Vinopolis Monday Newsletter 12/26/2022

 In This Newsletter:

Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac 2010 750ml $1199 special, only one bottle available
Decanter 100 points “Smoked grilled tar on the nose, it feels both very 2010 and supremely Mouton – accomplished and confident. A more glamorous, enticing edge than the other Pauillac Firsts at this 10 year window. There are plentiful tannins but they are lined with air, and the overall feel is of plush, plumped fruits, like being rolled-up in luxurious sheets. It is very different in character to the other two Pauillac Firsts, but no less enjoyable. It feels higher in alcohol, more Cos than Lafite in terms of personality, in the way that Pichon Baron is more Latour than Comtesse, but it is nuanced and clever and surprising. Drinking Window 2025 – 2050.”
Wine Spectator 99 points “This remains the stunner, a battleship of a wine, brimming with cassis, blackberry and fig fruit that has melded together now, with the backdrop of alder, bay leaf and menthol starting to emerge a bit more. The long finish is loaded with grip, pulling the fruit and other components together. And then there’s that flash of iron at the very end. Awesome wine.—Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2025 through 2060. “
Wine Advocate 98 points “Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Mouton Rothschild is a little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal notes of baked black cherries, crème de cassis, blackberry compote and bouquet garni with suggestions of sweaty leather, pencil lead, cedar chest and black truffles plus a hint of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, the palate is solidly constructed of super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity, framing the densely packed black fruit, finishing on a persistent mineral note.”
Wine Enthusiast 98 points “Cellar Selection. A dense, smooth and opulent wine bursting with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon flavors. It’s regal and well structured, balancing the natural exuberance of Mouton with a more severe side. This is a wine with power, yet not without its charms from the fruitiness and final acidity. This great wine will age many, many years. “
Robert Parker 97+ points “The enormously endowed, backward, ferociously tannic, massively extracted 2010 Mouton-Rothschild exhibits an opaque blue/purple color as well as a tight but promising nose of incense, licorice, lead pencil shavings, vanilla, blackberries and cassis. Full-bodied in the mouth, extremely young, and tasting like a barrel sample, this remarkable effort requires 10-15 years of cellaring. It should age well for half a century or more.”

Cappellano Otin Fiorin Pie Rupestris – Nebiolo, Barolo DOCG 2008 750ml $319 special, only one bottle available
Vinous “One of the wines of the night, the 2008 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Rupestris-Nebioli is dazzling. All of the best qualities of this great Barolo vintage come through in the Barolo Rupestris. A wine of precision and crystalline, weightless beauty, the 2008 will leave readers weak at the knees. It is a wine to own, cellar and savor for the next thirty years. The translucency and vibrancy of the fruit is pure 2008. Drink 2018-2048.” 

Georges Laval ‘Les Longues Violes’ Brut Nature, Champagne 2013 750ml $779 special, only one bottle available
No reviews available for the 2013 vintage. 2012 review provided for reference.
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2012 Brut Nature Les Longues Violes is one of the most distinctive wines in Champagne. Weightless and perfumed in the glass, the Longues Violes possesses unreal finesse and stunning beauty. Floral, citrus and orchard fruit notes are all finely sketched in this a Champagne that sizzles with tension. This is a fabulous showing. Les Longues Violes is 90% Pinot Noir planted in 1964 and 1974 and 10% Meunier planted in 1947.”
John Gilman 96 points “The 2012 is the first release of les Longues Violes from Vincent Laval. This is a single vineyard bottling of pinot noir and pinot meunier that Monsieur Laval just started producing when he had to replant a parcel of very old pinot noir from his neighboring lieu à dit of les Hauts Chèvres, as those 1931 vines finally gave up the ghost after the 2009 harvest. However, in this adjoining vineyard, Vincent wanted to wait until the youngest vines (planted in 1984) were sufficiently mature to go into a single vineyard cuvée. The meunier here dates back to 1947 and most of the Lavals’ pinot noir in les Longues Violes was planted in 1964 for this bottling. The vins clairs were barrel-fermented (as is the case for all of Vincent’s wines) and aged until August of 2013 prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation; the wine was disgorged at the end of May of 2019. It delivers a marvelously pure and youthful bouquet of white peach, apple, hazelnut, a touch of buttery oak, lovely soil tones, warm bread and just a touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused, complex and perfectly balanced, with excellent mid-palate depth, elegant mousse, bright, buried acids and outstanding length and grip on the complex and utterly refined finish. This is gorgeous young wine, but like all of Vincent’s cuvées, it really needs some cellaring to blossom. 2028-2075.”

