Weingut Heinz Nikolai Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2004 (Rheingau, Germany) http://www.heinz-nikolai.de/
The first thing to say about this remarkable bottle of wine is that it is sealed with a beautiful Vino-Lok. I love these. Not seen very often, this essentially a glass stopper like a medicine or chemistry bottle (seen in pic above). It 'clicks' in-and-out of the bottle, offering a reassuringly sound, hermetically sealed closure. Fantastic!
Reasonable tartaric sediment in the neck on opening the bottle. Deep almost golden yellow colour. Striking open nose as soon as the bottle is opened. Wonderful honey and summer blossom, with just a tiny touch of fuel oil in the background – which is not bad! This is the nose of a mature, fine Riesling. Palate is opulent, full, concentrated. Fresh and balanced with ample acidity. This rolls around the mouth with great finesse, yet with the power of a Rheingau Riesling. Remarkably thirst quenching and gluggable. Medium dry. Long finish.
This won the gold prize at the Hessen Landesweinprämierung ("wine country awards"). Wonderfully light alcohol at 11.5%. Just goes to show what incredible concentration a really well made wine in these northerly regions can have even without the need for alcohol. Probably drink now, depending on how you like your Riesling. I had expected this to be fading slightly - that it has aged and developed so well is all the more impressive given this is 'just' a Kabinett – I want to taste the higher Prädikats now! This isn't going to improve much from here, but will probably keep plenty of years yet. 17/20.
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