There’s a reason wines like today’s Beerenauslese usually come in half-bottle (375 ml) sizes: Each sip is so deeply concentrated and dazzlingly complex it might cause sensory overload in larger doses. And it’s not because of the alcohol—this wine is just 9.5% a.b.v.—but instead the heady mix of fruit, florals, minerals, and exotic spices that comes from late-harvest Riesling with a few years of bottle age.
Sourced from one of the Rheingau’s greatest and most historic single vineyards, Dr. Nägler’s 2011 “Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck” will make you swoon, then it’ll make you think. Beerenauslese is one notch higher than Auslese on the German Riesling sweetness scale, yet while it fits into that defined category, it also defies classification. Whatever you do, don’t think of this as a ‘dessert’ wine: It’s got a much broader range of uses than that, which becomes clear once you’ve experienced its inimitable mix of richness and refreshment. Whether you’re a bona-fide Riesling fanatic (and if so, you’ve probably clicked ‘purchase’ already) or someone just dipping a toe in the Riesling pool, this is a mind-blowing wine, especially at this price point. And really, one half-bottle isn’t going to be enough—luckily we have a good amount to share!
Family owned and run since 1826, Weingut Dr. Nägler is a small estate in the Rheingau village of Rüdesheim that has been crafting wines for six generations and counting. Tilbert Nägler oversees winemaking and the family’s 21 total acres in some of Germany’s very best vineyards—almost every vine they own sits on pedigreed terroir. Nägler is also part of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter), an elite group of producers who guarantee their wine is both estate-grown and bottled, with a keen eye on quality and pronounced terroir character.
The berg, or “mountain,” of Rüdesheim was likely first planted to vines in the ninth century, and later, in 1034, the Archbishop of Mainz ordered a large tract of the hillside to be cleared for more planting. Overall, the broader “Rüdesheimer Berg” vineyard area covers about 95 hectares across four main parcels: “Roseneck” (source of today’s wine), “Rottland,” “Schlossberg,” and “Kaisersteinfels.” These are magnificently steep vineyards rooted in quartzite and slate soils, and mostly south-facing, situated as they are at a bend in the Rhine River where it turns to the northwest.
I can’t resist showing you a
ground shot and this spectacular
aerial shot of the Rüdesheimer Berg. In some places, the incline is so steep, several producers use helicopters for vineyard management. The “Roseneck” site takes its name for the wild rose hedges that grow on the fringes of each rocky outcropping, and of its nearly 60 acres, Dr. Nägler owns just a few. In the winery, Tilbert has introduced modern technology, with fermentation and aging occurring in stainless steel tanks, and the occasional addition of very old, very large oak barrels. Technology notwithstanding, his vaulted cellars have retained their ancient charm.
“Beerenauslese” effectively translates to “late harvest,” and not only is this harvest late but meticulous: Berries are literally picked individually in some instances, and many are affected by botrytis bunch rot. Measured on the German oechsle scale, the minimum sugar content to obtain the Beerenauslese classification is 110 grams/liter (the equivalent of 26 brix). As not all that sugar was not converted to alcohol, the residual sweetness is palpable, as is the glycerol-rich texture, but there’s also enough acidity to balance it: In the final analysis, this is a rich wine, but not in any way cloying. It is truly a barely perceptible sweetness.
In the glass, Dr. Nägler’s 2011 is a rich, glistening amber-orange, with exhilarating aromas of ripe yellow peach, tangerine, honeysuckle, orange oil, nutmeg, yellow flowers, wet tea leaves, crushed rocks, and dried flowers. It is medium-plus in body, with a viscous texture checked by still-fresh acidity. Secondary aromas are beginning to creep into the picture, lending some savory notes of petrol, caramel, and leather, and again, the sweetness really isn’t the story here: Pull the cork on this wine about 30 minutes before service (no need to decant, though it won’t hurt) and use it to counterbalance the salty/spicy intensity of southeast Asian dishes like Thai-style “drunken” noodles. It’s a cool combination, literally and figuratively. Enjoy!
