Weingut Ratzenberger Steeger St. Jost Riesling Spatlese Trocken, Mittelrhein, Germany

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The Ratzenbergers’ 2004 Steeger St. Jost Spatlese trocken smells of toasted hazelnuts and walnuts and displays an ample, brothy, palate impression that is also reminiscent of white Burgundy. Strong wet-stone notes however place this wine firmly on slate slopes, and its clarity of fruit, persistent minerality, and juiciness could only come from Riesling. A glance at the analysis reveals a – given this wine’s palate impression - surprisingly low 11.5% alcohol. The fermentation was long and slow, and it had only been in bottle for 10 days when I tasted, so one can anticipate some short-term improvement. The Jochen Ratzenbergers – father and son – seldom fear letting the acidity of their Rieslings hang out, and they also craft wines that often need a couple of year’s bottle age to blossom, so my verdict on their 2004s may well require upgrading. Acid levels in the grapes stayed high, but Jochen Ratzenberger Jr. reports that the estate has never experienced such unprovoked precipitation of tartrates as this year, which significantly diminished the finished acids.Importer: Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ tel 856-608-9644