2007 Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese
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Tasting notes
RS 60 g/l. Sweetness and minerality. Lingering smoke and dust on the nose. Honeyed apple purity with an unusual and lovely earthy tension – a feet-on-the-ground Riesling. There is a lot here – it’s lustrous and beautifully framed by succinct acidity. We also tried this with a tortellini of lobster, roasted cauliflower and lobster butter sauce; the sweet creamy velvety delicacy of the dish chimed perfectly with the wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Fresh apple, orange blossom, and honeysuckle in the nose of St. Urbans-Hof’s 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese lead to lush and creamy, yet delicate and refreshing, citrus- and apple-enriched palate and a decidedly saline, stony, yet persistently sappy finish with well-integrated sweetness and a very slight hint of caramel. The balance here is uncanny, not just in the way that creaminess and liveliness, density and delicacy coexist, but also in the way that 11% alcohol is nowhere in evidence, while fewer than 50 grams of residual sugar (low by standards being set in recent years at so many addresses along the Mosel) proves to be quite enough. This outstanding value ought to merit 12-15 years of cellaring. Nik Weis declares 2007 “our finest vintage of all,” adding that 2001 comes closest in quality among years of recent memory. In all honesty, the last seven vintages here have been so studded with superlatives that I am happy to leave it to fate in bottle and the judgment of a generation that comes after me to pick a “best collection” from among them. Interestingly, both because of the opportunities for patience afforded by the vintage, and out of a continuing interest in capturing the essence of their great signature vineyard in different styles, the team here harvested the entire Laurentiuslay (save for a gold capsule Auslese and Beerenauslese picked out the day before) at one time, then turned that raw material into three very distinctive and outstanding Spatlesen. Importer: H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (917)-402-0456
Somewhat grassy and leafy, unusually, but also mineral and lime fruit. Medium sweet, lovely delicate balance and lengthy finish. The light green tones lend real character to this wine. (RH)
Very pure and racy and very sleek and correct. (JR)