2017 Riesling Dorsheimer Goldloch Spätlese

Caroline Diel’s increased emphasis on clarity and alcoholic levity received support from the 2016 growing season, which also rewarded her with normal overall volume, a circumstance abnormal considering the losses to frost, peronospora, sunburn or some combination thereof that afflicted so many growers. That said, peronospora seriously cut yields in the Burgberg, which happens to be the site whose Grosses Gewächs the Diels have just elected to give a second winter (or longer) of élevage, in consequence of which I cannot yet report on that 2016, and Caroline Diel intimated that its release might even be delayed past 2019. What’s decided, though, is that the Burgberg Grosses Gewächs will spend just shy of one year in cask, the additional élevage taking place in tank. Another recent development in the Diel portfolio is the decision to limit site-specific Kabinett bottlings to Schlossberg and Goldloch and no longer offer a Pittersberg Kabinett. This strikes me as slightly surprising as well as disappointing given that Kabinett seems to be undergoing a revival and that the Diels and their wines have been such eloquent spokespeople for that genre. But demand for legally dry wine still far outstrips that for residually sweet. In fact, there isn’t a generic Kabinett this vintage either, though last time I spoke with Caroline Diel, she was anticipating bottling one from 2017. And speaking of things there aren’t, one has to wonder whether the Diels’ (or their customers’) longstanding love affair with Eiswein might be coming to an end, since none was attempted in this vintage that turned out to be so well suited to generating wines of that genre.

The 2016 Riesling harvest here took place mostly from mid- to late-October and was finished on November 3. “We were able to reach 94-95 Oechsle,” related Diel, “but there wasn’t much coming in at 95.” That translated into Grosse Gewächse of around 12.5% in alcohol, which she characterized as “in fact my goal. It would be nice to experience something like the autumn of 2016 again,” she added, “where the must weights plateau while flavors ripen. But who knows how often if ever we’ll get to.” (For further background on this estate and its methodology, consult the introductions to my reports focused on its 2014s and 2015s. The timing of my visits enabled me to report on the 2015 editions of Diel’s three cask-raised bottlings from Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, but I have not yet had an opportunity to taste their vintage 2016 successors. And as the absence of notes on sparkling wines demonstrates, there were no new cuvées for me to sample on my most recent visit.)

Caroline Diel continues to refine the style established under her father’s regimen, and in her case these are changes wrought in the heat and pressure of the kitchen, even if this mother of three also somehow finds time to remove her gumboots and supervise the front of her prestigious house. That said, as readers know by now, 2015 was a vintage with comparatively little pressure (though, granted, lots of heat ;- ), and Diel is unsurprisingly enthusiastic about the vintage’s combination of ripeness, modest must weights, acid retention and impeccable health of raw materials. “The September rain caused some berries to split,” she notes, “and some botrytis to develop, but the berries in question for the most part dried up nicely, and I can state with confidence that 2015 delivered the cleanest fruit I have seen in a number of years.” A recently-completed cellar-renovation and enlargement is another reason why, in Diel’s words, “we can now work a bit more meticulously [penibler].” Diel was at pains to assure me that the presence of just two Kabinetts (one an auction lot) this vintage did not represent a trend but was merely conditioned on the sheer ripeness of 2015 raw materials, and similar considerations motivated a decision not to attempt Eiswein. (For further background on this estate and its methodology, consult the introduction to my account of its 2014s.)

Caroline Diel (assisted by veteran cellarmaster Christoph Friedrich) continues to display a deft hand on the rudder at this estate, whose international fame rests on the career of Diel’s father, Armin. I am as deeply impressed as ever by this family’s Rieslings, albeit less wowed by their numerous (and, at least within Germany, wildly successful) efforts with Burgundian grapes. The Diels started picking Riesling in late September of 2014 and, like most of their colleagues, they were finished in near-record time. Also familiar from this vintage was Caroline Diel’s account of having started out by doing pre-harvest passes through the vineyards but eventually, in many of them, simultaneously performing triage and one-time harvest. “Everything that made it into the cellar was perfect material, though,” she insisted, so that beyond chilling it as quickly as possible, handling and vinification involved no special precautions and proceeded largely according to the estate’s established regimen. “We employed skin contact, albeit not for too long,” she reported. “This year’s fruit from Schlossberg did not convince me that it deserved separate bottling,” Diel notes, “but when we bottle Schlossberg in the future, it will be not as a Grosses Gewächs but instead as a dry Erste Lage bottling.” As at so many addresses, the 2014 vintage Grosse Gewächse here are drier yet also lower-alcohol than usual, weighing in at only 12% to 12.5%. And while the almost routine streak of nobly sweet elixirs at this address is broken with 2014, nobody could call the vintage less than an outstanding success here.

