Schloss Lieser

A Happy New Year to everyone.

To kick off 2012, here's a wine I opened just before Christmas.

Schloss Lieser, Riesling trocken 2010, Mosel, Germany
Continuing the 2010 basic estate Riesling theme, I picked up this wine solely on the strength of the producer's reputation. The surname Haag is quite a fixture when it comes to Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr and the like. After learning his trade at his parents' estate, Thomas Haag became winemaker at Schloss Lieser in 1992 - a winery that had once enjoyed world renown but had slipped far down the pecking order from the 1970s or so after it had changed hands numerous times. In 1997, Herr Haag and his wife were able to purchase the estate themselves. Since then, Schloss Lieser has gone from strength to strength.

That's enough background, now to the wine.

The aromas unfold within a matter of minutes on the nose. Fairly expressive with distinct pineapple coupled with wet stone. Quite lively and appetising. This translates into lemon sorbet on the palate with pineapple again. Although the wine is dry, there is a generous succulence in the mouth. Two days later, the fruit has disappeared, leaving predominantly stone and vegetal notes. The wine remains refreshing and elegant throughout, offering a lot of interest for 8 euros (purchased at a wine shop in Freiburg).