The 2022er Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Riesling Spätlese Trocken comes 60-year-old vines planted in the similarly name Lieu-Dit in the Altenberg vineyard underpinned by Diabas elements. It offers a splendid and complex nose of fresh orchard fruits, white pepper, mint, aniseed, jasmine, lily flowers, and lavender. The wine is beautifully balanced and airy on the energetic and refined palate. The finish is straight and pure with some salty elements. What a splendid dry Riesling! 2026-2042 93pts - Mosel Fine Wines   

Erich Weber of Hofgut Falkenstein makes ultra-traditional, mostly dry-tasting Saar Rieslings. He likes to call himself “Winzer Weber.” Winzer is German for winegrower. In other words, the emphasis is on the work in his vineyards. With his tan and rugged face, he looks the part, too.

Erich ferments exclusively with wild yeasts in old wooden casks in a deep, cool cellar, and most of his wines end up either naturally dry (trocken) or off-dry (feinherb). Falkenstein, therefore, is one of the rare Saar producers that specializes in distinctive, bracing, light, dry Rieslings, bottled traditionally by the cask.

Falkenstein makes light-bodied, tangy, wholesome, dry-tasting Saar Rieslings, as well as residually sweet Spätlesen and Auslesen. These are old-style wines for drinking, which often retain a lively (spritzig), natural efferverscence from fermentation. In other words, they go down well — Trinkfluss in German. © 2014 Lars Carlberg

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