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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 24 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Eric on 11/24/2022: Intense petrol. Hint of white peach. The palate is instantly tart with dominant notes of green apple moving to lime zest. Mmm, slate and stone, so salty, so zingy, so fresh and so vibrant. At age 15 this is still quite primary with early secondary flavors coming out. Silky, delicate and precise. (769 views) | | | Tasted by br on 9/6/2019: hasn't lost a thing in the last decade, other than a touch of the sweetness, as one would expect. delicate, ephemeral and delightful. (1264 views) | | | Tasted by Claret & CdP Gang on 2/8/2017: Golden yellow, oily nose, delicious stony dry Riesling (1888 views) | | | Tasted by ProfByron on 12/26/2016 & rated 90 points: This is ripe, not so much a racy acidity and minerals style, this has lots of riesling flavour, excellent with food. (1810 views) | | | Tasted by Seth Rosenberg on 3/12/2016 & rated 92 points: Man, Willi does not disappoint. We all swooned at those nose - so light, crisp and clear. Beautiful aromas of apple, lime, spice, minerals, and some grass/herbs/mint, and honey. The palate wasn't quite as good or consistent: some tastes were excellent, but some were a touch sweet/heavy. Lots of apple, some honey - the best sips had that electric zing showing lime and minerality. Also some herbal notes. The finish varied like the palate. Maybe with another 5 years this would have locked into place in the lighter and more racy vein. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16/20 (best sips probably 16.5-17/20). (2865 views) | | | Tasted by Seth Rosenberg on 3/22/2015 & rated 92 points: Light yellow-gold. The nose is very light, almost shy: crisp, savory, lime, pollen, mint, herbs, mint tea, minerals, metal. The palate is more forward with honey, red apple, then Meyer lemon, herbs, lime, marzipan, cream. This has some of that creamy (Keshet says 'glossy', which I was thinking as well, I think) mouthfeel that some aged Schaefer wines get with time. The finish is lemon, lime, cream and herbs. I thought I would like this more than I did - cold with Thai food it seemed even better, but by the time I took this note it had warmed up. Well, there is some left, will cool it down and give it another run. Nose - 4.5-5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-16.5/20. (2952 views) | | | Tasted by RayOB on 10/26/2013 & rated 91 points: Drank in London
See other note. (2456 views) | | | Tasted by RayOB on 5/21/2013 & rated 91 points: Drank in London
Maturing nicely with notes of Kiwi, apple and minerality. Medium sweetness. (2097 views) | | | Tasted by bikerkayaker on 5/4/2013: Lovely with asparagus and smoked salmon! (2682 views) | | | Tasted by ews3 on 8/13/2011 & rated 92 points: very light on its feet, this spatlese shows peach and other stone fruit, some light floral notes, and a touch of stone. thishas a youthful spritz that plays well with the acid. med(+) finish is pleasant. bottle disappeared quickly. (2614 views) | | | Tasted by cbuhlman on 11/12/2010 & rated 91 points: this wine is just getting better with concentration and balance.
Pale green yellow straw. slightly effervescent. Bright juicy pineapple with cameo apple and sweet honesuckle with nice minerality and acidity.
Nice long finish with moathcoating fruit. showing very well once again. (2514 views) | | | Tasted by incident on 7/10/2010 & rated 91 points: Consistent with prior bottles. Very slight petrol starting to show. Ripe tropical fruits, tart apple, crushed rock. (2399 views) | | | Tasted by Sleepy Dave on 6/13/2010: Compare to GDR, the GHR is more toward in mineral, with white flower, some pink fruits. Not as intense but with better freshness and vibrancy for its profound acidity and minerality. Very balance with intense lively acidity and enough sweetness to balance it to the very long juicy mineralite finish. A more mineral driven in style. Slightly prefer the GDR for it rounder and layering. (2097 views) | | | Tasted by cbuhlman on 6/12/2010 & rated 90 points: this wine is really coming around.
very pale green yellow straw. apple and peach and sweet honesuckle with nice lift. The finish was nice and long and has tightened up since last taste.
showing great tonight (2267 views) | | | Tasted by StewartWent on 6/17/2009 & rated 88 points: Sweet fruits are a step up on the Feinherb. Lovely slate and pepper makes its presence felt. Terrior talking here? Seems so simple but very enjoyable. (2451 views) | | | Tasted by cbuhlman on 2/13/2009 & rated 88 points: pale green/yellow straw. nice spatlese, apple and peach but a little too heav on the palate, the acidity/structure seemed to be lacking here given the overall sweetness. The finish was nice and long but I was looking for something on the back end to tighten it up a bit. overall, still a good wine.
