The Magnificence of Maturing Mosel Riesling

Young Mosel Riesling is about fruit, liveliness and youthful joy. But the true secrets of the region are really only revealed when Mosel wines start to mature. As anyone who had the chance to taste mature Mosel can testify, these wines can age effortlessly for decades and still maintain an incredible freshness. When is the best moment to enjoy Mosel Riesling? This question is difficult to answer in generic terms as personal preferences play an important role. Some wine lovers are addicted to the fruit and prefer their wines young. Others prefer older wines, which show some signs of complex oxidation. Others (like us) can enjoy them at any age!

As a general rule of thumb however, Mosel Riesling bottlings typically go through the following phases when maturing (we took Spätlese - Auslese for reference here below) :

• Primary Youth Phase: for up to two years, the wines burst with primary fruit and can be a joy to drink and taste the essence of the grape.
  

• Muted Phase: Mosel wines have a tendency to close down after 1-3 years after the vintage. This muted phase can be short but can also last for several years (this depends on the vintage pattern). During this period, the wines can come over as muted and sometimes not show much more than vague notes of citrus, sometimes a touch of hay and, in extreme cases, even a touch of caramel (many wines from the 2001 vintage are currently going through such a phase). Opening well in advance and decanting can help overcome such a state.
  

• Fruit Phase: at around 8-15 years old (depending on how acidic and good the vintage had been), one gets the full primary fruit nicely integrated. At the moment, 1998, 1995, 1994 and 1993 really fit this bill.
  

• Terroir Phase: at around 15-25 years of age, the wines still show some fruitiness but the sweetness has receded and is blended into the flavours of the wine. A new type of complexity kicks in. 1989, 1988, 1985 and 1983 are typical vintages whose wines are now in this category.
  

• Mystic Phase: at over 30 years of age, the wines tend to develop their own dynamics. Differences between terroirs disappear (to an extent), tertiary flavours kick in with notes of marzipan, candied fruit, etc. It is mystic because great wines can emerge from lesser vineyards or lesser producers (in top vintages) and general rules start to get blurred. Typically, wines from 1976, 1975 and 1971 (and of course older ones) are in this phase.
  

Kabinett follow a faster track and Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese take longer. One thing has remained a constant throughout our wine tasting experiences: whatever their preference, we have yet to meet someone who wasn't captivated by grand mature Mosel wines.

As for all wines, cellaring conditions are of course essential. Only cool temperatures and good humidity can assure a slow and perfect development in the bottle.

Details on how the Mosel wines mature have been organised by decades (see above).