Immich-Batterieberg Enkircher “Ellergrub” Riesling 2017

“The 2017 Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling offers a spectacularly intense, refined and, in fact, seamlessly textured nose that intermixes the perfectly ripe and concentrated fruit of 80-year-old ungrafted vines with the delicately flinty and crunchy notes of the blue slate soil that characterizes the Ellergrub terroir. The 2017 did not ferment to fully dry and comes along as a powerful, rich, dense and lush yet finessed Riesling with firm structure and a long, intense, perfectly juicy finish. It will take some years to fully integrate the 7.8 grams per liter of unfermented sugar, but with a long perspective, this is a great dry Riesling from one of Enkirch’s top vineyards. The aftertaste is impressive in its lush, aromatic, crystalline and super salty and stony character. This is a great wine at 12% alcohol, and I am curious to follow its development over the next 10 to 15 years.” – Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate