Willi Schaefer, Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Auktion, Mosel

Lovely nose of passion fruit, quince and spices. Textured, not heavy, with decent amount of sugar kept in check by high acidity that's borderline a bit creepy. Still a lovely wine though.

2012 vintage

Lacked that Auslese sweetness, but a really good wine nonethless. Was left with much to desire as we had it for dessert, but perhaps with a different pairing it’d go better.

2012 vintage

Consistent with my last note in January however docking one point because there was no 'day 2' this time and found the wine didn't fully open up within the time frame in which we drank it. Still tastes very young to me.

2012 vintage

Agree with other comments that it tastes more like a spätlese but that is a good thing for me as I don't seek sweet sugary sensations from any wine. This is so well balanced with acidity and RS. There is hints of passion fruit and blue flower as well as some spice and smoke. Improved on day 2.

2012 vintage

Nose with aromas of peach and tropical fruits. The mouth is curiously a little dry for a Spatlese. The whole thing is quite strict and lacks that sexy side that I really like in Moselle Rieslings, whether dry or with residual sugars. The whole remains coherent and pleasant with a duality of peach/mango and a balance preserved thanks to the acidity serving the wine. This lacks a little roundness and takes us directly to a very limey finish with good …

2012 vintage

Bright, lively, clean, youthful color. Tastes more like a Spatlese.

2012 vintage

Just terrific. Perfect balance of acid and sugar. Drunk at Wild Flor with fried rice pudding parcel and rhubarb.

2012 vintage

PnP. Very young and in perfect condition. - nose of pineapple, gummy bears, something like tangerine or quince - sharp. Maybe marmalade. Potent. Florals? Day 3?: Nose is really ripe and potent nose of Canned peaches, apricots and pineapple - plus tons of bitter peach pit. Spices and it feels like botrytis to me. Less bitter on the palate - honey and honeysuckle and sweet peach and apricot. Spicy. The pits come out towards the finish and combine well w …

2012 vintage

Drinking well with 10 years of age. Now has nice soft, round oiliness developing. Paired perfectly with a spicy watermelon and seafood summer soup, and later did again with post-dinner aged hard cheese.

2012 vintage

A lighter styled Auslese, tons of fruit but not overly sweet, crystalline, pure, refreshing with lovely body. Very good.

2012 vintage

This didn't get due consideration after four other big wines. A quick score for a solid, but not extraordinary, impression.

2012 vintage

Zooming in on Riveting Rieslings : Zooming in on Riveting Rieslings All wines prepared as follows: Opened between 4:00 and 4:30, poured into jars for transport, poured into glasses and tasted starting at 6:30. The following wines were tasted: 1995 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2007 Dönnhoff Felsentürmchen Riesling Spätlese 2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese #4 2016 Nigl Riesling 1OTW Privat Pellingen 1997 Taylor Fladgate Porto …

2012 vintage

Virtual Riesling Tasting (Home) : Light gold color. Wines were opened and poured into vessels between 4-4:30pm, poured into glasses around 6:30pm; drank a glass over 3 hours. Very tropical, pineapple, apple, tangerine, passion fruit, zesty minerality, petrol, youthfully boisterous, full bodied and also very plush in the mouth. It wad better on the next night. 93 day one and 93+ to 94pts day two.

2012 vintage

Virtual Rieslings : Typical Wili Schaefer, you get a fairly classical German riesling frame, but with a little more fruit to dazzle you. This was my #3 riesling among a really stellar group.

2012 vintage

Excellent. Tons of peach and honey nose. Dry peach, apple, lemon on the palate with medium acidity. Very long tart tingling honeyed finish. Probably too young. Next one in a few years.

2012 vintage

Luftet på karaffel i 2 timer, og fortsatt veldig beskjeden på duft. I munn er den utrolig ren med medium pluss konsentrasjon. En litt lett auslese stilmessig. Aprikosdominert frukt med innslag av mango ananas og appelsin i munn. Saftig og bløt frukt med et lite honningpreg. Integrert syre, flott balanse. Litt brå utgang for nivået. En lett utgave av auslese med lite botrytis. Savner noe intensitet og lengde. Drukket før og overskygget av Schaefers 2010 ausleser.

2012 vintage

A gorgeous wine. The fruit is perfectly ripe, like biting into a dripping peach. The acidity is bracing and balances the richness of the wine to a perfect point. Just amazing despite being so young.

2012 vintage

Delicious, smooth, but perhaps a little soft. Great length and balance.

2012 vintage

#DCInvasion (Chicago, IL) : #11-13, 7.5% abv. Surprisingly, this has not changed since the last time I had it a few years ago at the Riesling Crawl during Rieslingfeier. This is still showing expressively, with lots of spice and white fruit, as well as searing acidity. No Praedikat-creep here -- this is definitely Auslese level, not a BA masquerading as an Auslese.

