February 11, 2023 - This, my last bottle, is a matted fullish yellow. Grapefruit aroma in lieu of the pungent pineapple and acacia of almost 12 months ago. Perhaps one could say, in a loose sense, that it is more ''minerally'' now. Maybe the fruit is declining, but this still has good concentration for an entry-level abfüller trocken bottling (A.P. 20 12). The wine has properly dry finish, but I can detect fruit sweetness here. Simple and short, but it does the job. Good plus.
February 19, 2022 - A.P. 20 12. 11.5% The first of three private notes in the last half of 2012 substantially connect with my note today. "Certainly seems riper than previous vintages in my memory...Very good concentration for an entry-level riesling...This is a very open and generous Sauvage...Top Sauvage." is what I wrote not 12 months after harvest. Now it's a medium yellow colour. The nose is a little petrolly, but then reveals the pungent pineapple I find in riesling from the Rheingau. But then I get acacia as well, like I have with some riesling from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, and notes of very ripe lime. A very generous, impressively long and concentrated mouth for entry-level, indeed. Lovely sweet fruit here. It finishes with white as opposed to yellow fruit acid, which I find is a counterpoint to the earlier display of ripeness and actually makes me ask for a little more of that ripeness to follow-through on to the tail to complete the change in style. Texturally, this is Rheingau, but the flavour profile is close to Barossa. While it's not a conventional Sauvage in that it is more fruit than mineral, it is the better for it and deserves a very good plus rating. Looking over my notes, this is the best Sauvage I have drunk in 8 vintages from 2002 to 2011. It should remain at this plateau for three years. Incidentally, when looking at the alcohol % over these 8 vintages, up to 2005 they were a constant 12% (2006 unknown), with 11.5% from 2007 till 2011 (2010 unknown), except for A.P. 20 09 for the 2008 vintage which was 12% (cf. 11.5% shown on the later A.P. 21 09), leading me to infer that it was with the 2007 vintage for this label, and likely the other labels, when Breuer began to lower the alcohol content for the dry-tasting riesling wines.
May 14, 2015 - Floral nose, lemons and grape, pears, with some hints of beginning maturity, touch wet cardboard box and a little bit of wet slate.
Palate shows rather tart yellow grapefruit, tart lemons, pear and green apples.
Very high acidity and very dry on the finish.
Feels a bit unbalanced and simple, with too much acidity and not enough ripe fruit and rs for balance.
A simpler wine in the Breauer line up, and a bit past it’s prime, compared to previous bottles I had about 2 years ago, that showed better balanced.
Still, if you like Rieslings with very high acidity, this might be your thing.
Good, but was better.
(85 – 86)
August 18, 2013 - Consistent
June 29, 2013 - Consistent with last note.
May 18, 2013 - Very pale, almost neutral green color. Obviously quite ripe stuff by the sweet nose: there are rich, aromatic notes of green apples and even pears. There is very little else, for example the typical floral and mineral Riesling aromas seem to be quite nonexistent. On the palate the wine is as ripe and veering towards sweetness, as the nose suggested (the wine is still dry, however, at 7 g/l of residual sugar), yet with rather pronounced streak of stony minerality, almost quinine bitterness and very sharp, bracing acidity. There are ripe flavors of red apples, some honey and hints of peach and the mouthfeel is moderately ripe full-bodied even slightly oily for a Riesling, yet the wine feels pretty light and very intense, thanks to the racy acidity. The finish is very long, sharp and acid-driven with focused flavors of green apples, stony minerality and hints of lemon.
By its nose the wine seemed to be only a mundane off-dry entry-level Riesling, but on the palate the wine managed to surprise: it is actually a quite ripe and concentrated, but also very structured and serious dry Riesling with terrific intensity and precision. Drinking wonderfully now, but I wouldn't be surprised if a wine with this much fruit, concentration and acidity could also drink nicely over the rest of the decade. A big and musculare, but very balanced effort. Really nice stuff, superb value at 12,50€.
March 13, 2013 - Always good but I was a bit surprised by the sweet fruityness.
January 6, 2013 - Smells of ripe fruits and minerals.
Taste of green apples, minerality, a touch of honey/sweetness. A hint of bitterness.
A good wine which goes well with a lot of dishes due to not being overly expressive.
December 23, 2012 - App: straw yellow
Aroma: citrus, minerals, hint of flowers
Medium-bodied with very good acidityw. Nice balance
Good length.
December 11, 2012 - Very young, green nose and taste. There is not so little fruit here for a young riesling, and some sweetness, but I like it. The minerals are there, and so is the sharp acid and a just a hint of aromatic flowers. Very good!