2018 Riesling Hattenheimer Hasel Trockenbeerenauslese

“One thing for sure,” related Urban Kaufmann of his and partner Eva Raps’ 2018 experience, “our fifth harvest was the most relaxed.” Not only did the extreme meteorological challenges that the couple faced in 2016 and 2017 have no 2018 counterpart, but the persistence of balmy weather encouraged them not to rush. Picking of Pinot commenced at the beginning of September, with Riesling following on its heels and continuing through mid-October. Kaufmann reported having let his crushed Riesling grapes sit for at most a couple of hours before pressing, as acidity was relatively low, and despite what the wines’ analyses might lead one to assume, there is no lack of animation to the Kaufmann vintage 2018 Rieslings. In pursuit of more distinctive character, Kaufmann and Raps crushed and began fermenting some grapes in the vineyard to use as a starter for stimulating subsequent cellar fermentations, thus in principle benefiting from an early influence of vineyard yeasts, an approach also recently taken at Gunderloch. (Considerable detail concerning this recent venture – which arose in 2014 from an acquisition of the former Weingut Hans Lang – can be found in my previous report, covering wines from its initial vintages, 2014–2017. That includes an explanation of the unique hierarchy of Kaufmann bottlings. Wines not labeled with Prädikat are legally dry, but in most instances not marketed under the description trocken. Incidentally, the mono-cépage Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris bottlings that I review below from vintage 2018 have been a regular part of the Kaufmann lineup, just not ones I had previously been offered a chance to taste.)