2016 Riesling Saar

While the massive new van Volxem facility, that dominates the plateau immediately above the Saarfeilser vineyards, was not quite completed, proprietor Roman Niewodniczanski was able to utilize its receiving area and cellar for handling his 2016 crop. Rigorous selection is like a religion at this address, and having by his accounts successfully fought-off peronospora, thanks to intensive hand-sprayings by the enormous as well as enormously able-bodied van Volxem crew, Niewodniczanski reports that “we went through every parcel three times during harvest in order to optimize quality.” He adds that “we performed two pre-harvest passes in Mehring” – one of two Mosel villages whence some of the fruit nowadays comes for generic bottlings – “just to remove botrytis.” And Niewodniczanski is not referring to any massive outbreak of rot, but rather to removing clusters that harbor only a slight taint. The main harvest lasted throughout October and into the first week of November. Once again this year, relays Niewodniczanski, “twelve women were assigned solely to pick-out any botrytized or otherwise imperfect berries” that might have nonetheless made it to the press house. After one tastes the results, crediting this account becomes less of an act of faith and more of a confirmation.

Just as in 2015, Niewodniczanski is proud to note that “over 90% of our wines finished legally dry and not one exceeded 12% finished alcohol.” The days of van Volxem wines in legally halbtrocken range might well be over indefinitely – which would permit Niewodniczanski to promote all of his top, vineyard-designated wines as Grosse Gewächse if he wished – but thankfully a by now trademark combination of textural richness and intensely ripe flavor with alcoholic levity also appears here to stay. Van Volxem is setting a superb stylistic example for any fellow VDP growers who still cling to the delusion that “bigger is better.” (Nor has Niewodniczanski any intention of adding “trocken” to his labels, deeming that superfluous.) Apropos style, as mentioned already in my introduction to this estate’s 2015s, with the new facilities is coming a gradual but cumulatively massive influx of casks up to 6,000 liters in capacity (all in scrupulously-selected oak from Niewodniczanski’s native Eifel), so that nearly all wines will spend time in cask, and selected lots from each of the estate’s top vineyards will begin receiving a second or third year there. When it comes to fermentation, though, Niewodniczanski and cellarmaster Dominik Völk have now begun utilizing pressure tanks not just for their few sweet wines, but also for selected lots of dry Riesling. “I think one reason that the 2016s are our best wines yet,” suggests Niewodniczanski, “is that we have never before been able to work in such a differentiated way” – i.e. from one vineyard and lot to another – as is possible in the new cellar. Readers will learn from my tasting notes that I do not demur from his lofty assessment. Unquestionably, Roman Niewodniczanski is setting new standards for our time in both style and sheer quality of dry Saar Riesling. (In addition to the Rieslings reviewed below, Niewodniczanski and Völk also rendered a Kanzemer Altenberg Auslese. But it was not in presentable form at the time of my September, 2017 visit and I have not yet had subsequent opportunity to taste it. For much further detail on the recent evolution of this now 200-acre estate, consult the introductions to my reports on its 2015s and 2014s.)