2018 was a great vintage but a victim to the impositions of tariffs leading to 1-2 year delayed shipments. Luckily here at Vinoplis we have a huge selection of 2018 Rieslings and want you to take advantage of it so we’ve made an end of the year sale! Many of these wines are already at the lowest price in the USA but you can make them lower! Shop our staff selected picks below. 

Starts December 26th – Ends January 1st

Any 3-5 bottles = 3% discount
Any 6-12 bottles = 5% discount 
Any 12+ bottles= 10% discount 

All 2018 Rieslings are on sale, here are just a few to consider. 

Donnhoff 

Weingut Donnhoff ‘Felsenturmchen’ Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $59 special, 36+ bottles in stock
John Gilman 94 points “The 2018 Felsenberg GG is also absolutely outstanding this year. The bouquet is impressively expressive at this early stage, soaring from the glass in a blaze of pear, tart orange, a beautiful base of slate minerality, wild yeasts, a touch of fleur de sel and a potpourri of floral scents in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and seamless, with outstanding mid-palate depth, powerful mineral drive and great cut and grip on the long, perfectly balanced and youthful finish. This will be show stopping juice in the fullness of time. 2028-2070. 94.”
Wine Advocate 93+ points “Bottled in July, just two days before I tasted the 2018 Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling trocken –GG– for the first time, the nose was ripe and generous but fine and flinty-mineral. Lush and salty-piquant, this is a full-bodied, rich and powerful yet vital Riesling with lots of body but also tension, purity and grip. Tasted again in August 2019.”
Vinous 93 points “Huckleberry, crushed coriander seed and zesty lemon on the nose anticipate the piquancy, pungency and citricity that dominate on a firm, full, glossy palate. Stony and alkaline notes tug in an austere direction, though the gripping, penetrating finish conveys ample refreshing juiciness as well as an uncanny sense of energy. “Whatever might be your favorite from among these vintage 2018 Grosse Gewächse,” remarked Dönnhoff, “you can recognize the [taste of the] site, and that’s the goal.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $89 special, 10 bottles in stock
John Gilman 97 points “Cornelius Dönnhoff has crafted one of the very best dry Rieslings that I tasted on this trip from the Hermannshöhle in 2018! The bouquet is deep, complex and again, so very elegant out of the blocks this year, delivering scents of pink grapefruit, tart tangerine, white flowers, a superb base of slate, lemongrass, citrus peel and just a dollop of upper register wild yeast tone. On the palate the wine is racy, focused, full-bodied and extremely mineral-driven, with a great core, laser-like focus and seamlessly balanced on the very, very long, very complex and utterly refined finish. Chapeau! 2033-2075+. 97.”
Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2018 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling trocken –GG– is fascinatingly pure and fragrant on the nose. Crystalline, lush and intense,  this is a full-bodied, crystalline, precise, salty and persistent wine with linear tension, great grip and intensity. Tasted in July 2019.”
Vinous 95 points “Bittersweet, smoky herbal and nutty notes, along with an ore-like sense of deep mineral earthiness, serve as ideal foils for generously juicy ripe white peach and bright Meyer lemon. The feel is full and firm, and the finish is superbly multileveled, but with a strong emphasis on darkly earthy and minerally low-tones whose resonance sets the tongue and tonsils quivering. (And yes, it also refreshes.)”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2018 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Vinous 92 points “Fresh pear and apple are tinged with ginger and sea breeze on the nose, then succulently deployed on a buoyant, polished palate. The mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish is transparent to shimmering stony notes and a mysterious ore-like earthiness surprisingly reminiscent of Hermannshöhle. “The grapes were almost too ripe for Kabinett,” remarked Dönnhoff of this bottling, “but you still have that citric sense of acidity.” Had he succumbed to his inclination to start picking a week later than the estate in fact did, we would not have a Krötenpfuhl Kabinett – an observation that Dönnhoff, with a smile, declines to contradict. The wine weighs in at 9.5% alcohol, and I don’t think it would have benefited from one gram less residual sugar than whatever it has.”
John Gilman 91+ points “The 2018 Krötenpfuhl Kabinett was still in cask and really showing beautiful potential on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a lovely and delicate mix of apple, tart orange, salty minerality, white flowers and an esthery topnote of bee pollen. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and dancing, with beautiful fruit, a lovely foundation of minerality, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the vibrant finish. This has really good acids for the vintage. 2019-2050.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2018 750ml $44.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2018 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese is deep and flinty as well as complex on the stony nose with its ripe and even stewed peach aromas. Silky, lush and refined on the palate, this is a concentrated yet pure, crystalline and delicate Riesling Spätlese with a long and complex, very mineral and filigreed, lingering salty finish. Highly stimulating and fresh. A gorgeous Spätlese from the famous Hermannshöhle. Tasted in July 2019.”
Vinous 95 points “Fresh quince and lime announced on the nose take on a delightfully sorbet-like character on the palate, at once caressingly creamy and brightly juicy. Bittersweet nut extracts and lightly smoldering, ore-like smokiness harken to the character of this year’s Hermannshöhle Grosses Gewächs. The resonant, subtly spicy and mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish opens up a shimmering vista of crystalline stone.”
John Gilman 95 points “The 2018 Hermannshöhle Spätlese from the estate has no intention of being upstaged by the Brücke this year, as this too is a brilliant wine. The nose jumps from the glass in a complex blaze of fresh pineapple, pungent citrus zest, apple, a beautiful base of slate, wild yeasts and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, complex, medium-full and beautifully suave on the attack, with superb mineral undertow and a laser-like and electric finish. Equally stunning juice. 2025-2075.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Carl Loewen

