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Vollenweider

Inspired by his experience of Rieslings from Müller and Prüm, Daniel Vollenweider moved to the Mosel from his native Switzerland (in fact, from Graubünden, famed for its Pinot Noir), apprenticed at Dr. Loosen, and in 1999 established his own estate. He had quickly recognized that there were many potentially outstanding Middle Mosel vineyards lacking dedicated champions and was able to assemble prime parcels in the Wolfer Goldgrube, establishing residence in an old cellar not far downstream on the edge of Traben-Trarbach. Initially, Vollenweider produced only residually sweet bottlings from the Goldgrube that conspicuously reflected his inspiration by Prüm, among other things through their tendency to retain CO2 and their proclivity to exhibit a youthful veil of fermentative stink. In 2006, Vollenweider launched a second vineyard- and vine-reclamation project under the name “Schimbock” – referring to a riverside parcel of the Trabener Würzgarten Einzellage. He began vinifying and aging in something he felt must approach the manner of an earlier era, incorporating prolonged skin contact, basket pressing, complete fermentation, and bottling only after a year or more. But the 2008 financial crisis brought with it an imperative to expand his domestic market, which required a larger volume of dry Riesling, so from vintage 2009, Vollenweider added to his portfolio first one and eventually several dry wines from vineyards in Traben-Trarbach and Wolf, principally from the Goldberg. Fortunately, it became clear that his exceptional talents swung both ways. The dry wines, all of which save for Schimbock are generally raised in tank, are not labeled trocken despite nearly always qualifying. The 2008 vintage saw Vollenweider’s first wines from the Kröver Steffensberg, and that involvement has expanded over the past several years so that a range of outstanding residually sweet Rieslings from this site can now be compared with those from the Goldgrube. Vollenweider continues to do most of the work himself, and his wines continue to display exemplary purity of fruit, textural refinement and exceptional balance, with a remarkable ability to hide or adeptly integrate high levels of residual sugar.

In 2014, Vollenweider didn’t attempt to do separate pre-harvest culling; nor did selection for Auslese strike him as appropriate to the condition of this season’s grapes. His pickers were instructed to make their decision at the vine and leave behind any questionable or compromised clusters. As my notes indicate, the results were highly satisfying in the context of a difficult vintage.

From 2014 on the Mosel: Man Bats Last (Nov 2016) by David Schildknecht

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2014 Riesling Felsenfest

Release Price: $23

Color: White

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