2018 Riesling La Borne Alte Reben

“In 2015, despite such a tendency to high ripeness, there was also high compensatory acidity,” related Wittmann. “In 2011, on the other hand, even though we were determined to do better than we had in 2009, we ended up with very opulent wines.” And Wittmann doesn’t consider opulence a virtue. “I have a feeling, though,” he continued, “that in 2018 we had things in hand. We did almost no leaf removal, so the fruit got shade.” Wittmann began harvesting early in September 2018 and was finished several days before the end of that month (with one notable exception, as explained in my review below of a Morstein Spätlese). The resultant wines exhibit ample acidity and vivacity by any standards and especially those of 2018, as well as alcohol levels that rarely exceed 13%, and then only barely. Yields varied considerably, and were reduced in the hail-affected sectors of Morstein and Gundersheim. I have never tasted more exciting wines from this already long-celebrated estate than their couple of finest 2018s. I only ever taste Wittmann’s non-Riesling bottlings selectively (he makes the selection), and among those I regret that I did not taste either of his Pinot Blancs from the 2018 vintage. (For further background on this estate, including an extensive discussion of Philipp Wittmann’s stylistic vision, consult particularly the introductions to my accounts of his 2015s and 2014s.)