Battenfeld-Spanier Frauenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 2015: A mineral-driven long-distance runner from the Wonnegau
Introduction
In Rheinhessen, the 2015 vintage is regarded as one of the finest for dry Rieslings in recent decades. In the years prior to this, the region had shaken off its reputation as a generic mass-production wine-growing area and established itself as one of Germany’s leading regions for terroir-driven white wines. Against this backdrop, the Battenfeld-Spanier winery stands out with its ‘Großes Gewächs’ wines from the limestone soils of southern Wonnegau. The 2015 Frauenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs is a wine that captures the austere, demanding nature of this vineyard in a bottle – a mineral, salty Riesling of great tension, which only fully opens up after years of bottle ageing. Anyone tasting a well-aged bottle of this wine today will experience a wine that combines the vigour of the 2015 vintage with the cool precision of the Frauenberg terroir.
The Battenfeld-Spanier Winery
The Battenfeld-Spanier Winery in Hohen-Sülzen in the Wonnegau was founded in 1991 by Hans-Oliver Spanier, who was just twenty years old at the time and took over vineyards that had previously been leased. From the very beginning, Spanier practised organic viticulture and refrained from using chemical pesticides. In 1995, he merged with the neighbouring Battenfeld winery; since then, the business has been known as Battenfeld-Spanier. In 2005, Spanier switched to biodynamic viticulture. Since 2008, the winery has been a member of the Association of German Prädikat Wineries (VDP).
Hans-Oliver Spanier occupies a special position amongst the new generation of winemakers in Rheinhessen: his wines are produced from the poor limestone soils of the southern Wonnegau and are characterised by great mineral depth whilst remaining accessible. The estate cultivates around 50 hectares of vineyards, approximately 75 per cent of which are planted with Riesling – the estate’s speciality. The remaining 25 per cent consists of Burgundy varieties. In 2006, Spanier married the oenologist Carolin Gillot from the Kühling-Gillot winery; both estates are still managed and marketed independently of one another. In 2018, Hans Oliver Spanier and Carolin Gillot were named Winemakers of the Year by the wine magazine Vinum.
The Nieder-Flörsheimer Frauenberg vineyard
The Frauenberg is situated north of Hohen-Sülzen towards Nieder-Flörsheim at an altitude of up to 280 metres, with slopes of up to 40 per cent. The vineyard looks back on a long history: it was first mentioned in a document as early as 1290 under the name ‘an frauwenhalten’ and was originally owned by a nunnery. The name ‘Frauenberg’ refers to this feminine tradition.
The Frauenberg’s terroir is characterised by exceptional barrenness.The topsoil consists of limestone gravel, whilst the subsoil is pure limestone rock. The soils are rich in minerals but very poor in nutrients – the vines must root deeply and work hard to extract their nutrients. The exposed position on a ridge also subjects the vines to a constant, cool wind that sweeps across the slope as if through a wind tunnel. These conditions demand the utmost from the vines whilst at the same time creating the perfect foundation for a long, healthy growing season. At Frauenberg, the fruit is deliberately not the main focus: green herbs, pleasant acidity, minerality and earthy aromas unfold slowly and interact in an exciting interplay. Frauenberg is regarded as the estate’s most highly rated vineyard.
The 2015 vintage in Rheinhessen
The 2015 vintage was an exceptionally good one for dry Rieslings in Rheinhessen. That year, the region finally established itself amongst the leading appellations for this wine category in Germany, alongside the Nahe and other renowned wine-growing regions. The weather conditions allowed for healthy ripening of the grapes with sufficient acidity, which was reflected in the wines as a remarkable balance of fruit, minerality and vibrancy. The Frauenberg Riesling GG 2015 has an alcohol content of 12.5% vol. – a moderate figure that underlines the cool, elegant style of the vintage.
Winemaking and ageing
Winemaking at Battenfeld-Spanier follows a consistent philosophy of interpreting the terroir. The grapes are harvested by hand and gently pressed. The Frauenberg GG was aged in large wooden casks, which lends the wine structure and a fine texture without masking the fruit. Fermentation takes place with natural yeasts; the wine is not fined and undergoes only minimal filtration. The Frauenberg is described as ‘pure and unadorned’ – a wine that does not conceal its origins but reveals them.
