91 points
Mundus Vini - Silver
Robert Parker - 91+ points
Gourmetwelten, Lagen-Cup 2019 – 92 points
The Fine Wine Review, Claude Kolm - 90 points
Savoir Vivre, Benelux Wine Trophy 2021 - gold

Pairs beautifully with...

Maghreb dishes such as tagine or couscous; meat cooked sous vide; fish dishes such as Dover sole meunière; or a fine veal or poultry fricassée.

Vintage

A year of challenges
The year began with a very warm spring that resulted in an early bud burst. Late frost posed a big threat – and three cold nights in April confirmed our fears, damaging shoots that were already well developed. A spell of fine weather thereafter helped the secondary shoots to grow quickly, partially mitigating the frost-related shortfall. Conditions were near perfect during flowering.
The spring heatwave also had a sting in its tail, however, with our young vines in particular suffering from considerable drought stress. On the other hand, our old vines benefited from the longer growing cycle thanks to their deep roots providing sufficient water nutrition. Time seemed to fly, and before we knew it our grapes had more or less ripened two weeks ahead of the long-term average – although a wet July and August had unfortunately caused some premature botrytis.
We mustered a 52-strong team to begin the preliminary harvest on 21 September – thus making the 2017 picking season the earliest in the estate’s history. Above all, we focused on meticulously selecting grapes for our Trockenbeerenauslesen and Beerenauslesen, as well as separating healthy from botrytis-affected fruit.
This hard work gave us stunning results. Piesporter Goldtröpfchen posted 192 degrees – our highest Oechsle reading on the Mosel. During what was a relatively short harvest, acidity levels fell from an initial high of 13 g/l to 9-10 g/l. Our grapes’ aromatics also changed day by day, developing ripeness and concentration.