Hohe Domkirche – Avelsbacher Herrenberg Riesling, dry, 1985

Hohe Domkirche – Avelsbacher Herrenberg Dry Riesling 1985

The 1985 Avelsbacher Herrenberg Dry Riesling comes from the Hohe Domkirche in Trier, one of the three historic ecclesiastical vineyards that were merged in 1966 to form the current administration of the Trier Episcopal Vineyards. The Hohe Domkirche itself has been run as an independent vineyard since 1851 and looks back on an even longer tradition of ecclesiastical viticulture along the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer rivers.

The Avelsbacher Herrenberg vineyard is situated in the Avelsbach district of Trier. The vineyards there are planted on the slate soils typical of the region and produce elegant, mineral-driven Rieslings. The 1985 vintage is generally regarded in Germany as good to very good: following a difficult summer, a sunny, dry autumn saved the quality. The best wines – particularly from prime sites – developed into elegant, long-lived Rieslings.

Dry vinification was not yet the norm in the 1980s and lends the wine a clear, taut structure. After more than four decades of bottle ageing, such bottles are among the interesting historical rarities held by the Episcopal Vineyards. Well-preserved bottles often display the typical development of mature Trier Rieslings: smoky, mineral notes, delicate tertiary aromas and an acidity that remains present and lively.

The Hohe Domkirche and the subsequent Trier Episcopal Vineyards stand for the preservation of traditional steep-slope viticulture. The 1985 Avelsbacher Herrenberg Riesling (dry) is a silent testament to this history – a wine that reflects its origin, the era and the distinctive character of the vineyards around Trier.