2017 Willi SCHAEFER (Mosel)

(Originally posted 28 October 2018)

This selection of wines constitutes a new first for me: I don’t believe that I’ve ever tasted through a range of several wines from a producer and given each one an A+ rating. The downside is that due first to frost, and then to hail that came at the beginning of August and hit all of the estate’s vineyards, there’s only 50% of a normal crop in 2017. So if you are fortunate enough to see these wines, you need to jump on them immediately.

Christoph Schaefer said that there was a very short window from ripeness to overripeness, so he had to harvest quickly. Additionally, the botrytis was often not what he wanted, and it had to be selected out. 

2017 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett
Floral nose. Light, pure, calm, subtle, apple, long and drawn, silky texture. Around 10 g/l acidity. About 45 g/l r.s. Acidity is ripe. 93/A+

2017 Graacher Domprobst Kabinett
Floral nose, a bit more golden in fruit. More depth and power here, but still lots of finesse. Deep, pure, focused, mineral. Long. Same acidity and r.s. as Himmelreich. Excellent terroir differentiation between the two. 94/A+

2017 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese
Floral, pure nose; white flowers. Golden, pure, so elegant, not overly sweet. Such precision. Great length and finesse. 95/A+

2017 Graacher Domprobst Spätlese  Number 10
Golden nose, white flowers; quite intense. Intense, more power than Himmelreich, more body, but still with great finesse. Long, mineral, pure, golden. Excellent refreshing acidity. A breathtaking wine. APN 10 18. 95/A+

2017 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese
Aromatic in nose, yellow flowers. Sweeter than others, lots of body but also the acid goes into supporting the body; the acidity here is expressed differently than with preceding wines, with less nervosity, even though more than 11 g/l acidity. Golden fruits. Fully integrated and harmonious. Great length. 95/A+

2017 Graacher Domprobst Spätlese  Number 5
Floral nose. Great depth, purity, nervy acidity. Golden fruit, long, finesse with round, tender body. More elegant than number 10. APN 5 18. 95/A+

2017 Graacher Domprobst Spätlese (auction)
Great depth and intensity to nose. Depth, minerality, power, finesse, length, also great calm and harmony. More creaminess in the texture.   APN 13 18. 95/A+

2017 Graacher Domprobst Auslese (auction)
The botrytis here was good and so was kept. Less open in the nose than preceding wines. Great intensity and depth in the mouth with real penetration, golden fruits, outstanding length. Doesn’t taste especially sweet because of the acidity here. Creamy texture. 97/A+