2016 Riesling Lieserer Niederberg Helden Auslese

The rise to fame of this estate and of proprietor Thomas Haag now spans 25 years. Actually, that should read “return to fame” since in the late 19th and early 20th century Schloss Lieser was the primary seat of the once-famed Puricelli-von Schorlemer wine growing dynasty. There is no longer any doubt among today’s Mosel devotees that the Niederberg Helden vineyard deserves the renown it enjoyed back then, and that its fall into obscurity for most of the past century was simply an unfortunate accident. Nonetheless, Schloss Lieser’s and Thomas Haag’s contemporary high standing owes much to his having early on inherited holdings in Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr; his enlargement of the estate over the past four years to encompass four further highly prestigious Einzellagen (as detailed in the introduction to my coverage of their 2015s) has further boosted that reputation. Of course, fundamental to the success of Weingut Schloss Lieser is the consistently impressive workmanship of Haag and his long-time vineyard manager Philipp Veser.

Despite bouts with peronospora on certain sites, the estate brought in a normal-sized 2016 crop, beginning in the second week of October but primarily concentrated in the period between October 23 and November 7. Since must weights crept forward only slowly during that period and the weather was consistently chilly and clear, conditions were absolutely ideal for doing justice to what are now 54 vine acres – and many parcels were subjected to three passes. As striking testimony to those harvest conditions, consider that even for Grosses Gewächs, Haag and Veser left their new parcel in notoriously heat-trapping Bernkasteler Doctor almost until last. That having been noted, the Kabinetts weren’t picked until they had reached roughly 90 Oechsle, something Haag is able to get away with by somehow managing to leave behind 50-60 grams of residual sugar without the wines tasting overtly sweet. Near-absence of botrytis was also conducive to leisurely harvest, though it meant that, as enormous as this latest Schloss Lieser lineup is, it features few literally ennobled sweet wines and no BA or TBA. “Humidity levels were just too low during the hot September and chilly October to promote botrytis,” explained Haag. But the array of Auslesen I tasted – achieved primarily from healthy overripe and spontaneously desiccated fruit – is formidable indeed. (Unfortunately, I missed out on tasting a Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese and a Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel.)

Haag observed that his 2016s on the whole opened up and were approachable early in 2017. While the bulk of this collection is analytically modest in acidity (in the 7-8.5 gram per liter range) those acids are marvelously efficacious, because brightness, animation and refreshment abound even at the lower end of total acidity represented by the Grosse Gewächse (which also benefit from harboring barely over 12% alcohol). Bottling ranged from April through to mid-July for the seven (yes, seven!) Grosse Gewächse, which when I tasted them at the end of that month – from day-open bottles that had been utilized for the official laboratory analyses – were highly expressive within the confines of their relatively austere style. (I’ve learned from recent experience: Schloss Lieser Riesling is in such demand that if I wait until the end of summer to visit here, not even one bottle is likely to be found of numerous wines, whether they’re intro-level or prestigious. For details about the history and methods of this estate, consult the introduction to my coverage of his 2014s.)