Just doesn't have the finesse of the RH or the Donnhoff. Of the three I like the RH the best so far. (2248 views) | | | Tasted by br on 1/10/2009: whew, this is something else. lime, peachy stuff, minerals, elegant, elegant, elegant. long, beautifully shaped finish. what a treat. (2227 views) | | | Tasted by robw on 1/9/2009 & rated 91 points: this worked really well with spicy chinese (2588 views) | | | Tasted by Old_Winyards on 11/26/2008: Willi Schaefer's '07 GH Spatlese has turned-out nicely... on first glance a bit shy, with a pale straw-coloring and a rather reluctant nose. Not too much peach and honey here and not heavy, thank goodness. I found the GH Spat to be fairly graceful and elegant on the palate, combining classic Mosel apple sweetness with good cut to achieve a extraordinarily balanced result. (2292 views) | | | Tasted by Mlermontov on 6/12/2008 & rated 91 points: Terry Theise tasting - German wines from 2007; 6/10/2008-6/13/2008 (Tribecca grill): less rich, more mineral notes, but with peaches and red berries on top of the berries, less cream more intensity perhaps? (5225 views) |
| Willi Schaefer Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
Contact Info for Willi Schaefer
Weingut Willi Schaefer is one of only eight German estates listed in Parker’s book The World’s Greatest Wine Estates. He describes the wines as: “Glorious, pleasurable, but extraordinarily complex, savoury and just compelling. These are wines of purity, integrity and restraint, but understated power and intensity.”Riesling Varietal character (Appellation America) | A short history of Riesling (Uncork) | Riesling (wikipedia)Spätlese Wikipedia article on Spätlese.Graacher HimmelreichDer Weinort Graach und seine Weinlagen
Der Weinort Graach, moselabwärts neben Bernkastel-Kues gelegen, wird erstmals im Jahre 975 in einer Urkunde des Trierer Erzbischofs Theoderich (965-977) erwähnt. Der Ortsname "Graach" selbst ist keltischen Ursprungs und weist auf die Besiedelung des Moseltales durch den keltischen Stamm der Treverer im 5. Jahrhundert v.Chr. hin. Daß Graach eine ehemals bedeutende keltische Siedlung gewesen sein muß, belegen Ausgrabungen aus jüngerer Zeit, die auf der Moselhöhe über dem Ort einen keltischen Tempelbezirk freigelegt haben.
English translation below--cleaned-up Google Translate. jht
In Graach, das zu den größten Weinbaugemeinden des mittelalterlichen kurtrierischen Staates zählte, hatte die Geistlichkeit umfangreiche Besitzungen. Nach einer Aufstellung aus dem Jahre 1720 gehörten der Kirche 25% der Gemarkung; zusammen mit einigen ritterschaftlichen Besitzungen waren ein Drittel der Graacher Weinberge in grundherrschaftlichem Besitz. Noch heute zeugen die verbliebenen Weinbergsnamen Himmelreich, Dompropst, Abtsberg und Josefshof von diesen engen Bindungen zu den geistlichen Feudalherren.
Wie überall an der Mosel begann der Aufschwung des qualitätsorientierten, bürgerlichen Weinbaues mit der Säkularisation des Kirchenbesitzes durch den Reichsdeputationshauptschluß 1803, als ein Großteil des geistlichen Besitzes für billigstes Geld veräußert werden mußte. Die Eingliederung des Moselgebietes in das Königreich Preußen brachte wirtschaftliche Blüte und veranlaßte viele, nunmehr zu Grundeigentum gekommene Winzer, ihre Weinberge mit Rieslingreben zu bepflanzen, die bessere Qualitäten bei geringeren Mengenerträgen brachten, als die zuvor verwendeten Kleinbergerreben. Der Ruf der Graacher Weine konnte sehr schnell Anerkennung finden und bereits 1837 schrieb Christian von Stramberg , der Klassiker unter den Weinautoren, Graach produziere einen der edelsten Moselweine.
Der Graacher Weinberg selbst ist Teil des mächtigen, rechts der Mosel gelegenen Schieferhang-Massives, das sich von Bernkastel über Graach und Wehlen bis nach Zeltingen hinstreckt und eine Fülle weltbekannter Rieslinglagen aufweist: den Berncasteler Doctor, die Badstube, Graacher Himmelreich und
Dompropst, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr und Schloßberg. Die Graacher Weinbergsgemarkung weist ca. 135 ha Rebfläche aus und ist ausnahmslos mit Rieslingreben bestockt. Die beiden großen und bedeutendsten Lagen Dompropst und Himmelreich haben davon einen Anteil von 28,5 ha bzw. 87 ha. Die Exposition der 100%igen Steillagen liegt nach Süd-Westen; der Boden ist mittel- bis tiefgründiger steiniger, frisch verwitternder Tonschiefer.
