Ansgar Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Spätlese 2023

The Ansgar Clüsserath estate sits in Trittenheim on the Mosel, and this Riesling comes from the Trittenheimer Apotheke, one of the region's best-known vineyards. Spätlese means the grapes were picked late, at higher ripeness, which gives more sugar and concentration; the low 8 per cent alcohol shows that the fermentation was stopped before all that sugar converted, leaving the wine gently off-dry. The Apotheke is a steep, south-facing slope of blue Devonian slate. The slate stores the day's heat and releases it at night, helping the grapes ripen on such a northerly site, while the cool Mosel climate preserves the razor-sharp acidity that is the grape's signature here. That balance of ripeness and acidity is what defines the wine. It is pale yellow with green highlights, and the nose is bright and aromatic, with ripe apricot, peach and pear over white flowers. The palate is delicate and low in alcohol, its gentle sweetness held in tension by fresh, mineral acidity, closing clean and long. Serve it well chilled at 8 to 10 degrees as an aperitif or with spiced Asian dishes.