1/2 fles Uhlen Auslese - Riesling (19)

Riesling | selectie uit de Uhlen GG | steile terras stukken | zuidwest expositie | rode leisteen met kalk en vulkanische gesteente | vergist en gerijpt in kleine micro vaatjes van staal | Matthias gebruikt weinig botrytis in deze wijn | zeer geconcentreerde druiven | puur zoet | geweldig balans met zuren | kan nog 20 jaar rijpen

Knebel

Acht hectare op een prachtig stuk in het noorden van de Mosel, dat is de plek waar Matthias Knebel zijn wijnen verbouwd en maakt. De Blauschiefer en Rotschiefer bodems glooien hier stijl naar boven, een zeer indrukwekkend en eeuwenoud landschap. Matthias staat sinds 2009 aan het roer van het familiewijngoed. Er worden tijdens het proces geen additieven gebruikt (naast sulfiet), de wijnen vergisten spontaan en rijpen een deel op grote eikenhouten foudres. De wijnen die hij maakt zijn loepzuiver, energiek en je proeft de warme terrassen terug in de wijn. Sinds 2017 heeft Knebel zijn intreden gedaan bij de VDP en staat sindsdien bekend als een aanstormend talent voor Duitsland en de Mosel.

Review

The 2019 Uhlen Auslese is very clear and fine yet also intense and ripe on the crunchy and finely slatey nose that reveals finest botrytis flavors. Lush and round on the palate, this is an intense, sweet and piquant Auslese with lingering salinity that lifts the wine and makes it very stimulating. The fruit is so grapey and clear, as if there was no or just perfectly selected botrytis. The finish is stimulatingly salty. Tasted in September 2020. Stephan Reinhardt 95/100

Matthias Knebel believes that the dryness of last summer can only be countered by good work in the vineyards. Herbicide-free for about 10 years, working the soil, canopy management and a meticulously selective harvest with a trained harvest team guarantee balanced and elegant wines even in years like 2018 and 2019. "The team in spring/summer is the same as in autumn, which makes a lot easier, because our people already know the critical corners and know what they have to pay top attention to. Even within a plot, everything can be good for a few rows, but then suddenly the problem areas follow. You can see that and you can taste it. Fortunately, our people are on their toes, nothing escapes them," Knebel said. However, the processing of the grapes has recently changed according to the increasingly warm and dry vintages. While a few years ago the grapes were macerated for many hours, this hasn't happened the last two years, because the often higher pH levels would harm the racy Riesling character. As a result, the pressing pressure of the increasingly whole clusters is lower today, and more experiments are being made with fractionation of the must. "The aim is to produce cool, slender and elegant Rieslings with a still-concise acid structure and great finesse," he said. Knebel can no longer really identify with the softer and broader style of late-harvested, low-acidity grapes that were once cultivated here. Of the last two vintages, 2019 is the more exciting due to its piquant acidity, although 2018 is also a successful vintage. "We are always learning to try to do a little better every year. In 2018, we did well, but in 2019 we did even better. These wines have more tension, and that's what we are looking for."