January 2, 2017 | News | Issue Highlights
Known for its fruity and sweet wines, Schloss Lieser outdid itself with a stunning set of dry Riesling in 2015, including its finest Niederberg Helden GG to date.
Few vintages have been as hyped as 2015 and there is some truth in it. 2015 yielded some stunning wines, and this in all stylistic directions.
But not everything that shines is gold. At its heart, 2015 is a ripe vintage, pepped up by glorious zest, with many wines on the powerful side. Only the very best wines will turn into classics in a decade or two.
Known for its fruity and sweet wines, Weingut Schloss Lieser outdid itself and produced a stunning set of dry Riesling in 2015, including its finest Niederberg Helden GG to date.
Thomas Haag has been at the helm of the Weingut Schloss Lieser since 1992. When we met him to taste his collection earlier this year, he was very happy with his 2015 vintage: “The summer was nearly ideal. It was very warm and dry but at no point did we face any particular water or heat stress in our vineyards. The rain in September made my blood pressure rise for a few days. Thankfully, the weather proved a dream in October, with a lot of sunshine during the day and cool temperatures at night. This gave us the time to make the right selections.”
The Estate is not small as it tops 20 ha now (including parcels in Piesport and the Bernkasteler Doktor as of 2016). Yet, its success in 2015 was overwhelming. The Estate’s precise and uncompromising approach in the vineyard and the cellar made it produce a stunning set of wines which are among the vintage highlights in many stylistic direction, be it dry Riesling, Kabinett, Spätlese or noble-sweet wines!
In 2015, Thomas Haag produced no less than four different Grosses Gewächs (GGs). This includes for the first time a GG from the Graacher Himmelreich (from holdings owned already by the original Schloss Lieser Estate).
The 2015 Niederberg Helden came from 70 year-old vines. The wine is, as usual, fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel. This helps cut through the intrinsic bigger side of the Niederberg Helden. The Niederberg Helden has a higher soil content than the Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr, which gives additional body to the wines.
The resulting wine is simply splendid. Never before have we tasted such depth and precision in a dry Riesling from this vineyard before. It avoids all the pitfalls of power of 2015 and also proves refreshingly moderate in alcohol.
Overall, the Estate produced an outstanding set of dry Riesling (GGs) in 2015 ... as did his brother at the Weingut Fritz Haag. The Haag family was on fire in 2015!
The stunning set of 2015 GG bottlings by Schloss Lieser
was reviewed in Mosel Fine Wines Issue No 32 (Oct 2016).
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2015er
Schloss Lieser
Lieserer Niederberg Helden Riesling GG
20 16
93
Some residual notes of spontaneous fermentation quickly give way to gorgeous scents of grapefruit puree, pear and mint as well as earthy spices on the nose. Glorious minerals mingle with superb scents of herbs and fruits on the beautifully well balanced palate. The finish is nicely long and elegant. This is hugely well made in a refined style which does however not compromise on presence. What a great dry Riesling in the making! 2020-2030
© Text by Mosel Fine Wines "The Independent Review of Mosel Riesling ... and beyond!"
Disclaimer: Mosel Fine Wines is an independent publication and has no commercial relationship with any Estate, association or organization featured in this article.