Falkenstein Riesling Niedermenniger Sonnenberg Kabinett Trocken AP9 '23

Hofgut Falkenstein is in the Saar, one of the coolest areas of the Mosel wine region. Here, since the 1980s, the Weber family has been making vibrant, captivating expressions of Riesling. Erich Weber and his son Johannes work in the vineyards and cellar, with occasional help from Erich’s two other sons as well. They farm about nine hectares of Riesling vines, including a hectare of ungrafted vines; the average vine age is between 40 and 50 years old, and the oldest are from 60 to 90 years old. The primary soil is gray slate, with some quartz. 
 
No pesticides or herbicides are used, and biodiversity is a focus of their work in the vineyard. The grapes are harvested by hand, and their work in the cellar is traditional. The various parcels are vinified separately in old oak Fuder (1,000-liter casks) with ambient yeasts. The wines, made in dry (trocken) and off-dry (feinherb) styles, are then aged in designated casks and bottled directly off the gross lees.

Each Fuder is bottled separately, a rare practice today though more common historically. Each wine’s AP number refers to a specific cask, and the casks are usually named for a previous owner of the plot, though some are historic site-specific names. Some casks may include grapes from more than one parcel in a sector, depending on the parcel size and the yield.
 
The AP 9 bottling is from 60-to 70-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Unter den RödercheLaden, within Sonnenberg. This is classic Mosel Riesling with notes of lemon zest, lime juice, and white peach, with flinty, spicy aromatics and a brilliant, chiseled, clean finish.