2012 vintage

Really lovely. Great energy but with matching complexity and superb balance. Wonderful Riesling.

2012 vintage

Really nice aromatics of sweet white peach and lime curd with slight hints of botrytis. Intensely sweet with a palate coating texture that is held in check by plenty of acidity on the finish. Had this over 2 nights and it showed much better integration of its parts on the second night. While in no way heavy, this is a touch sweet for me right now. Needs time. 91+

2012 vintage

Tropical fruits with a nice tingle on the palate. Good acid/balance, not as heavy as some Auslese. 7.0% ABV

2012 vintage

Chicago ♥ Willi Schaefer (Chicago, IL) : #04-13, 7% abv. Well, the reports of the shutdown of 2012 riesling have been much exaggerated. We were all very surprised by how open this bottle was (that said, I've found that Himmelreich tends to be a bit more accessible young than Domprobst, as far as Schaefer is concerned). The nose has lovely white floral notes, and is expansive and light. The baby-fat is really prominent now, with a lot of juicy white …

2012 vintage

Another delicious bottle of this gorgeous wine

2012 vintage

Really lovely auslese, very fresh and lithe and not heavy. The only problem is that this goes down to easy and before you know it the bottle is empty!

2012 vintage

Continuing with the string of outstanding 2012 bottles from Willi Schaefer, the Himmelreich Auslese has depth of flavor, brightness to spare, and an elegance that stands out in the genre of modern Auslese. This is not some massive botrytis bomb, nor is it oversized/overwrought in any other way. It is pure, drinkable, stony, fruity, vibrant Auslese that refreshes the palate and the intellect. Great wine that fits perfectly with the rest of the range from this estate.

2012 vintage

Nice acidity; Apple cider; Clean finish; Very nice

2012 vintage

Rieslingfeier (New York) : My favorite of the three Schaefer wines. Stone fruit, apple & pear, very primary and young, but incredibly elegant.

2012 vintage

Rieslingfeier Riesling Crawl (New York City, NY) : Saves me from having to kill one of my own! Lots of the young riesling smell, with ripe pineapple dominating again. The palate has a lot of stony minerality and lots of ripe pear notes as well. Quite sweet, but never cloying. Tons of extract, but very lightweight -- floats like a feather, but stings like a bee. The acidity evokes a juicy green apple that follows you all the way to …

2012 vintage

consistent with previous experience

2012 vintage

Consistent with previous bottle great bottle of Riesling

2012 vintage

Wonderful stuff, kaleidoscope of tropical fruit flavours with hints of honey and apple, nice acidic entry on the palate which steps aside for the apple, mango, white peach palate and a lovely long finish

2012 vintage

This is outrageously good. An array of fresh Riesling fruit, florality, vivid slatey minerality and gentle honeyed notes, but what's really striking here is the sense of purity and sheer electricity. There's no perceptible botrytis, it's an Auslese that's about drinkability rather than showy sweetness, and the acidity here makes this feel amazingly light and vibrant on the palate, every sip almost crackling as if a livewire was passed through this. Stunning Riesling - thanks Jay.

2012 vintage

Chalk and white flowers on the nose. Crisp with lots of lime and acid. Really lively: gets the salivary glands going. Really razor-like: sharp but good. Enters with stones and chalk - very juicy and acidic. Lots of orange, apple, peach and lime. I'm salivating just writing up this note. White gold: pure and beautiful. This is drinking the best of the Auslese right now. 17/20 with 17.5/20 potential.

2012 vintage

Very light on the nose: slate and minerals show first along with some pit fruits - peach and peach pit. Very chalky. Quite elegant with some soft apple. The palate enters soft with lots of baby fat: honey and apple. Tons in reserve: trilling brings out the lime and slate. Needs time - at least 10 years. No detailed scores, but I would call this a 16/20 with a potential for 16.5-17/20.

2012 vintage

Really distinctive aromas, just like a fresh Pink Lady apple juice. Full of lush, sweet honeyed fruit but really well balanced with a nice sour pithy character to the acidity. Huge depth and intensity with a long, long finish.

2012 vintage

Vibrant, tropical, peachy aromas. Very sweet intense fruit with a huge depth of flavour. Although very concentrated it's balanced by lovely fresh acidity.

2012 vintage

Howard Ripley 2012 German Tasting (London) : Pre-release sample. Beautiful spicy fruit. Impeccable balance (again!). Doesn't quite hit the ethereal heights of the Schloss Lieser but it's not far off. 17+/20.

2012 vintage

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Willi Schaefer, Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Auktion, Mosel

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