2019 Vollenweider Kröver Steffensberg Riesling Spätlese

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 89.3 points

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  8/12/2022 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  Daniel Vollenweider passed just a few weeks ago. I was not sure how I would react to drinking one of his wines. Turns out the wine had the last word, and that word was smile. Bright, fresh, exuberant, and still unapologetically sweet, it breathed life. It showed the same potential as a bottle I had about a year ago, as something that could age for decades, as a lasting legacy to a kind, generous soul who left us all too soon.

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  1/15/2022 - ljl203 wrote: 92 Points

  Cloudy straw color. Apricot, pineapple .lychee, cotton candy and marzipan. Nice acidity, great overall mouthfeel.

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  12/28/2021 - RGCM Gananda wrote: 90 Points

  Peach, pineapple and other mixed tropical fruit notes on the nose. Close to medium bodied (9% ABV) with white and yellow peach upfront, moving to golden peach through the middle. Lots of tropical notes through the mid-body, especially pineapple, distinct mango and papaya. Some acidity on the backside along with a moderate amount of citrus notes, but the 2019 has nowhere near the level of the 2013 in either of these areas. At this stage, it felt like the tropical notes were quite dominant and as it warmed, even some overt sweetness crept in which is somewhat unusual for a spatlese this young. Riesling can't gain acidity or contrast as it ages, so I expect this wine will always be more fruit forward and without that contrast, won't have as long a life as one might hope. For such an outstanding vintage, I'll admit, this was a bit of a disappointment. Enjoyable for the impressive fruit notes, but drink over the next 5-8 before the acidity fades.

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  10/5/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  (Using best Tom Hill voice…)
  
  I have been following Vollenweider from the very start. The wines were available in the Boston area from the very beginning, and despite a couple of gaps in availability since then I have bought the wines as often as possible. This bottling, the first I have had not from the Goldgrube vineyard, is classically Vollenweider, with great richness, and also great depth. It’s unapologetically sweet, so lay it down for decades if that scares you. I’m happy to open a bottle or two young, and enjoy the decadence of youth. It’s a weighted blanket of a wine, all comfort and serenity. Time will shed some of the baby fat, and more of the core will show through, but for now it’s all about luscious pleasure.

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  2/20/2021 - SenatorTaco Does not like this wine: 86 Points

  Disappointing. Very sweet and lacking balance. At almost $40 I would not buy again.

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