Kai Schätzel sees his way of cultivation as an answer to the questions that global warming poses to modern viticulture. As early as in 2008, he started to cultivate his vineyards on the Rote Hang using organic, biodynamic and sustainable elements in order to raise healthy and self-sufficient vines that take care of themselves and do not depend on human help. This includes slowing down the ripening process and using dry farming to bring the mountains into a new balance. The grapes for the wines are harvested according to the principle of the self-developed 'golden cut'. Around 90-100 days after blossoming, the grapes are harvested in several passes exactly when their colour changes from green to golden yellow. At the winery, they are kicked around before being left on the mash for around a week before pressing. In a good 80% of all cases, there is no pre-clarification before the must is gravity-fed into lump and half-barrels, where it begins to ferment spontaneously and remains on the full lees until bottling. The wines presented in Wiesbaden and described here were extra filled three days before the premiere, another batch is still on the full lees in the winery. The Ölberg is the wine that always shows itself most accessible in its youth and builds up a certain fruit and warmth in the glass.
Color
Pale straw yellow with green reflections and silver tapered rim.
Nose
A stony-ethereal melange of citrus and herbal notes that fans out their entire spectrum Orange oil blends with tart aromas of bergamot, Amalfi lemons, green mandarins and sliced apple. Wet chalk and pebbles add mineral accents and are complemented by essential Bach mint in the top note. Above this hovers the typical Schätzel's bump, which, however, quickly says goodbye after sufficient ripening and/or aeration and does not detract from the structural experience at all.
Mouth
The ripe acidity acts as the driving parameter of the 2019 Ölberg Riesling Großes Gewächs from Kai Schätzel. Creamy, embedded in fine minerality, it shows itself upright, by no means chatty, rather in youthful restraint. But its grip on the palate reveals it to be structurally profound, and so it just needs a little time to reach its full potential. Uncompromising and straightforward with youthfully shy fruit, the Ölberg is an individual wine with its own claim and rules with a mineral cool finish.
Food recommendations from Sebastian Bordthäuser
- Yellow beet carpaccio with verbena oil and Sancho pepper
- Gurnard with confit orange and oregano
- Poussin with Bagna Cauda sauce of garlic, anchovy and best olive oil
Allergens | Contains sulfur |
---|---|
Winemaker | Schätzel |
Country | Germany |
Region | Rhinehessen |
Type | |
Vintage | |
Variety | |
Content | |
Alcohol content | |
Residual sweetness | ■□□□□ |
Acid | 4,0 g/l |
Drinking temperature | 12° |
Manufacturer | Winery Schätzel, Obersdorfer Str. 34, 55283 Nierstein/Rheinhessen /Germany |