Weingut Carl Loewen Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml $29 special, 9 bottles in stock
Vinous 93 points “Grapefruit, lime and orange mingle with Persian melon and mango on the nose and the lusciously citric, brightly juicy yet subtly tropical palate. The feel is polished and, for all of the wine’s animating brightness, also subtly creamy. The finish offers a vibrant and engaging interaction of crystalline, stony and citrus fruit elements. Allowing this wine to ferment to 9% alcohol had a salutary effect on its balance, rendering sweetness discreet (even though there are 60 grams of residual sugar), but without sacrificing a sense of levity. For my taste and from my historical perspective, this is a perfectly balanced Mosel Spätlese. Yet Karl Josef Loewen related that “in early summer [2019], this is the wine that most disappointed me. At that point I wasn’t happy with the aromatics or the integration of sweetness.” Incidentally, the wine was picked very early in October and a full week ahead of the corresponding (also highly successful) dry “Alte Reben” bottling.”
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2018er Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese was harvested at 91° Oechsle and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (62 g/l). The wine develops a gorgeous even if ample nose made of grapefruit, passion fruit, pear, whipped cream, herbs and fine spices. It has the full creamy presence of an Auslese on the palate. Thankfully, the rich creamy and fruity flavors are nicely lifted up by a touch of zesty acidity. The finish is powerful, assertive and quite impressive. Apricot in the after-taste adds to the big and luscious side of this very nice sweet wine! 2028-2048.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Carl Loewen Thornicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018 750ml $41.90 special, 17 bottles in stock
Vinous 94 points “In striking contrast with its vintage 2017 counterpart, this Auslese issued from healthy grapes, even though the Loewens said that these were picked into two buckets per harvester, so as to allow for the possibility that a Beerenauslese might also result. Musky narcissus, sweetly perfumed honeysuckle, earthy passion fruit and ripe pear offer an alluring as well as site-typically intriguing aromatic display. The polished, subtly creamy palate evinces not just luscious fruitiness but also a remarkable sense of levity and wafting inner-mouth perfume. As Christopher Loewen observed, “This is not one of your opulent Auslesen, but instead a delicate, juicy, glass-clear one.” “This is my favorite wine of the vintage,” added Karl Josef. Liquid florality persists right along with the wine’s luscious fruitiness on a seductively sustained finish that is transparent to slate underpinnings and mouthwateringly salt-tinged, and does an incredible job of hiding 100 grams of residual sugar.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese was made from almost fully clean fruit harvested at 95° Oechsle and was fermented down to fully sweet levels of residual sugar. The wine offers a rather discreet and herbal nose where the fruity elements (including pear, lemon, starfruit, passion fruit and a hint of coconut) only gradually emerge from the glass. The wine may still be on the sweet side on the palate, but it already shows beautifully alluring and multi-layered flavors of pear, lemon, melon, lemoncello and coconut, all wrapped into some apricot blossom in the finish. This is a ripe but complex sweet wine in the making. 2033-2058.”
Terry Theise note “This though is one shining gorgeous piece, and what a piece! As glorious, green and salty as it has ever been. Zero botrytis, fruit to the max, like a confiture of aloe vera and verbena.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor 

