Aug 13 2015
Karthäuserhof my girlfriends new love
It must have been a sunny October when she got to taste the Auslese Riesling 2013 from Karthäuserhof at their Austrian distributor, Kracher in Illmitz. Was is the sheer elegance the beauty which captured her? Or was it the minerality, purity and personality from the Ruwer which got on to her? Call it the Riesling wine bug or whatever but it sure is fun. Best remedy in such a case is to get preferably a few bottles of the wine. I suppose any one would agree with me. Even better if you visit the winery and find all those little secrets out for yourself. Or if there are no “secrets” at least you had a great time and enjoyed the wines in close distance to the sense of place.
Christian Vogt the cellar master of Karthäuserhof (previously at the Domäne Niederhausen at the Nahe) is in charge since a few years to craft great wines. The name of their monopole single vineyard in Eitelsbach is called Karthäuserhofberg (19 ha). Almost exclusively planted with Riesling, where its lightly more clayey there is 1% Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), but very steep at every corner up to 55%.It belongs to the Tyrell family beside the Ruwer river with a South to South West exposition and it´s mentioned in the 1868 classification amongst the finest of the Mosel region. The soil is a mixture of slate and clay, reddish and blue colour with good warmth capturing conditions not to mention the certain minerality which some times is hard to explain purely based on soil. But there is a certain mixture of fruity fragrance and saltiness in the wine with the nervy, crisp attitude.
Christoph Tyrell took over in 1986 as 6th generation decedent of the Rautenstrauch-Tyrell family. The estate has a long history once even belong to the French State.
What´s unique with the bottle that these do not have the usual front label but only a neck labels. The story goes that Wilhelm Rauch the great grand father of Christoph Tyrell wasn´t allowed to enjoy wine by his beloved wife between the four walls so he decided to sample the wines in the back garden. The little creek provided just the welcomed cooling yet to keep the labels on the wine bottles they had to put on the neck of the bottle.
There is not much secret in the winery. The Rieslings are vinified only in stainless steel to support a clear fruit driven, mineral purity says Christian. It´s also attention to detail every tank is different so it has to be handled accordingly. This means also wild or cultured yeast will be used depending on the circumstances. Needless to say that much is down to the actual site, they only use natural fertilizers and between several of the vine rows they plant clover and rapeseed to keep a happy diversity.
Do not miss the town of Trier (Treves) which used to be amongst the biggest cities of the world during the Roman Empire. With many architectural highlights like the black gate, Porta Nigra.
Tasting notes 19/04/2015
Tyrells Pinot Blanc Brut
Small bubbles pale lemon colour. Flinty mineral nose with some stone fruit character. Dry and very fresh on the palate, sturdy yet elegant.
Drink now
Weissburgunder 2014
Pale lemon colour. Neutral fresh peach lemon. Zesty simple crisp dry finish.
Drink now
Ruwer Riesling 2014
Lemon colour. Hint of cheesy character, leesy floral mineral nose. Leesy and beery texture on the palate as well in combination with rich grapefruit and juicy finish.
Drink now – 2016
Riesling 2013
Pale lemon colour. Floral round stone fruit delicate and elegant aromatics. Feels dry, citrus and grapy floral notes with zesty fruity finish. Classic
Drink now
Riesling Schieferkristal 2014
Floral gun flint slatey aromas, salty citrus juicy note with certain minerality on the nose. Dry, mineral driven, bright flavours with some concentrated juicy rich finish. Nice.
Drink now – 2016
Riesling Schieferkristal 2013
Lemon colour. Stone fruit and ripe grapefruit followed by peach and mango, freshness all the way with good depth. Lemon juicy on the palate, focused and long finish.
Drink now – 2017
Riesling Alte Reben 2014
Pale lemon colour. Good depth on the nose, juicy with plenty of layers perfumed and citrus driven. Dry, very elegant with a good zip of freshness, yet ripe stone fruit and fleshy fresh finish, you call it a 3F wine: fleshy, fresh fruit, ah yeah good with then it’s 4 F.
Drink now – 2018
Riesling Alte Reben 2013
Medium deep lemon colour. Delicate nose, very fragrant. Dry yet lowish alcohol, light bodied, delicate with good focus, effortless, mouth filling perfume good finish dash of minerality as well. Drink now – 2017
Riesling Tyrells Edition 2014
Lemon colour. Fresh fleshy stone fruit stony mineral layers. Smoky perfume rich intense finish yet there is this effortlessness and lightweight attitude all the way.
Drink now – 2017
Riesling 2012
Hint of horse radish oxidative touch on the nose. Smoky stone fruit, zesty delicate floral perfume fine peach, apricot, long fruit concentration. Delicate and zesty grapefruit finish with lovely bright notes.
Drink now
Riesling GG 2009
Lemon colour. Closed nose but with time there is some flinty spice underlined by citrus developing. Slowly but surely. Dry round texture with hint of oily rich stone fruit character. Fairly full bodied and dry mid palate as well, good focus.
Drink now – 2020
Riesling QbA 2014
Citrus limey zest delicate nose. Off dry with good nerve, fruity simple and fresh zesty finish.
Drink now – 2016
Riesling 2011
Floral perfumed nose with hint of mineral edge. Zesty, fruity and with steely focus, juicy finish.
Fruity perfumed mineral smooth ripe finish.
Drink now
Riesling Schieferkristall Kabinett 2014
Stone fruit spicy slatey perfume floral nose moderately intense. Off dry fresh crisp delicate fruity finish. Round and easy to drink.
Drink now – 2017
Riesling Kabinett 2014
Lemon colour with bright fresh and citrus, floral perfume note. Very fruity, light body soft mid palate followed by crisp yet silky mineral structure. Lovely sweetness at the end as well.
Drink now – 2018
Riesling 2011
Lemon colour fresh fruity delicate bright stone fruit. Zesty grapefruit and lemon perfume on the palate. Moderate intensity light fresh style, delicate citrus note with good finish.
Drink now
Riesling Spätlese 2014
Lemon colour. Pear drop, fruity nose, very delicate fine tuned. Sweet on the palate, lovely richness and fruitiness with bright zesty finish. Delicate yet light bodied, elegant and good focus on the finish.
Drink now – 2018
Riesling Spätlese 2013
Light lemon colour. Citrus, fresh mineral zesty flint and gun powder notes. Very fragrant and plenty of layers, gorgeous elegant and with sturdy grapefruit, zesty lemon finish. Multi layered, good fruit concentration and sweetness.
Drink now – 2018
Riesling Auslese 2014
Lemon colour (recently bottled). Fresh fruity elegant stone fruit intense good depth and zesty elegant citrus grapefruit intense long focus and great freshness vibrancy. The sweetness extremely well balanced with the fruit profile and body.
Drink 2016 – 2022
Riesling Auslese 2012
Lemon colour vibrant. Citrus floral elegant vibrant juicy grapefruit, peach, apricot, quince. Lovely, lovely indeed. Plenty to discover. Sweet fruit core with great finesse and elegant freshness. Medium finish yet plenty of juiciness at the end, not as concentrated as the 2013.
Drink now – 2018
Riesling 2011 Auslese no 49
Delicious mineral driven nose with plenty fiery, peppery, mineral attributes. But there is a lot of bold fruit concentration, peach, pear, apricot, yellow plum as well. Fine sweetness with 112 g/l of rs, flinty finish with concentration.
Drink now – 2022