Rautenstrauch - Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese dry 'S' 2005

Rautenstrauch – Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese dry 'S' 2005

1. Introduction

This wine is the Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese dry 'S' from the 2005 vintage, produced by the Karthäuserhof winery – run under the name of the Rautenstrauch family . The designation ‘Auslese dry ‘S’’ refers to a selective harvest of fully ripe grapes that were vinified as a dry wine, with the ‘S’ standing for a specific barrel or cuvée number (comparable to the ‘S’ designation for special selections). The wine comes from the historic Karthäuserhofberg single-vineyard site on the Ruwer and is regarded as an outstanding example of dry Riesling Auslese wines from the Moselle region.

2. The winery: Karthäuserhof (Rautenstrauch family)

The Karthäuserhof winery is situated in the Eitelsbach district of Trier, on the banks of the Eitelsbach (Ruwer), and forms part of the Mosel wine-growing region , specifically the Ruwer sub-region. The estate is a member of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP).

The history of the winery dates back to 1335, when the Carthusian monks received the estate as a gift from Elector Balduin of Luxembourg. In the course of secularisation, it initially came under French state ownership in 1803 and passed into private ownership from 1811. Valentin Leonardy became the owner and bequeathed it to his daughter, who was married to Wilhelm Rautenstrauch. Since then, the estate has remained in the possession of the Rautenstrauch family – hence the name ‘Rautenstrauch’, commonly used in the trade to refer to the estate’s wines.

In 1947, Werner Tyrell married Maria Rautenstrauch and took over the management of the estate. Christoph Tyrell took over the business in 1986 and was, amongst other honours, named ‘Winemaker of the Year 2005’ by Gault Millau. In 2012, his cousin Albert Behler took over the winery and is now running it as the seventh generation of the family.

The vineyards cover 26 hectares of vineyard area, face south and have a gradient of up to 50 per cent.

3. The vineyard: Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg

The Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg is one of the rare monopole vineyard sites and is privately owned. It is situated in a sheltered side valley of the Ruwer near Trier-Eitelsbach and is classified by the VDP as one of the region’s finest sites.

The soils are characterised by Devonian slate and iron, which lend the wines an intense minerality, spice and white fruit aromas. The vineyard is regarded as the ‘epitome of Ruwer elegance’ – characterised by salty minerality, citrus-fresh vitality and a refined bouquet.

4. The 2005 vintage

The 2005 vintage was a good to very good vintage on the Ruwer. Although it did not quite match the outstanding 2003 vintage, the producers experienced fewer problems in the vineyardcompared with 2004 . The wines from this vintage display a successful balance between ripeness, fruit and acidity. The 2005 Karthäuserhofberg Auslese dry ‘S’ was awarded87 points by the specialist press .

5. Specification: Auslese dry ‘S’

The designation ‘Auslese dry’ is a special category under German wine law:

• Auslese: Selection of fully ripe grapes, usually affected by noble rot (Botrytis), with a high must density.

• Dry: The wine has been vinified as a dry wine, i.e. the residual sugar content is less than 9 g/l (or a maximum of 12 g/l with corresponding acidity). For an ‘Auslese’, this is a rare style, as the grapes naturally have high sugar levels.

• ‘S’: This designation indicates a special barrel selection – presumably a cuvée from a specific barrel or a particularly exclusive plot.

The wine has an alcohol content of 14 % vol. and is bottled in 0.75-litre bottles. Other sources also cite 12.5 % vol. – this may be due to variations related to the vintage or the barrel.

6. Tasting notes and ratings

The 2005 Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese dry ‘S’ has been assessed by various tasters:

• Vinous (Rudi Wiest) awarded the wine 87 points and included it among the recommended wines of the vintage.

• A tasting note on Verkostungsnotizen.net (2015) describes the wine in detail:

  • Colour: Medium yellow

  • Nose: Very creamy, white flowers, beautifully typical of Riesling despite the creaminess, grapey

  • Palate: Super direct, taut, yet very supple, with rounded acidity that is beautifully fresh, accompanied by a touch of sweetness

  • Finish: Rather bland and slightly watery – not 100% convincing

  • Overall rating: 89/100 points

• Wein-Plus rated the wine 87 WP – ‘very good’.

• The wine took third placeamongst the local entrants in a competition , behind two wines from the Rheingau.

• Another description highlightsthe ‘archetypal Riesling nose’ – ‘simply a delight to the nose’.

7. Market and availability

The wine is now only availablesporadically in shops:

• At Jahrhundertweine.de, a bottle (0.75 l) is on offer for €79.00 (€105.33 per litre). Its condition is described as ‘Into neck, label and capsule very good’.

• At Idealwine, the wine is listed as a ‘citrus-flavoured gastronomic wine’ with 13% alcohol.

• An auction at Spectrum Wine offered the wine as ‘Auslese Trocken #06’.

The wine is currently within its optimal drinking window (drinking maturity: drink now or store).

8. Conclusion

The Rautenstrauch – Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese dry 'S' 2005 is a characterful, dry Riesling from one of the most famous monopole vineyards on the Ruwer. The Karthäuserhof winery, now in its seventh generation under the Rautenstrauch family, combines a tradition stretching back over 600 years with modern winemaking expertise. The wine displays the typical characteristics of the vineyard – minerality, fruit and a taut acidity – and offers an authentic taste experience of Ruwer Riesling culture. With ratings of around 87–89 points and a price of around €80, it represents a premium yet still accessible rarity for lovers of dry, mature Rieslings.