2015 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Spätlese

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 92.7 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RGCM Gananda's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/24/2023 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Prior bottle was one year ago and this wine remains in an excellent spot. Yellow and white peach, apple, pineapple and mixed citrus notes on the nose. Close to medium bodied and starts out a bit delicate but come together impressively with some time open. Continues to show white peach and white apple upfront, moving to yellow peach through the middle along with richer notes of white/yellow pineapple and mango. Developed more and more depth through the middle the longer it was open. Mixed citrus notes add tart qualities on the backside which works well with the acidity which also became more of presence after the wine had been open for a bit, but kept at a chilled temperature. The interplay between the mid-body fruit and the citrus/acidity behind remains a strength as does the still mostly whitefruit profile balancing against the yellow fruit notes that shine through now and again. Has the structure to maintain this high level for a number of additional years.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RGCM Gananda's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/17/2022 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Prior bottle was 18 months ago and this wine continues to show at a very high level. Very similar nose to my prior bottle with white peach and orange and then distinct pineapple and mixed citrus and tropical qualities behind. Good aromatics and excellent complexity. Medium bodied with rounded white apple and slightly richer white peach. The white peach is a lot of fun because it starts off with depth and then shows a lot of brightness and tart qualities - makes for very good upfront complexity. Mid-body shows pineapple, peach, mango and other tropical qualities. These are all white fruit notes and supported by very good acidity that continues to have a bit of burst to it. This leads to the citrus, mineral and acidity on the finish. Prior bottle was served too cold which brought out the acidity to excess. Tonight's bottle was also a bit on the chill side which brought out similar qualities, but it opened up beautifully as it warmed. This wine has many years in front of it and I'll plan to open my last bottle in Fall 2023.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RGCM Gananda's profile
  • Report Issue

  6/6/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Prior bottle was just over eight months ago and this wine appears to be entering a new phase. White peach, orange, pineapple and a mix of citrus/tropical notes on the nose. Medium bodied with apple and peach upfront, moving to orange, pineapple, mango and other tropical notes through the middle. However, the acidity felt more intense and the wine overall a bit tighter than my prior bottle. The fruit notes were there and after several hours open, my notes were again quite consistent. Citrus notes, mineral and acidity on the backside. Perhaps I served this a bit too cold and perhaps it wasn't open for long enough, but my general impression was the acidity was more intense and the fruit notes were less distinct than previously. This is still a very young riesling from an excellent vintage so this feels to me like a closed phase. Serves me right for opening these so early. I'll wait for my next bottle until at least Fall 2022 and perhaps even later. This wine is going to show well for years to come and if this bottle is any indication, at least some short-term patience is required.

  2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RGCM Gananda's profile
  • Report Issue

  9/27/2020 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Prior bottle was 18 months ago and this wine remains in a very good spot. Nose showed white peach along with orange, tangerine and other citrus qualities. Slightly lighter in body than than the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr with apple and peach upfront, but then much more tropical notes through the middle: orange, pineapple, mango alongside yellow peach. The acidity was more pronounced than the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr and there was more in the way of citrus and orange notes which provided better backside contrast. The mix of acidity and citrus with the fruits showed quite well today. Next bottle for me will be either July or Fall 2021.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View RGCM Gananda's profile
  • Report Issue

  3/25/2019 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Prior bottle was just over a year ago and my notes have changed very little; this wine is still very young, but quite impressive. Nose remains a mix of white orchard fruits with lots of floral and mineral notes behind. Medium bodied and needed to be open for about an hour before the fruit fully showed properly. Apple, pear and peach continue to be the dominant upfront notes. Mid-body shows excellent density and a complex mix of orchard fruit, overlaying tropical notes. The kicker is the acidity. When it first opened, it was notably present, but the longer it was open and the more the fruit started to show, the more the acidity kept pace. By an hour in, the acidity was simply electric. The interplay between the mid-body fruit notes, the more citrus and tart background notes and the overall acidity are what sets this wine apart. This is going to be a long lived wine and I know I will struggle to resist enjoying too many in this young, intense acidity phase and not save enough for the true complexity and balance which will appear in coming years. Next bottle for me no sooner than Q4 2020.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

View all 10 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.