Reinhold Haart - Goldtröpfchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs dry 2013

Reinhold Haart - Goldtröpfchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs dry 2013.

1. Introduction & short profile

The Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2013is a dry white wine from the renowned Moselle vineyard "Goldtröpfchen". The Reinhold Haart winery, one of the most traditional on the Moselle, has created a dry interpretation of the noble Riesling with this wine. In Reinhold Haart's wine cellar, a Riesling is generally rarely made completely dry; the wines are usually conceived with a harmonious interplay of sweetness and acidity. The 2013 GG is an exciting exception here.

2. The winery: Reinhold Haart

The Reinhold Haart winery is located in the picturesque Moselle village of Piesport. The Haart family is the oldest family in the village and was mentioned in documents as vineyard owners as early as 1337. This makes it one of the oldest bourgeois wine estates in Europe. The estate was created in its current form in the early 1920s through a division of the large Josef Haart vineyard. Today, the estate is run by Johannes Haart together with his father Karl-Theo Haart. The vineyards cover around 8 hectares, which are planted exclusively with Riesling and cultivated on steep slopes. Artificial fertilisers are not used at all; the winery has been certified by FAIR'N GREEN since 2014. Only the best steep slopes in and around Piesport are cultivated, including Goldtröpfchen, Grafenberg, Kreuzwingert and Ohligsberg.

3. The vineyard: Piesporter Goldtröpfchen

The single vineyard Goldtröpfchen (translated "golden droplet") is one of the most famous Riesling vineyards on the Moselle. The terroir is characterised by deep, weathered grey slate soils, which give the wines their characteristic minerality and complexity.

4. The 2013 vintage on the Moselle

The 2013 wine year was a challenging vintageon the Moselle . A late bud break, cool flowering and a very dry summer characterised the growing season. These conditions led to lower yields, but gave the dry Rieslings an impressive, crisp acidity structure, which speaks for a long shelf life.

5. Wine description and tasting notes

The 2013 Goldtröpfchen GG presents itself as a very concentrated, dry Riesling with a firm structure.

Colour: Bright, clear yellow.
Nose: Aromas of ripe citrus fruits, white peaches and apricots, accompanied by a deep, spicy minerality and floral notes.
Palate: The wine is dense and concentrated with a remarkable, almost aggressive acidity that gives the wine tension and a long life expectancy.
Finish: Very long and powerful with a mineral note of wet slate.

5.1. tasting notes from community members

The community on CellarTrackerpaints a multi-layered picture. Some tasters praise the intense fruit, while others report a disturbing note:

• Positive:one user describes "Nectar of the gods! Perfect marriage of lime, pineapple, apricot and golden delicious apples lifted by a touch of minerality and hint of botrytis. Clean fresh finish, light as a feather and unassumingly superb.". Another attests the wine "Good maturity to the fruit, some yellow fruits and lemon, slight minerality, fine length, quite intense."

• Critical:One community taster criticised an "off putting taste of soapy/bitter flavour among the nice stone-fruit flavours that takes away from the experience.". Another found it rather "lean" on the finish, with "no real depth or interest", which could indicate a certain reduction or an unbalanced impression.

6. Reviews and awards

The wine has attracted positive attention in several tastings, although specific scores are often hidden behind a paywall. The following table summarises the available ratings.

7. Price and availability

As this is an older vintage, availability is very limited. The wine can hardly be found in regular shops. Prices vary greatly depending on the retailer and availability.

8. Drinking maturity and ageing potential

Due to its concentrated structure and high acidity , the 2013 Goldtröpfchen GGhas an exceptionally high ageing potential. Similar wines from this site and this vintage are often rated with drinking horizons well into the middle of the century (e.g. 2028-2052). The wine is currently at a very good drinking maturity, but can easily remain in the cellar for several more years.

9. Food recommendations

The combination of ripe fruit, fine minerality and lively acidity makes this Riesling an excellent accompaniment to food. We generally recommend dishes that emphasise these characteristics. The wine merchant Vicampo generally recommends the Goldtröpfchen Riesling with mushroom dishes. Due to its dryness and elegance, it is also ideal with:

• Poultry and veal dishes in light, creamy sauces.

• Asian cuisine (e.g. sushi, roast duck with fruity sauces).

• Fish and seafood, especially grilled fish with herbs.

• Mature hard cheese.

10. Conclusion

The Reinhold Haart - Goldtröpfchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs trocken 2013is a powerful, characterful and complex Riesling from one of the Mosel's most traditional wine estates. The challenging 2013 vintage has given the wine a remarkable acidity structure and enormous ageing potential.

• Strengths: Great depth, lots of minerality, high ageing potential.

• Weaknesses: The perception of the wine is divided in the community; some tasters criticise an unpleasant, soapy-bitter note. This could be due to a yeasty reduction or a wine that is not perfectly balanced.

Overall, the 2013 GG is more suitable for passionate Riesling loverswho enjoy complex, mineral wines with plenty of development potential. Due to its age, it is difficult to find and represents a rarity.