Während der Name "Dompropst" direkten Bezug nimmt auf den Trierer Dompropst, dem ein Drittel des Weinzehnten von Graach zustand, ist der Name "Himmelreich" als hochgelegene und alle Winzerwünsche erfüllende Lagenbezeichnung zu deuten.
Geo-Data:http://www.weinlagen-info.de/?lage_id=1583
The wine making town of Graach and its vineyards
The wine-growing 'Ort' of Graach, situated along the Mosel bank next to and northwest of Bernkastel proper is mentioned for the first time in 975 in a document of Trier Archbishop Theodoric (965-977). The place name "Graach" itself is of Celtic origin and points to the settlement of the Mosel valley by the Celtic tribe of the Treverer in the 5th century BC. The fact that Graach must have been a formerly important Celtic settlement is confirmed by recent excavations, which have uncovered a Celtic temple district on the Mosel.
In Graach, one of the largest winegrowing communities of the medieval Kyrgyz state, the clergy had extensive possessions. According to a list from the year 1720, the church controlled 25% of the territory; Along with some knightly possessions, a third of the Graach vineyards were owned by individuals. The remaining vineyard names of Himmelreich, Dompropst (Domprobst), Abtsberg and Josefshof still bear witness to these close ties to the spiritual feudal lords.
As everywhere in the Mosel, the rise of quality-oriented, small-tenant viticulture began with the secularization of the possession of the church by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 1803, when a large part of the Church's property had to be sold for what they could bring at auction. The incorporation of the Mosel region into the kingdom of Prussia brought economic prosperity, and led many vintners, who had now become property owners, to plant their vineyards with Riesling vines, which yielded better qualities at lower volumes than the small-scale vines used previously. The Church is also remembered as playing a role in the propagation of Riesling in the best sites along the Mosel--jht.) The reputation of the Graach wines was very quickly recognized and as early as 1837: Christian von Stramberg, the classic among wine authors, wrote, "Graach produced one of the noblest Mosel wines."
The slope on which the Graach vignoble is located is part of the powerful Schieferhang massif, situated on the right side of the Mosel. It stretches from Bernkastel past Graach and Wehlen to Zeltingen and has an abundance of world-famous Riesling sites: Bernkasteler Doctor, Badstube, Graacher Himmelreich und Dompropst (Domprobst more usual spelling these days), Wehlener Sonnenuhr, The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr and Schloßberg. Within the vineyard boundaries of Graach there are about 135 hectares (300 acres) of vineyards and therein is grown only Riesling. The two major and most important locations of Dompropst and Himmelreich have a share of 28.5 ha (64 acres) and 87 ha (196 acres) respectively. The exposure of the 100% steep slopes is to the south-west; The soil is medium to deeply rocky, quick weathering [hard blue clay--jht] slate. [Erosion off the slopes is a serious problem in Graach. jht]
While the name "Dompropst" refers directly to the Trier Dompropst, or Cathedral provost or financial official, which was one third of the best of Graach available to the Church, the name "Himmelreich" ishould also be thought of as a high level vineyard whose quality limits depend only on the skills of the maker.Germany Wines of Germany | The Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) | How to read a German wine label | Geographical Information Down to Single Vineyards
#2014 Vintage Notes:
2014 Vintage Report by Terry Theise
2014 Vintage Report by Wine Spectator
"My gut still tells me the Saar (and to some extent) the Ruwer are better overall in 2014 than the more storied areas of the Mosel proper, but those that spent the requisite time living in their middle-Mosel vineyards made some of the most electric and "feathery" Riesling in a long time (maybe the finest in 20 years - yes, it's true!)" - Jon Rimmerman (Of course only a very short historical memory would call the Saar and Ruwer less 'storied' than the middle Mosel - jht)Mosel Saar RuwerStarting in 2007 the German wine authorities have changed labeling laws to rename all of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wines to just "Mosel." This puts this and other database driven sites in a difficult spot, as millions of old wine label reflect the former labeling. As described here, CellarTracker has elected to remain with the old labeling for a number of years to avoid confusion. At some point we will switch over to just "Mosel" but not for a few years at least.
Mosel WeinKulturland (Moselwein e.V.)
