76 NOVEMBER 2019
2017 SAARSTEIN RIESLING
($18)
Grapefruit peel and golden apple
flavors define this bright Riesling
from vineyards overlooking the
Saar River. A light touch of resid-
ual sugar on the finish ampli-
fies its fruitiness, but the wine
doesn’t come off as sweet.
2018 DR. H. THANISCH
BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE
RIESLING KABINETT ($24)
Rising steeply above the
quaint (and loved by tourists)
town of Bernkastel-Kues, the
Bernkasteler Badstube vineyard
grows assertive Rieslings with
golden apple and spice notes—
this bottling, from a benchmark
producer, is spot-on.
2015 FRIEDRICH-WILHELM-
GYMNASIUM GRAACHER
HIMMELREICH RIESLING
KABINETT ($25)
Originally a Jesuit college in
Trier, F.W.G. acquired most of its
vineyards in the late 1500s; the
wines—like this modestly sweet
kabinett bottling—are still made
in the ancient cellars under old-
town Trier.
2018 WILLI SCHAEFER
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH
RIESLING KABINETT ($35)
The wines of this tiny estate
are sought after for their effort-
lessly complex, almost crystal-
line expressiveness. Even in the
ripe 2018 vintage, that purity
is evident, as in this tart, lightly
herbal white.
2017 JOH. JOS. PRÜM
WEHLENER SONNENUHR
RIESLING KABINETT ($52)
One of the greatest estates of
the middle Mosel, J. J. Prüm
produces only sweet wines. But
what wines! This kabinett is
mouthwatering, smoky-stony,
and filled with citrus and white
peach fruit.
2018 FRITZ HAAG ESTATE
RIESLING ($20)
Fritz Haag is renowned for its
Brauneberger Juffer vineyard
Grosses Gewächs wines (the
Mosel term for grand cru); this
estate bottling offers some of
the elegance of the top wines for
a more modest price.
2018 MAXIMIN GRÜNHAUS
MONOPOL RIESLING ($22)
This property dates back to the
seventh century, when King
Dagobert of Franconia gave the
lands to Benedictine monks.
Today, the Von Schubert family
owns it and makes wines like this
bright, almost tingly bottling.
2018 LAUER “SENIOR” FASS 6
RIESLING ($30)
Rising star Florian Lauer works
in the Saar River valley (an off-
shoot of the Mosel), where he
makes alluring Rieslings that
balance precision and power.
His “senior” bottling, barely off-
dry, is polished and smoky.
2018 SCHLOSS LIESER
ESTATE RIESLING ($20)
Founded by a baron, who also
built the gorgeous castle in front
of the winery, today Schloss
Lieser is owned by the talented
winemaker Thomas Haag.
Lightly off-dry, this estate bot-
tling is full of ripe peach notes.
FAINTLY OFF-DRY
The feinherb category in
German Rieslings denotes
wines with a touch of sweet-
ness—enough to amplify the
fruitiness of the wine but (typi-
cally) not so much as to come
off distinctly sweet.
LIGHTLY SWEET
Modest levels of residual
sugars are present but in per-
fect balance; dessert wines
these are not.
BOTTLE SERVICE