Little by little Caroline Diel has managed over the past few years to put her own stamp on the style of wine produced at her family’s estate. Once known principally as rich and imposing, Diel's wines have become more refined and delicate with each passing vintage. Not only that, she excels in literally every Riesling discipline, from dry Grosses Gewächs and off-dry Kabinetts to subtly sweet Spätleses and succulent Ausleses. Further, her Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are often at the top of their class in the regional heats. Enjoy bubbles? Among German sparkling wines few other than those of Volker Raumland have ever been of a quality to compete with Diel's 2006 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling (91) or 2006 Mo (92). Along with Tim Fröhlich, Caroline Diel is slowly emerging as one of the most talented winemakers of her generation on the Nahe, although she probably wouldn't like that term. I generally see her wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and boots, just back from the vineyards and not afraid to be caught with dirt under her fingernails. In any case, few others can compete with her 2013s. Diel now has a new fermentation cellar, which, as she told me, “made harvest much easier in 2014.”

Over the past couple of vintages Caroline Diel has slowly begun to unfold her hand, revealing a somewhat more delicate and refined style than what we had known here in the years before. The estate's three finest sites each shone in its own discipline in 2012. The Burgberg was again one of the finest dry rieslings of the vintage on the Nahe; the Goldloch and Pittermännchen showed their respective strengths as spätleses and ausleses. Enjoy bubbles? Among German sparkling wines, few have ever been of a quality to compete with the 2006 Mo. (www.diel.eu) Also recommended: 2012 Grauburgunder Nahestein (86), 2012 Pinot Blanc Reserve (87), 2012 Pinot Gris Reserve (88), 2012 Victor (89), 2012 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (88), 2012 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2011 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Spatlese (91), 2012 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Auslese (90), 2012 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (92), 2012 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Eiswein (91), 2011 Pinot Noir Caroline (89), 2006 Sekt Brut Nature Cuvee Mo (93). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken Nahestein, 2012 Dorsheimer Riesling Trocken, 2011 Noir de Diel.

Since Caroline Diel finished her studies in Geisenheim and became more closely involved in vineyard and cellar management, the wines of this estate have acquired a more refined edge, from the intricate Pittermannchen through the more structured Goldloch to the sumptuous Burgberg. They have always counted among the finest rieslings of any given vintage, but they now show an added elegance that makes them eminently more drinkable, especially in their youth. Although not readily available in the States, their Pinot Noir Caroline is often the finest example of this variety from the Nahe, and the estate's sparkling wines, above all their "Mo," named after Armin Diel's wife, are always among the best in Germany. Other wines tasted: 2011 Riesling Trocken Nahestein, 2011 Rosé de Diel. Also recommended: 2011 Pinot Gris Reserve (87), 2011 Pinot Blanc Reserve (88), 2011 Victor (89), 2011 Scheurebe Spatlese (88), 2011 Dorsheim Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (88), 2011 Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2011 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Spatlese (91), 2011 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (91), 2011 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93), 2011 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2011 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese (94), 2011 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94), 2010 Pinot Noir Caroline (89), 2006 Prestige Sekt "Mo" (93).

As Armin Diel and his daughter Caroline have long played the hedonistic edge that their warmer sites on the lower Nahe allow, the acidity in 2010, as with 2008 before it, adds a refined elegance that riesling lovers, myself included, always enjoy. Within a given vintage, they develop a variety of nuances through their vineyard origins, from the more opulent Burgberg through the bright, well-structured Goldloch to the lacy intricacy of the Pittermannchen. And no one makes better sparkling wines on the Nahe or, for that matter, much anywhere else in Germany. Also recommended: 2010 Pinot Blanc (86), 2010 Grauburgunder (87), 2010 Scheurebe Spatlese (89), 2010 Dorsheim Riesling Trocken (86), 2010 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (87), 2010 Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2010 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs (90), 2010 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Kabinett (87), 2010 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Spatlese (90), 2010 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Auslese (91), 2010 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Auslese (92), 2010 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93), 2010 Riesling Eiswein (93), 2009 Noir de Diel (85), 2009 Pinot Noir Caroline (89), 2005 Prestige Sekt Mo (90).Other wines tasted: 2010 Riesling Trocken Nahestein (86).