Detailed geographical information at weinlagen.info
#2018 Vintage Notes:
"Acid levels are relatively low throughout Riesling-growing Europe (acidification will once again be permitted in Germany – no surprise, as that’s been the case in eight of the last 10 vintages); but because malic acid was baked off or degraded by relentlessly balmy weather means, what acid remains is overwhelmingly of the efficacious tartaric sort. Extract levels are low, as one would anticipate from a growing season during which relatively little moisture was coursing through the vine’s roots and shoots. [...] Everyone is astonished how there could have been so much juice despite the drought." - David Schildknecht
"2018 is a homogenous vintage with a very high general level, below which it seldom falls [...] It leads with blossom. It is perhaps 80% delicious and 20% fascinating." - Terry Theise
#2017 Vintage Notes:
"not so friendly towards light wines" - Milkmansteve
#2016 Vintage Notes: "Overall, 2016 is a charmer of a vintage with much immediate ripe and fruity appeal, not unlike 2011 (in fresher) or 2007 (in lighter). However, 2016 is far from being homogeneous, in fact it is composed of a mosaic of vintages, a result of the freakish growing conditions. Hidden inside the vintage, there are true gems with the balance of 1997, one of the best vintages ever, 2002 or even 2008. The bulk of the harvest was brought in with refreshingly moderate sugar levels. Overall, the Saar and Ruwer produced slightly fresher wines than the Middle Mosel but there are great differences between Estates. The good harvest conditions allowed for some Auslese, little BA and even TBA wines, but some remarkably pure and fruity Eiswein.
In general, 2016 offers the opportunity to acquire Riesling with great immediate ripe appeal: The vintage is a true charmer. At the top, 2016 is one of the most exciting and elegantly balanced vintage since the 1990s and well-worth stocking up for cellaring! In particular, we urge our readers to literally plunge onto the finest Kabinett and Spätlese: These are some of the most exciting and classic we have ever tasted. 2016 looks also set to become a major vintage for dry Riesling, provided the aromatics are not overripe. Lovers of dessert wines will find much to love in 2016 as the Auslese are pure and the Eiswein are gorgeously fruity. They should however also keep an eye open for the remaining stunning noble-sweet wines from 2015 which are still available here and there." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 36, July 2017
#2014 Vintage Notes:
"The heterogeneity of the 2014 vintage carries over onto the aging process. The top wines start to close down, as one would expect from these wines which are a remake of those from the 1990s. The wines affected by gin, saffron and mushroom flavors are still comparatively open and offer a not unattractive Scheurebe styled fruit opulence. We would opt to drink up these lesser wines except for the odd bottle and bury the little treasures of the vintage deep into the cellar." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 30, March 2016
#2013 Vintage Notes:
"The fruity-styled 2013 wines have firmed up significantly since last year and start to show signs of closing down, making the underlying acidity seemingly sharp and out of balance. The better dry wines have come out of their early armor of smoke and tannin but the acidity may prove quite challenging. Quite frankly, except for some smaller bottlings, this is a vintage to lay down and wait." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 27, March 2015
#2012 Vintage Notes:
"The 2012 wines have put on some flesh and go through a 'fattier' phase which is not unlike what the 2007 went through at the same period. However, the zestier acidity cuts through this 'weight' and makes the wines thoroughly enjoyable at this early stage. In particular the fruity Kabinett and Spatlese as well as the off-dry and dry wines offer much pleasure. We expect these wines to close down over the coming year or two. Enjoy while it lasts!" - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 27, March 2015
#2011 Vintage Notes:
"A bit to our surprise, the 2011 wines have shut down and go through a quite difficult and muted phase now. Their low acidity combined with their maturity makes them feel rich, opulent and often bulky, and thus not really enjoyable. We expect that these will need at least a decade to integrate their sweetness and gain in harmony. The only exception is the dry wines, whose low acidity makes for great food companionship." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 27, March 2015
#2010 Vintage Notes:
"After a mellower period in 2012, many 2010 wines have firmed up and developed a stronger smoky side. However, most continue to shine through their fruit opulence, structure and deliciously zesty but ripe acidity. This suits in particular the off-dry bottlings, which have more charm than the legally dry wines. Will these wines close down? Actually, the softening acidity makes us wonder now but it also provides further evidence that these wines will turn out harmonious after all." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 27, March 2015
#2009 Vintage Notes:
"Most 2009 wines have closed down, which accentuates their round and soft side forward. Many can still be quite enjoyable but the times of primary fruit with its attractive aromatic expression and a generous acidic kick are now over. Except for the dry wines, we would definitely recommend keeping your hands off any bottle in your cellar and possibly buying more wines from this vintage on the market as these are true gems in the making." - Mosel Fines Wines, No. 27, March 2015 |
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