The title suggests it, Goldtröpfchen meaning golden drops, or rather golden droplets as Tropfen is drops while Tröpfchen tends to be smaller drops, droplet(s) and a kinder way to put drops. There are a few explanation for the name, Goldtröpfchen.

According to Karl Christoffel the name Goldtröpfchen comes from the small bits of the overripe berries when they´re affected by the noble rot. While the word gold could go back to the Celtic “col” meaning slope or simply the stone which tends to reflect the sunshine.

Whatever the reason for its name is, the single vineyard site at the middle Mosel, Goldtröpfchen is a famous site and in fact the town Piesport was well known during the Romans but even before, during Celtic time must this have been a notable site.

Just when the Mosel turns again to North East and flows straight but rather parallel, there is on the left side of the river the town Piesport. Some refer to it as a centre of wine making during Roman time. Through the bending of the river, a natural amphitheatre is formed which provided the vineyards around Piesport with a special micro climate. Notably the Grafenberg which is slightly South, just before the river bends on the left side and of course Goldtröfpchen which is right and left of the town. But there is also Domherr which sort of is almost part of the Goldtröpfchen vineyard(s) and tweaked in the Schubertslay. One of the smallest vineyard sites along the Mosel and entirely owned by the Haart family is the Kreuzwinger just above the East side Goldtröpfchen site. Another notable sites are the Falkenberg, Günterslay.

Piesport was first mentioned in 776 and then later the Benedict Abbey of Prüm which had vineyards here in the middle Mosel during the medieval time. In 1765 lower quality vines had to be removed in favour of the Riesling. This was even put into law in 1786 by Kurfürst (elector) Clemens Wenzeslaus, who ordered to plant the vineyard hills only with Riesling as its the highest quality of grape.

Piesport and the best vineyards around the town (like Goldtröpfchen) always fetched highest prices and it was not only greed but also German administrative work which almost destroyed the reputation of the best sites. No, it was not Flurbereinigung (restructuring of the vineyards) but the fact that the term Großlage got introduced. This collective site in this case Piesporter Michelsberg would have the name of the most famous town and gather vineyards under this name which would be less good sites. One could say it was simply the commercialization of the name Piesport, as the joint vineyard site Piesporter Michelsberg include: Piesport, Neumagen, Dhron, Trittenheim and the less well known towns when it comes to quality wine making of Sehlem, Hetzerath, Rivenich and Minheim. The Grosslage is 1300 ha which makes it bigger then Ahr and Mittelrhein wine regions together. Just to point out Piesporter Goldtröpfchen is around 67 ha.

The soil is quite complex in the Goldtröpfchen single vineyard site, quartz with stony clay and decomposed slate, mainly Devon (blue) slate, rich in iron-oxide. The sun ray reflection coming from the river is vital with the heat retention of the water. Erosion is still a threat but with the Flurbereinigung a lot of work is done to make life easier. The vineyard Goldtröpfchen is at least 30% steep with a high of 125 – 160 m. The 67 ha is has only Riesling South East and South West faced. Long sun shine hours are given, while the site is protected from winds and has a great drainage.

One of the most outstanding producers in Piesport is the quiet Theo Haart from the Reinhold Haart Winery. The estate is actually in Piesport as well and beside the first class (Erste Lage) site Goldtröpfchen (owns 5 ha) the monopole site Kreuzwingert belongs to the family winery too. This is a South facing site with Devon slate rich in clay and brown forest earth. Possibly one of the smallest vineyard with a name on it, as it’s not more then 0,1 ha in size. The family has further sites in Wintrich after Minheim the next town. The Ohligsberg is a 7 ha South West to West facing vineyard site with slate and quartzite soil. The name Ohligsberg probably comes from the “zum Oelberg” referring to a chapel. The wines had always a good name and demanded high prices in the past, sometimes even higher then the more famous parts of the Mosel/Saar like the Scharzhofberger. Great site, and Theo Haart was amongst the very few who rediscovered its potential. It gives great Rieslings once again with a spicy mineral and racy acidity to the world.

I had a chance to visit the Haart estate in Piesport and taste their wines on quite a few occasions and I must compliment despite the fact that the wines are rarely dry but have plenty of natural sugar left. I keep asking why he doesn’t really make any dry Riesling. It is difficult says Theo to produce dry wines and this is not the major thing, but rather to create a well balanced wine. The acidity is very high and wines could feel too tart and unbalanced if there would be no residual sugar left in the wines. Theo focuses on terroir and he ferments the wines with wild yeast only, this sometimes takes very long time and then again you sort of leave it to nature the balancing act. Lower alcohol, higher acidity and residual sugar, to get calculation right. The average yield is low, around 60 hl/ha, and on 6 ha is produces annually around 50000 bottles of wine. The wines have a certain richness but they´re never too heavy but always have a sense of true minerality with ripe fruit notes of peach and citrus. Sometimes a floral, herbal, spicy notes are attached to the minerality in combination with a hint of petrol. All wines tend to have residual sugar, low alcohol and a great acidity. I like the approach towards terroir and the idea to ferment the wines with natural yeast as it expresses the concept terroir at the best.

