Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, Riesling, Mosel, Germany, 2017

Vault Wine: This wine is stored in our vault.

Overview of the Wine
This historic producer, often simply called “Zilliken,” is a relationship we recently renewed at Lay & Wheeler after enjoying several superb older examples from our own cellar. Hans-Joachim (“Hanno”) and his wife Ruth Zilliken mark the tenth generation to make wine predominantly around their famed Saarburger Rausch vineyard. Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken is a family winery with over 270 years of history. It cultivates its vineyards with the maximum respect, attempting to ensure that the grapes express all their potential. It produces Rieslings that are incredibly rich and mineral, with a low alcohol level and fantastic acidity. It vinifies its small plots, planted exclusively with Riesling, in old foudres and barrels. It stores bottles from each vintage in order to see the ageing potential of its wines.

They barrel ferment all of their wines using natural yeasts and traditional “moselfuder casks”, some of which are more than a half-century old. With long, cool fermentations allowing complex flavours to emerge slowly, these are Rieslings to age with the very best. With the eleventh generation, their daughter Dorothee, joining in 2007 after training in Geisenheim, the Pfalz and South Africa, Zilliken is well-positioned to uphold the family tradition, and with it, production of some of the finest wines of the Mosel.

Grape / Blend
Riesling

Origin
Nahe, Germany

Tasting Notes
There’s a balance between sweetness (44g/L) and acidity (8.4g/L TA) that you can only find in the cooler German regions. Fresh, bright aromas of lime zest and pineapple give the wine vibrancy alongside the lively acidity, fleshed out by the sugar. Very easy to drink on its own or with spicy food. Delicious.

Product size: 750ml