Tasting notes and sensory development
The Frauenberg Riesling GG 2015 presents itself on the nose with a soft, inviting opening: very ripe apple, a hint of cinnamon and a nuance of vanilla flatter the sense of smell, whilst remaining consistently elegant. The Falstaff tasting note from November 2016 adds aromas of baked apple, damp sand and – with aeration – spicy notes of rosemary blossom. On the palate, the wine is rich with a full-bodied texture on a subtly viscous base; the acidity is restrained, as is typical of the vintage, but uniform in its strength whilst remaining light-hearted.
However, the dominant sensory characteristic of the Frauenberg is its saltiness. The Weinfurore tasting note describes it as “dominant saltiness, like a salt lick”, yet immensely juicy, with a subtle, crumbly texture that only emerges towards the finish – “pure and unadorned, rather wiry in keeping with the vintage, but endowed with plenty of drive”. This salty minerality is the unmistakable hallmark of the Frauenberg and sets it apart from the more fruit-forward Rieslings of other Rheinhessen vineyards.
The reviews of the 2015 vintage reflect the wine’s quality and ageing potential. Falstaff awarded it 92 points, whilst Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated the wine 93 points. The tasting notes database awarded 95 out of 100 points with the comment: “Typical Frauenberg. This is going to be a real stunner! In many ways, it is reminiscent of a blend of the power of the 2009 vintage with the acidity and length of the 2008.”. Particularly noteworthy is the observation that, after being decanted twice and spending a day in the fridge, the wine displayed fruit and a smooth texture on the second day – an indication of this wine’s slow development, spanning several years.
Retailers indicate that the 2015 Frauenberg will be ready for drinking from 2016 to 2036 – a window spanning two decades that underlines the longevity of this ‘Großes Gewächs’. In its youth, the wine is closed and demanding; with the fruit taking a back seat to minerality, salinity and structure. Only with increasing bottle ageing – and, if necessary, after several hours of decanting – does it reveal its full complexity. The Frauenberg is a long-distance runner, not a wine for immediate enjoyment.
The significance of the Frauenberg GG 2015 in the context of the estate
The 2015 Frauenberg Riesling GG forms part of a series of ‘Große Gewächse’ through which Battenfeld-Spanier illustrates the hierarchy of its vineyards. Alongside the Frauenberg, the Zeller Kreuzberg, the Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott and the Auf dem Kalkofen are among the estate’s most renowned ‘Große Lagen’. Whilst the Zeller Kreuzberg is situated in the Zellertal valley and is also characterised by limestone, the Frauenberg represents the most austere, mineral-driven and, at the same time, most elegant facet of the portfolio. H. O. Spanier himself describes the Frauenberg as the epitome of elegance.
Stephan Reinhardt of the Robert Parker Wine Advocate wrote the much-quoted line about a ‘Große Gewächs’ from the Frauenberg: ‘Riesling meets Chablis!’ and awarded it 96–97 points. This description captures the essence of the Frauenberg: the cool, chalky minerality reminiscent of a great Chablis, paired with the acidity and aromatics typical of Riesling. The Frauenberg is therefore not only an outstanding German Riesling, but a wine of international calibre that transcends the boundaries between the world’s great white wine regions.
Conclusion
The Battenfeld-Spanier Frauenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 2015 is a wine that captures the austere, demanding nature of the Wonnegau with the utmost precision. Its salty minerality, its terroir characterised by limestone gravel and pure limestone rock, and the cool elegance of the 2015 vintage make it one of the most fascinating German Rieslings of its generation. Anyone lucky enough to own a well-aged bottle of this wine should give it time – both in the glass and in the cellar. The Frauenberg 2015 is not a wine that reveals itself immediately, but one that slowly unfolds its layers over the years, gaining in complexity as it does so. It is a quiet, mineral-driven ambassador for a wine region that has reinvented itself over the past few decades – and a striking testament to Hans-Oliver Spanier’s distinctive style.
