Geltz Zilliken Rausch Auslese Riesling 2009

Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken is a family estate with more than 270 years of history, working small plots of the steep Rausch vineyard in Saarburg in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. The wine is from the Saar, a cooler tributary of the Mosel known for taut, mineral Rieslings, and is made entirely from Riesling. The Rausch is a precipitous slope of grey Devonian slate, a stony soil that drains fast, holds the day's warmth and lends the wine its driving minerality, while the cold Saar climate locks in the high acidity that defines the estate's style. The grapes are picked at Auslese ripeness, selected from riper bunches, and fermentation is stopped to leave generous residual sweetness and a low 8 percent alcohol. There is no oak. With more than a decade of bottle age the 2009 has settled, the primary fruit broadening into a riper, honeyed register. The colour is pale gold. The nose shows white peach, apricot, lemon and honey with a stony, earthy slate note and a touch of ginger. The palate is sweet but kept light and racy by the firm acidity, finishing long and mineral. Serve well chilled at around 8 degrees, an able partner for spiced food.