The 2024er Krettnacher Altenberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken comes from 50–60-year-old vines in the Enkers part of the vineyard. It shows a finely aromatic and attractive nose of yellow peach, greengage, herbs, thyme, mint, and almond. The wine is intense and tight on the palate, with still quite some herbal and spicy notes. The finish is hugely long and salty, and fully bone-dry in taste. There is a touch of tartness in need of integration before true pleasure. This is an aromatic, yet racy Riesling. 2029–2044 91+/100 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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