Rockss and Fruit - Germany 2010: Mosel - Immich-Batterieberg – Lyle Fass
This used to be an estate brought in by Willy Gluckstern to NYC, but he only brought in cheap dry wines, and then there was some ownership issues and now the estate is in the hands of the great Gernot Kollman, who did stints at Van Volxem and most recently Knebel. Gernot is putting his mind and soul into the great Immich-Batterieberg estate and what results from the inaugural 2009 vintage . From what I have tasted, he has done an astonishing job with the 2009 vintage and definitely puts the old Immich estate at the forefront of great Mosel estates. They are all done in a trocken to feinherb style with one mind blowing Auslese.
The estate is located in Enkirch and all the wines are made from extremely steep slope vineyards.
2009 C.A.I. Kabinett – Big slatey nose. You know this is Mosel and it means business. Mineral, tropical nose with a hint of pine resin. Lovely, aromatic and inviting nose. Really crisp palate with fantastic purity and an electricity that makes this bottling ao inviting. So juicy. Big fruit and crisp acids make this so drinkable.
2009 Escheburg Riesling – Sawdust is the first thing I wrote down. Real pure nose. Some sponti funk to go along as well. Mushrooms maybe? Plus beaming minerality. Nice ripeness and filigree on the palate with juicy, pure and clingy fruit. More on the green/stone fruit end of the spectrum. Fruit skins almost. So tangy. Very textural wine. Lovely.
2009 Steffensberg Riesling – Complex, mineral nose that gives off a major trocken impression. Real silky texture but finishes up sappy and dense. This wine is just packed yet is texturally like a cloud. So filigreed. The most elegant and complete wine so far. Love this. 100% ex Burgundy casks for elevage. Not sure if it was stainless steel or these Burgundy casks for fermentation? Lars?
1981 Batterieberg Auslese Trocken – This was foisted on us by Gernod as a blind bottle. Totally shocked to see it was 1981 as we were all over the map on this. Real intense salinity along with tertiary city on the nose but still lively and fresh. Great nose. Still had life on the palate and was downright vibrant. Not much fruit but leather and smoke and that lovely salinity at the back end. Still really concentrated. And who says Trocken does not age?
2009 Batterieberg Riesling – Awesome stuff. A wow wine. Huge precise mineral tones and mega slate on the nose. Really takes you places that first sniff. Great stone fruits. So much complexity already showing on the nose. Very pure. Phenomenal. Salty, juicy palate with a chorus of citrus fruits and lots of tang. Incredible energy on the palate. Just stunning. Kudos to Gernot for this one.
2009 Ellegrub Riesling – Another grand slam home run in the bottom of the 9th for Gernot here. Really sponti nose. Like whoah. And like I love it. One of the best noses of the trip. Very airy, salty and precise, along with that sponti funk. The palate was drier than the Batterieberg and had just the most astounding finish. It echoed all over your palate. A great bottle that also shows off its incredibly refined minerality on the clingy tangy finish. Really stays with you.
2009 Batterieberg Auslese – Hands down one of the top 5 Auslesen of the trip. A mind-boggling wine I still have yet to wrap my head around. Very high-toned aromas of cake icing, peaches and other tropical aromas. Lovely stone fruits and a cloud-like palate of jaw-dropping purity. I just wrote Holy Shit! I can’t say much more. On the level of Prum GKA’s. It will also be priced at that level.
Gernot Kollman has quickly put himself as a force to be reckoned with at his new venture Immich-Batterieberg and the Mosel has a new star. It’s nice to see Gernot get recognition as being one of the top winemakers in the Mosel. He deserves it.