2015 Selbach Oster Riesling Spatlese, Mosel, Germany (750ml)   


The vineyard selections in this Estate Spatlese are mostly from the Mosel village of Himmelreich, with 15% coming Bernkastler Badstube and Bernkastler Lay. Native yeast fermentation takes place in a very old traditional cellar, right on the Mosel. Fine Riesling in this style is a brilliant tightrope walk between mouthwatering acidity, stone fruit sweetness, and wet stone minerality.

The wine is fermented in old Mosel Fuder barrels, some up to 60 years old. Today, Johannes Selbach and his wife Barbara, with the increasing help of son Sebastian, manage their vineyards and winery with passion and respect for the estate’s long held traditions. 55% of their 24 hectares of vines are on their original rootstocks, in Zeltinger Himmelreich, Schlossberg, and Sonnenuhr; Wehlener Sonnenuhr; and, Graacher Himmelreich and Domprobst. These vineyards of weathered Devonian slate are on a steep, contiguous slope facing south-south west and represent some of the most prestigious sites in all of the Middle Mosel, in fact 85% of the Selbach’s vines are on steep slopes. The Selbach family’s heritage in the wine business dates to 1660.