2016 Rheinhessen Alte Reben La Borne Auction
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Riesling Alte Reben La Borne is from a special (upper) parcel in the Morstein that always gives a special, extremely chalky character. On the nose there is a very pure, elegant, concentrated and herbal bouquet of perfectly ripe and chalky Riesling aromas. On the palate this is a full-bodied, rich and creamy but fine and highly elegant Riesling with ripe, lush fruit, fine tannins and lingering salinity. Its is gorgeous Riesling with great intensity, finesse and more flesh compared to the Morstein GG.
Critic scores
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
David Schildknecht, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Thyme, iris, Meyer lemon and pit-inflected white peach rise intensely from the glass, then persist inner-mouth as bittersweet perfume and animating juiciness. The feel is silken, almost soothing, while the wine’s palpable sense of extract-richness pushes it in an almost custardy, anything-but-adamant direction. A mussel-like combination of savory meatiness, mouthwatering salinity and algae-like herbacity makes for a finish of utmost intrigue as well as seductively floral and fruity appeal, its peach kernel piquancy glowingly sustained without turning outright bitter. Morstein this may officially be by Einzellage, but Wittmann’s Brunnenhäuschen always strikes me as wine in a very different key, not to mention more sensually alluring, even if this year it seems as though Wittmann’s Morstein bottling (as my tasting note on that wine reveals) has taken a lesson in charm from Brunnenhäuschen.