2017 Odinstal Riesling Basalt

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 91 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/15/2021 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  100% biodynamically farmed Riesling from a vineyard planted in 1983 to basalt soil. Fermented spontaneously, vinified without any sulfites, aged for a long time on full lees. Bottled lightly filtered with a minimal dose of SO2. 12,5% alcohol.
  
  Pale and slightly evolved straw-yellow color. Ripe, somewhat sweet-toned and slightly waxy nose with aromas of nectarine and juicy apple, some beeswax, a little bit of skunky reduction, light sweeter notes of lemon marmalade and honey and a hint of fresh white peach. The wine is lively, fresh and light-to-medium-bodied with dry, sleek and precise flavors of lemony citrus fruits and tart Granny Smith apple, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of tangy salinity, light wild notes of waxy funk, a hint of crunchy quince and a touch of skunky reduction. Although the wine shows quite a bit of ripeness, it shows relatively little sweetness and barely any weight. The high acidity lends great sense of structure and focus to the wine. The finish is fresh, lively and crunchy with clean and quite persistent flavors of lemony citrus fruits and green apples, some steely mineral notes, a little bit of apple peel bitterness, light skunky nuances of reduction, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of smoky minerality.
  
  A wonderfully fresh, dry and precise Riesling that isn't as rich and tropical as one might expect from a 2017 Pfalz Riesling, but is instead quite lean and somewhat minimalist in style, true to the "less-is-more" style typical of Odinstal. Although the wine really doesn't feel particularly youthful at the moment, it still comes across as a bit nervous and reticent, which makes me think that this wine could really benefit from further cellaring. Although very drinkable already now, I'm positive this wine will improve from any additional years it can stay in a cellar and if opened now, it will benefit from any aeration one can give it. Drink if you must, keep if you can. Recommended.

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

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.