Immich-Batterieberg Escheburg Riesling 2012
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2022-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
According to archaeological estimates, the foundation of the building dates from the second half of the 9th century. Especially remarkable is the cellar's load-bearing basalt pillar, which was "recycled" from a nearby Roman estate.
In the 12th Century, the estate was ceded as a fief to Prince von Esch (hence today's Escheburg) and was then remodeled and expanded. The right wing of the property, the "Franzenhaus," was not built until the 16th Century and the "Herrenhaus," richly adorned in the Mosel-Frankish style and which today makes up the left wing, did not appear until the early 1900s.
It was the Immich family – among the oldest winemaking families on the Mosel, with a history that spans from 1425 through 1989 – that was especially crucial to the history and the development of the estate. The winery has them to thank for its most famous site, the Batterieberg, which between 1841 and 1845 was formed into one of the Mosel's top sites by way of ceaseless rounds of dynamite. Batterieberg, along with the older top-tier sites Steffensberg, Ellergrub, and Zeppwingert, are all steep slate slopes and all achieved the highest ranking in the Prussian Vineyard Classification of 1868. Today they comprise the heart of the estate.
Just as important to Immich-Batterieberg as the inherent quality of the vineyards is the available grape material. The winery is delighted to have a very large portion of old, ungrafted vines, from which (because of their genetic diversity and their naturally low yields) the highly differentiated, deep, and site-typical Rieslings come into being.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Following the Mosel River as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the Eifel Mountains in Germany’s far west, the Mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the world’s finest and longest-lived Rieslings.
Mosel’s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Many of the Mosel’s best vineyard sites are on the steep south or southwest facing slopes, where vines receive up to ten times more sunlight, a very desirable condition in this cold climate region. Given how many twists and turns the Mosel River makes, it is not had to find a vineyard with this exposure. In fact, the Mosel’s breathtakingly steep slopes of rocky, slate-based soils straddle the riverbanks along its entire length. These rocky slate soils, as well as the river, retain and reflect heat back to the vineyards, a phenomenon that aids in the complete ripening of its grapes.
Riesling is by far the most important and prestigious grape of the Mosel, grown on approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard land—typically on the desirable sites that provide the best combination of sunlight, soil type and altitude. The best Mosel Rieslings—dry or sweet—express marked acidity, low alcohol, great purity and intensity with aromas and flavors of wet slate, citrus and stone fruit. With age, the wine’s color will become more golden and pleasing aromas of honey, dried apricot and sometimes petrol develop.
Other varieties planted in the Mosel include Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), all performing quite well here.