2010 Albert Gessinger Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** Alte Reben Caldo Infernale

Community Tasting Notes (16) Avg Score: 97 points

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  9/2/2023 - forceberry wrote: 97 Points

  My fifteenth note on this wine - and I'm still not bored! Anyways, as always: 8,5% alcohol, 128 g/l residual sugar, 13,6 g/l acidity. Bottled under a natural cork. Carefully decanted due to the ample amount of tartrate crystals in the bottle.
  
  Somewhat evolved golden yellow color - the wine seems to have lost its vibrant neon-green Mountain Dew hue! The nose feels intense and quite concentrated with rich aromas of acacia honey and lemon marmalade, some apple jam, light cantaloupe notes, a little bit of apple jam, light mineral nuances of wet rocks, a hint of almost overripe apricot and a touch of dried pineapple. The wine feels crisp, fresh and incredibly intense on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and concentrated, moderately sweet flavors of lemon marmalade and very ripe apricot, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of sharp Granny Smith apple, light saline mineral notes, sweet hints of dried pineapple and candied ginger and a tart, slightly bitter touch of key lime. The level of acidity feels almost ridiculous, offsetting the sweetness so much that the wine feels just somewhat medium-sweet, despite actually being deep into the lusciously sweet category. The finish is crisp, lively and really intense with a very long, acid-driven aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits and fresh pineapple, some steely mineral tones, a little bit of candied ginger, light tart notes of key lime and Granny Smith apple, a developed hint of cooked cream and a touch of tangy salinity.
  
  The wine slowly evolved. I'm not sure if it has actually turned that much better compared to the first Caldo Infernale I tasted some seven years ago - only different. It has started to lose its vibrant youthful tones, but developed some wonderfully nuanced, slightly darker-toned evolved nuances that emphasize those tropical flavors, honeyed nuances and creamy characteristics. This still remains one of the best Auslesen I know. I had heard some worrisome news that 2010 Caldo Infernale would starting to be in a decline now, but even if the color is a tad darker than before, I feel the wine is as exceptional as ever. Outrageous value at 24€.

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  3/9/2023 - forceberry wrote: 97 Points

  There's really nothing to add to my previous thirteen notes of this wine. This just continues to be one of the most exquisite sweet Rieslings in existence. The sense of intensity, acidity, concentration, depth and persistence are on a completely another level here.
  
  Although the wine has started to develop the first signs of evolution, the wine still remains remarkably youthful and will probably continue to remain so for years and years more. This is truly a one-of-its-kind wine.
  
  At just 21€ this has been the epitome of a bargain.

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  7/24/2022 - ozonelayer Likes this wine: 97 Points

  After tasting through eight champagnes and an english sparkler, we decided to end the tasting with something a bit sweeter. Under a short discussion we agreed an Auslese Riesling would suit the occasion the best, so our host went to their cellar, and returned with a bottle of the 2010 Caldo Infernale.
  
  The colour is neon-yellow. There was loads of creamy white sediment floating all around the bottle that found it's way to our glasses as well. The wine has a sweet bouquet reminiscent of ripe pears and canned pineapples. When tasting the wine, you instantly realize you're dealing with something quite special; the high amount of sugar battling with the immense acidity makes it somewhat hard to define how sweet the wine actually tastes. It is, of course, incredibly sweet, but the racy acidity manages to balance the sugar out very well. On the palate, the wine repeats the notes of the bouquet with the addition of ripe green apples, some gentle marmalade, honey and even birch leafs. What really struck me though were the aromas that followed: medicine, spice and even a hint of white pepper. All aromas that I had previously found from different wines, but never from a sweet Riesling like this one. The finish is long and lingering, and that acid-sugar-combination really kind of numbs your palate, amplifying that this wine is best placed at the very end of a tasting.
  
  This is some serious stuff. I have had the chance to taste a few sweet Rieslings during my short time in wine so far. All great, but nothing has been quite the experience as this one. Just by looking at the specs of this wine you know you are in for a special treat, but tasting it certainly shows how well the winemakers in Mosel know their way around balancing a wine. It leaves me speechless. Guess I have to start looking for some bottles for my own cellar...

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  3/4/2022 - forceberry wrote: 98 Points

  You know what is a sign of a great wine? Having tasted a wine more than dozen times over a period of +5 years and even then it manages to blow your socks off, every single time.
  
  That's how great this 2010 vintage of Caldo Infernale is. Since this wine was so similar to the bottle we had half a year ago, I don't bother with a new tasting note - you can check out my previous TNs how exceptional this wine constantly is.
  
  A screaming bargain at 24€.

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  9/11/2021 - forceberry wrote: 98 Points

  A biodynamic Riesling from a particularly hot plot in the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard known as "Kalk", recognized since the Roman times. "Kalk" doesn't actually refer to the chalk content of the soil, because the plot isn't particularly chalky - instead, "Kalk" comes from a historical Roman name "Calidus" that means "hot". That is why this goes by the Italian name, which means "infernally hot". The wine is aged for 2 years in old 1000-liter Fuders. 8,5% alcohol, 128 g/l residual sugar, 13,6 g/l acidity. Bottled under a natural cork. Decanted due to the ample amount of tartrate crystals in the bottle.
  
  The color seems to exhibit the first signs of evolution, as the wine is lacking the luminous neon-green hue it used to be instantly recognizable, instead appearing pale golden yellow in color. Even though the wine was carefully decanted due to the crystal tartrates, there are still some very fine crystals in suspension, lending a slightly hazy appearance to the wine - at least until they settle to the bottom of the glass. The nose feels just simply super-concentrated with intense aromas of lemon marmalade, pineapple and candied ginger jumping at you from the get-go, followed by slightly evolved Riesling nuances of cooked cream and even a whiff of butter, light zesty notes of tangerine, a hint of cool, stony minerality and a touch beeswax. On the palate the intensity is simply out of this world, thanks to the very high residual sugar and the piercing, through-the-roof acidity that manages to clean most of the sugary sweetness away. The overall feel is rich and slightly viscous, yet exceptionally vivacious and weightless at the same time. Intense flavors of tart lemony citrus fruit and almost unripe winter apples, some evolved creamy notes, a little bit of candied ginger, light stony mineral nuances, a subtly bitter hint of stony minerality and a touch of tangy salinity. Remarkable power and sense of structure here, all thanks to the bracing yet not aggressive acidity. The finish is lively, crisp and racy with intensely medium-sweet flavors of lemony citrus fruit and grapefruit marmalade, some tangy saline notes, a little bit of evolved creaminess, light candied ginger tones, a hint of tart Granny Smith apple and a hint of honey.
  
  You could think one would get tired of drinking the same wine over and over again, but I haven't even tired of writing this same tasting note over and over again! This was my 12th bottle of 2010 Caldo and it still manages to blow the socks off my feet every single darned time. As much I love light, fresh and playful Rieslings - which this wine most certainly is not - I still consider this to be as close to a perfect Riesling as I can get. And the wine still feels a mere baby! Well, not baby perhaps, since it is starting to show the first signs of evolution, but the wine isn't even middle-aged yet! A teenager, perhaps. What's so magical in it is that it is so stunning every single time you drink one, yet it holds so much more for the future. And the value here: "a steal" does not even begin to describe the price of the wine (24€). This is really a one-of-its-kind wine.

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