Two thousand nine, like 2007, is an excellent vintage here, but again one that lives from sheer hedonism rather than the refined elegance that emerged in 2008. As in 2007, my two favorite rieslings are the dry Burgberg Grosses Gewachs and the Goldloch Spatlese, but Diel also produced two lovely kabinetts, several well-balanced pinot blanc and pinot gris bottlings culminating in the barrel-aged Victor, and a serious pinot noir named Caroline after his daughter who now manages the estate. Father and daughter also consistently make the best sparkling wines of any of the major German estates. Also recommended: 2009 Grauburgunder (86), 2009 Pinot Blanc (87), 2009 Pinot Gris (88), 2009 Victor (91), 2009 Riesling Trocken Nahestein (86), 2009 Dorsheim Riesling Trocken (87), 2009 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (89), 2009 Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs (91), 2009 Riesling Kabinett (86), 2009 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Auslese (91), 2009 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Auslese (92), 2009 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (92), 2009 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2009 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese (94), 2009 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94+), 2009 Rose de Diel (86), 2008 Pinot Noir (87) and 2008 Pinot Noir Caroline (89).

Armin Diel was one of the first to say that the hype being built around 2007 may not be completely justified. Even today, he personally rates the vintage with four out of five stars-on a par with 2004 but slightly below 2005. "In particular, we didn't have the botrytis to make noble late harvest wines at the highest levels," he comments. That said, his 2007s are excellent across the board, with even the "simple" Rose de Diel being a pleasure to drink. My two favorite rieslings are the dry Burgberg Grosses Gewachs and the Goldloch Spatlese, but he also produced well-balanced barrel-aged whites from pinot blanc and pinot gris, culminating in Victor, and his daughter's Pinot Noir Caroline has become a very serious wine. The estate also made two beerenausleses in 2007, but I have not yet tasted them. In a nutshell, few estates in Germany do so well in so many disciplines. (In the interests of full disclosure, I should note that Armin Diel and I are co-authors of an annual German wine guide. ) (Terry Theise Estate Selections) Also recommended: 2007 Diel de Diel (87), 2007 Pinot Gris (90), 2007 Pinot Blanc (90), 2007 Victor (92), 2007 Dorsheim Riesling Trocken (87), 2007 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (89), 2007 Burg Layer Schlossberg Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewachs (91), 2007 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewachs (91), 2007 Dorsheimer Riesling (87), 2007 Burg Layer Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Kabinett (89), 2007 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Kabinett (88), 2007 Dorsheimer Burgberg Spatlese (92), 2007 Rose de Diel (88), 2006 Pinot Noir Caroline (91).

Although Armin Diel knows that his 2006s are not as stunning as was his 2005 line-up, he certainly turned out one of the finest collections on the Nahe and one of the top dozen or so in Germany. Part of this success must be attributed to his daughter Caroline, who, after studying winemaking in Geisenheim and gathering experience in both France and New Zealand, now works full-time at the estate supporting winemaker Christoph Friedrich. The rieslings here have become purer and lighter, as if the Mosel had changed its course, and the barrel-aged wines show much better balance. Even the pinot noirs have taken on a French accent. (Terry Theise Estate Selections) Also recommended: 2006 Diel de Diel (85), 2006 Victor (90), 2006 Riesling Trocken Eierfels (88), 2006 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewachs (90), 2006 Dorsheimer Riesling (86), 2006 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Kabinett (87), Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Spatlese (92), 2006 Rose de Diel (86).

