2015 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5

Community Tasting Notes (14) Avg Score: 93.5 points

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  12/19/2023 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Prior bottle was again one year ago and this wine continues to show impressively. White peach, white pineapple, orange and other citrus notes and floral qualities on the nose. Medium bodied with rounded white peach along with brighter white peach upfront. Moves to white pineapple, yellow peach and starting to pick up some yellow pineapple through the middle. Lots of complexity here, (especially as it warms) with additional orchard notes and lots of additional tropical hints and various citrus qualities towards the back. Acidity is still vibrant, almost electric. The combination of increased depth and complexity through the middle is coming together really well with the citrus notes and acidity on the back. Minerals, floral notes and acidity last and last through the finish. This wine still has a long way to go and I'll plan to open my next bottle in December 2024.

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  12/30/2022 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Prior bottle was one year ago and my notes were quite similar. White peach, white pineapple, floral and lots of citrus notes on the nose. Medium bodied with energetic white peach upfront, moving to deeper white peach, yellow peach, white pineapple and other, mixed white tropical notes through the middle. The acidity remains outstanding and in combination with the vibrant citrus notes on the backside, provide the balance to the fruit qualities. Fruit has gained in expression since by last bottle, balance has improved while still allowing the acidity and citrus notes to be electric. This wine has years and years ahead of it and I'll wait on my next bottle until year-end 2023.

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  12/27/2022 - Achermann Likes this wine: 93 Points

  White peach, apricot, honey, smokey minerals, green herbal aromas. It’s dangerously easy to drink already, though it’s still quite primary. Very balanced.
  
  Hold.

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  12/17/2022 - chngpw Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Wow, this was special. Whenever I taste Schaefer I get a very distinct, unique nose of smoke, wood and straw. That was present here, and I also got the classic stone fruit aromas of peach, apricot as well as honey. Where this wine really shone was how it seemingly combined the best of Donnhoff (its rich, oily, complexity) with the elegance and acidity of Prum. The wine was so balanced that it felt dangerously chuggable. This was a revelation, and ranks among the best Spatlese I have tasted.

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  12/29/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points

  White peach, white tropical notes, floral qualities and lots of citrus on the nose. Medium bodied (7.5% ABV) and tarts out with white peach with a bit of white pear upfront. Mid-body brings in more peach notes and a variety of white tropical notes (especially white pineapple). There's excellent density through the middle and clear potential for excellent complexity as well. The acidity is both a vibrant backdrop (contributing structure and contrast) as well as a bit of a blanket through the middle, for now, concealing some of the complexity. Backside shows acidity and mixed citrus notes along with lingering mineral qualities. I'm generally a big fan of at least trying high quality Riesling when young (for the interplay between fruit and acidity), but this is one I think should be held. There's enough acidity that this will remain in great shape in that regard for many years to come. But for now, the mid-body acidity is concealing just how great this wine will be in another few years. There's a lot going on here and I'll wait on my next bottle until at least Fall 2022 as this will only get better.

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View all 14 Community Tasting Notes

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