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Bollig-Lehnert, “Trittenheimer Apotheke” Riesling Kabinett

Mosel, Germany 2018 (750mL)
$24.00
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Bollig-Lehnert, “Trittenheimer Apotheke” Riesling Kabinett

There’s a reason the storied and borderline fairytale region of Mosel is a staple in every fine restaurant, a go-to in Sommelier exams of all levels, and a trusted source for the planet’s most distinct wine. Mosel is, and always will be, a coveted winemaking area that offers ancient vines, vertigo-inducing hillsides, and immense history that dates back to Roman times, as evidenced by the many vinous artifacts that have been discovered. Terroir is a very real thing here: The Mosel River slices through ancient Devonian slate and is flanked by steep vineyards that have produced great wine for centuries—and “Apotheke” is among the best of all.
This Grosse Lage aka Grand Cru is a precipitous, don’t-look-down site that has long provided “medicinal power” (“Apotheke” translates into “pharmacy”). Call it a myth if you want, but those who count Riesling Kabinett as a close friend will vouch to its supernatural and insanely delicious properties. The best of these wines amplify explosive crushed minerality alongside a breathtaking array of exotic, sun-drenched flavors, both combining to create a wholly unique element. Truly, the endless and chameleonic depths of off-dry Riesling cannot be matched by any other grape—not at this price, anyhow! 
A couple of years back, I visited this tiny, family-owned estate and was dumbfounded to learn just how small-production it was. With such shockingly affordable prices, I was expecting a full-on factory churning out bottles every other second. Instead, the tour was over in a matter of minutes, as it consisted of an old, underground cellar no larger than my living room. Despite records indicating their ancestors were crafting Riesling in the 1600s, the Bolligs estate is a name unknown to most people, largely due to microscopic production numbers. The estate as currently constructed comes from a combination of elite vineyards, totaling just seven hectares, in the villages of Trittenheim, Dhron, Piesport. All three towns follow a contiguous vertical line down the Mosel river and each of their holdings is situated on vertiginous slate-heavy slopes. Despite their modest size, the Bolligs have made heavy financial investments in the vineyard and cellar, although they are still devoted to hand farming, and traditional winemaking with the help of their small battery of old fuders (1,000-liter barrels). 

I must stress yet again that “Apotheke” is undoubtedly considered one of Mosel’s premier vineyards so what little Bollig-Lehnert owns here is treated like liquid gold—tastes like it, too, albeit with a strong current of electricty running through it. After hand harvesting their parcel within, grapes are transported to the winery in small bins to avoid any premature bleeding and/or fermentation. They are lightly pressed and the juice is transferred, via gravity, into their subterranean cellar. It is here where the wine briefly matures in upright steel tanks and old, large fuders. It is lightly filtered without any fining. 

Bollig-Lehnert’s “Apotheke” Riesling Kabinett is wonderfully sweet, deliciously mineral, and one mouthwatering sip will subject you to Pavlovian conditioning. How? Mosel’s age-old magic trick is on full display: The sweetness interacts with high natural acidity and slate minerality, creating an extraordinary, piano-wire balancing act. It’s ripe, addictive, and one of the most refreshing whites you can drink in the summer heat. Serve in all-purpose stems around 45 degrees to experience a symphony of ripe exotic fruits—pineapple, green mango peel, papaya, Kiwi, Meyer lemon—and a persistent rush of finely crushed slate-y, rocky minerality. Get ready to drain a bottle in record time. Feel free to stash a few away as well—I have no doubt it will continue evolving beautifully over the next decade. Cheers!
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Country
Germany
Region
Mosel
Sub-Region
GermanyVillage of Trittenheimer / Apotheke Vineyard
Soil
Blue & Grey Devonian Slate
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Riesling 100%
Alcohol
9.0
OAK
Old Fuders
TEMP.
45
Glassware
All-Purpose Stem
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Curry-Roasted Cauliflower

Germany

Western Germany

Pfalz

The Pfalz is Germany’s second-largest wine region (behind Rheinhessen, which it borders to the south). The vineyards are situated between the thickly forested Haardt Mountains and the western bank of the Rhine River, with soils that are rich in loam mixed with sandstone, loess (wind-blown silt), and chalky clay.

Western Germany

Rheinhessen

he Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest-production wine zone and, in comparison to some of the dramatic valleys further north, is a more open landscape of gently rolling hills.

Western Germany

Saar

The Saar River is a tributary of the Mosel (and in-cluded in the broader “Mosel-Saar-Ruwer”) PDO designation with vineyards perched on steep slopes of blue Devonian slate. The rocky soils and cool temperatures of these northerly valleys produce Germany’s most chiseled, high-acid  styles of Riesling.

Southwestern Germany

Baden

Baden, Germany’s southernmost wine region, has a long history with the “Pinot” family. The region’s vineyards were planted by the same Cistercian Monks who established Pinot Noir in Burgundy. Bordered by the Rhine River and the Black Forest, Baden has diverse soils—everything from loess (silt) to volcanic tuff to limestone, the most prized Pinot Noir soil of all.

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