Pouring today’s well-aged Riesling for our team was the equivalent of one of those loud record scratches that stops the music and quiets the room. You don’t just taste a wine like this; you commune with it, returning to it repeatedly and taking something new away with you every time. It doesn’t just engage the senses but the intellect, too—which is why so many sommeliers profess their enduring love of top-tier German Riesling.
Weingut von Hövel is a centuries-old monument of a winery tucked into a narrow valley along the Saar River, and the “Kanzemer Hörecker” vineyard, in addition to being classified as a
grosse lage (grand cru), is one of several prime sites the von Hövels own outright—i.e., it’s a monopole, only about a half-hectare in size and pitched at a breathtakingly steep angle. Today’s Auslese from 2005 is a fittingly breathtaking Riesling, a wine so profound it should come with its own musical score. We were all mesmerized by it, swirling and smelling and marveling at how much more life this well-aged wine still has left. The combination of residual sugar and sky-high acidity typical of traditional Auslese wines makes for exceptional longevity in the cellar, and as these wines age, the sweetness becomes almost incidental to the wine’s overall impression. It’s a struggle to find the right words, frankly—it’s much easier for everyone if you just try it. I guarantee you’ll understand perfectly once you have!
As if all the terminology on this wine’s label weren’t enough, von Hövel bottled this 2005 with a gold foil, or capsule, as further confirmation of its excellence. Goldkapsel has no “official” meaning: It’s simply a way for winemakers to signal to consumers that the wine in question was a special selection, from an exceptional vintage/vineyard. But, of course, there’s plenty to unpack beyond that. It’s designated auslese, meaning “late harvest”—ultra-ripe but not at the level of wines that would be considered “sweet,” or “dessert” wines. “Kanzemer Hörecker” is the spectacular Hörecker vineyard, mentioned above, in the village of Kanzem—one of the very best single parcels in the Saar Valley, with soils of blue slate rich in iron.
Adding to the profundity of today’s wine is the centuries-deep history behind it—another signature of German wine regions like the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Like many properties in the area, much of its vineyard land was under the control of the church until Napoleon “secularized” it in the early 19th century. Current proprietor Max von Kunow can trace his family’s ownership of the estate to his great-great grandfather, Johann Emmerich Grach, in 1803. The family’s vineyard holdings, which Max has grown since taking the reins in 2010, are overwhelmingly devoted to Riesling.
When today’s wine was coming into being, it was Max’s father, Eberhard, at the controls (at the time, Max was studying enology at the famed Geisenheim University and apprenticing at both his family’s winery and elsewhere). Blessed with an exceptional vintage in ’05, he was able to make several passes through Kanzemer Hörecker, harvesting fruit for this Auslese at optimal ripeness and crafting this sumptuous Goldkapsel. Now at the 15-year mark, the fruit component has evolved—what was once a juicy, tangy, just-picked white peach is now that peach you left on your counter for a while, soft and bruised and more deeply concentrated. In the glass, it pours a deep yellow-gold, its youthful green highlights replaced by shades of amber, with aromas and flavors of candied citrus, mango, wildflowers, dried herbs, honeysuckle, lanolin, smoke, and wet stones. It is full-bodied and luscious, but finishes with the kind of mouth-watering, appetite-whetting freshness only Riesling can deliver. That push-and-pull of richness and raciness is the secret sauce, and be assured that there are a good 15 years (or more) of positive evolution still ahead of it. However, do your best to get a bottle of this on the table soon: Decant it 30 minutes before serving in all-purpose stems at 50 degrees, ideally with some spicy (though not overly so) Asian cuisine. Make this combination happen and I guarantee you’ll never forget it! Cheers!