Address:
Winery Reinhold Haart
www.haart.de

Tasted wines

01/11/06
Weingut Reinhold Haart

Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett 2005
Light golden colour with lime and citrus notes on the nose. Elegant with a certain spicy mineral, fruit salad character. Off-dry, fine, excellent minerality, elegant and crisp lemon notes.

Haart Grafenberg Spätlese 2005
Intense straw yellow, golden colour, spicy lime on the nose. Red slate soil, good minerality, sweet fruit character, mango peach. Elegant sweetness and ripe, peach, lemon fruit. Soft and smooth with a long drill, fairly sweet around 100 g/l RS, good balance, mineral, flinty after taste, good mouth feel.

Haart Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2005
Slightly closed nose, lime, grapefruit undertone. Sweet, fine balance good grip yet lightness, the wine is gliding on the palate, effortless, fine creamy fellow, good length with a spicy mineral touch and rose petals, flint and sweetness.

Haart Wintricher Ohligsberg Spätlese 2005
Fairly full with a rocky lime and citrus note. Creamy fruitiness, fruit drops, pear, peach. Sweet touch on the palate, racy and an immediate mineral attack. Rolls smooth and fine, balanced, strong fruity –fruit salad- finish.

Haart Goldtröfpchen Auslese 2005
Fine fruity nose, elegant and not cloying, acidity very good, sweet citrus and peach notes, remarkable balance and really long too. Good backbone and still young, complex notes, great sweetness.

Haart Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2003
Golden colour, developed nose tends to show, notes of petrol with a hint of oxidative notes too steely and an idea of honey. Sweet, soft wine, creamy fruit of lemon and peach, hint of vanilla and great minerality, gun powder, acidity vibrant too.

17/05/06
Weingut Grans-Fassian
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese 2003
82 g/l RS, 7g/l acidity, pale golden colour, sweet but with a certain salty mineral note on the palate. Rather good combination, sweet with a flinty notes and good acidity, ripe character, but medium length and finish.

22/05/07

Weingut St. Urbans-Hof
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2005
Cool spicy minerality on the nose, some sort of wild notes with a distinctive sweet, fruity note. 42 g/l RS, crisp acidity, rich and yet refreshing on the other side not too complex but more then simple.

Güterverwaltung Stiftsweingüter
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2005
Pale golden colour with a spicy ripe stone fruit character, lemon and peach on the nose. Good precision, sweet and bitter, spice combination, juicy medium finish.

12/06/07
Weingut Reinhold Haart
Piesporter Kreuzwingert Spätlese feinherb 2006
Very intense nose, some citrus fruit with a peach and lemon juicy, fruit salad. Off-dry, very mineral character and beside the ripe fruit a definitive spicy character with fruit drops.

Piesporter Grafenberg Spätlese 2006
Gun powder and flint on the nose with a spice, the hardcore mineral manager. Fruit comes as a distant second in lime and lemon form, elegant however, full and ripe, comfort wine.

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 1er Spätlese 2006
Ripe lemon, citrus and stone fruit. Gun powder shoot from the corner. Fruity, well balanced elegant and charming wine, ripe fruit.

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 1er Auslese 2006
Very floral and herbal nose with ripe stone fruit. Complex, nose opens more and more with time, good layers. Very ripe and elegant with a great mineral character.

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 1er Auslese 2003
Cool breeze of minerality with the pop out of ripe stone fruit, sweet, great acidity and good fullish notes, quick a bit in the palate, but fine depth.

12/06/07
Weingut St. Urbans-Hof
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2006
Fullish nose with a fiery flinty and spice character. Good grip on the palate, plenty of fruitiness with a sweet and ripe fruit. Sleek and elegant with a good finish.

12/06/07
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Annegret Reh-Gartner
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2006
Honey and floral notes on the nose, classic style. Good grip and elegant ripe and warm mouth feel with a sweet and ripe fruit character, whiff of minerality.

1/11/07
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Annegret Reh-Gartner
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese 2001 (Halves)
Golden colour, rich flinty notes with a slate minerality and a truck load of ripe fruit yet very classic style. I would say rather old school, soft and round with a racy acidity and tropical fruit, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, good density.

11/06/08
Weingut Reinhold Haart
Haart to HEART 2007
Piesporter Riesling feinherb
The term feinherb means somewhat off-dry, lightly dry only and a wine maker could call technically anything which has residual sugar above 9 g/l feinherb. Pale golden colour with a soft spice and peach fruit on the nose. Racy and good acidity with a hint of fruit drops. Fine.

Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2007
Spicy fruit on the nose, crisp, great acidity, vibrant wine with a soft touch of petrol and minerality. Good finished and balanced between fruitiness and acidity.

Piesporter Grafenberg Riesling Spätlese 2007
More red slate in the soil as Theo Haart explains it, spicy wine with a good “nerve”, crisp acidity, fantastic acidity and good length.

Piesport Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 2007
Light golden colour, very elegant and creamy peach, citrus, lime on the nose. Hint of minerality and fruity style, good balance with the acidity and sweetness. Fine finish and complex notes.

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese 2007
Lemon green colour, great acidity and oily texture, good sweetness, 118 g/l RS and 8 g/l TA, great harmony, fruity ripe lemon, citrus and peach, mango notes. Long finish, very nice indeed.

Tags: goldtröpfchen, piesport

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