Armin Diel believes that his 2005s are the finest wines the estate has ever produced. That said, he thought the same of the 2003s two years ago. Although I have always enjoyed the mineral drive of the 2004s, I'd have to give the nod to the 2005 vintage as well for the full range of excellent wines it produced. They are a bit more full-bodied than last year's collection, and less marked by vibrant acidity, but impeccably balanced. I should note that given the fact that Armin Diel and I are co-authors of an annual German wine guide (in which his wines do not appear) and have been tasting wine together for nearly two decades, readers might assume that I am favorably biased toward his wines; but Diel himself has always felt that I have been overly critical.

With the considerable time Armin Diel and I had set aside to sample his 2003s, it was still not possible to do justice to their sheer number, to say nothing of degrees Oechsle. I did not taste several of this year's nobly sweet wines, nor any of the Eisweine which Diel indicates are not the real forte of this vintage. Diel believes that his father, with 60 years of winemaking experience, put the overall quality of 2003-at least here-in perspective when he said "I wish I could have had such a vintage in my career. " (Terry Theise) Also recommended: 2002 Pinot Noir Cuvee Caroline, 2003 Rose de Diel, 2003 Cuvee Victor, 2003 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Auslese, 2003 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Auslese.

Armin Diel was in more than his usual high spirits when I visited - and no wonder, given the 200th anniversary of his family's estate, his own 50th year, and above all an excellent run of recent vintages, which certainly extends to 2002. Speaking of celebrations, Diel's 1999 Dorsheimer Goldloch Brut, bottled and disgorged for the estate's jubilee, is a masterpiece of riesling, terroir and champenization. There are (or were) 2,000 expensive bottles of these bubbles (extravagantly Eiswein-dosed and meriting 2 stars), and one can only hope Diel imitates this success with future lots. Diel's 2002 fruit was so ripe that he bottled only the amount of Kabinett he deemed commercially necessary, as all of his fruit was at least high-grade Spatlese by must weight. (Various importers, including Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland, OH) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling Classic, 2002 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Spatlese.

Diel is onex000D of those rare growers who had a terribly hard 2000 act to follow, but I mustx000D say he turned in several extraordinary Auslesen (where the wines seemed betterx000D able to balance their residual sugar than at Spatlese level).x000D The number of bottlings is greatly reducedx000D from recent vintages, partly due to a small crop, but mainly on account of ax000D contract to supply 3,700 cases of dry riesling to Lufthansa.x000D This dictated that what might have beenx000D bottled as Kabinett, Spatlese or dry "Selection" - and this year nox000D fruit came in below Spatlese grade - went into a single blend. x000D (Various importers, includingx000D Langdon-Shiverick)Also recommended: 2001x000D Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Spatlese ($39).

Armin Diel possesses renowned self-promotional skills. But I believe he is correct in asserting that he has never bottled better rieslings than his 2000s, not even in 1998. Diel's barrique-raised pinot blanc and pinot gris also show promise, although I omit detailed notes on these, which were still on their fine lees. As I approached the Diel winery, I saw the first of numerous signs posted in vineyards and stating "here is being grown a riesling Selection." Criteria for the new dry wine category of Selection (in typical German fashion, the word is spelled in English, presumably to add allure) include advance registration, control of yields and vineyard practices, and hand harvesting. These factors are expected to render it unlikely that cooperatives or negociants will take the trouble to participate. Time will tell about that. But has anyone consulted Mother Nature? In effect, these new signs state "we are going to make a dry, full-bodied riesling here (but not in some other vineyard) no matter what nature or anyone else has in mind and no matter what the fruit here or there looks like months from now." Diel points out that Selection wines can benefit in their balance from higher levels of residual sugar than are permitted for Trocken wines, and that Selection bottlings cannot be marketed before September. But why should either of these criteria matter unless the grower is (as many admittedly seem to be) allergic to the word "halbtrocken" and lacks self-restraint? (Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland, OH)

Christoph Friedrich is Armin Diel new winemaker-like his predecessor, from the Mosel. Although the weather did not cooperate for classic Eiswein, thus also depriving him of his trademark style of gold capsule Auslese, Diel expressed satisfaction with his pinots and with riesling in the Kabinett and Spatlese range. With its slightly deeper soil, Burgberg seemed to have the advantage in '97 among Diel's three "crus." In fact, the team here did harvest a late, low-acid '97 Eiswein, tastier than easily 90% of those I sampled, but to his credit he is not putting it on his price list and will only sell it from his tasting room. (Rudi Wiest)