Markus Molitor Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml $29 special, 22 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2018 Riesling Alte Reben is perfectly ripe and pure on the intense yet elegant and refined, crystalline nose. Round and juicy on the palate, this is a rich and creamy-textured, finely tannic and phenolic Riesling with grip, but this old-vines Riesling cannot disguise its 2018 origin. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
James Suckling 92 points “The lovely sliced-pear, white-peach and blood-orange nose eases you into this well-proportioned dry Mosel. The crisp acidity nicely balances the generous body and the touch of tannins. Good length and some nice herbal notes and complexity at the finish. Drink or hold.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Saar Alte Reben Riesling, Mosel 2018 750ml $29 special, 17 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 92+ points “The 2018 Riesling Alte Reben Saar offers a clear, pure and spicy, quite deep and intense bouquet with slatey pastry notes. Round and juicy on the palate, this is a complex, elegant and long yet still slightly astringent Riesling with enormous power and richness. The wine has a positive astringency that is crystalline and phenolic and asks for patience. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese Feinherb, Mosel 2018 750ml $33 special, 15 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 94+ points “The 2018 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese (Green Capsule) is very clear and intensely aromatic on the pure, elegant, flinty and only initially slightly reductive nose that displays very fine stone fruit and delicate slate aromas. Pure, round and piquant on the palate, this is a crystalline and nervy yet perfectly juicy, intense and elegant Badstube Spätlese with a persistently long and salty-piquant finish. The 2018 has stimulating grip and will age terrifically well over 30+ years. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2018er Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese (Green Capsule) offers a gorgeous nose made grapefruit zest, melon, herbs, and fine spices. The wine develops a great zesty side underpinned by a touch of saffron on the palate, and leaves a nicely sharp and focused feel in the engaging and almost dry-tasting finish. The after-taste is long and nicely refined. This is a hugely engaging as well as complex expression of off-dry Riesling. 2023-2033”
Vinous 91 points “Lime, honeydew and wet stone on the nose anticipate the generous juiciness of ripe fruit and transparency to stony underpinnings that characterize this wine’s polished, buoyant palate and finish. There is a surprising sense of underlying firmness for a 2018, and seed piquancy and smoky hints of black tea serve for added finishing stimulation.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml $21.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2018 Riesling Graacher Domprobst Kabinett (White Capsule) is deep and flinty on the terroir-driven, dark and smoky nose. Full, round and juicy on the palate, this is a rich yet pure and slatey Domprobst with crunchy grip and fruity intensity. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
Decanter 90 points “South-southwest-facing steepness defines the Domprobst, as does some water-holding clay in the Devonian slate. An exquisitely aromatic nose combines ripe Amalfi lemon and Granny Smith with a floral notion of white summer blossom. The nose alone delivers refreshment. The palate bursts with the same fresh, pristine but notably ripe fruit. This is a mellow Kabinett with bright but tame acidity, not typical maybe, but nonetheless compelling. The finish is dry and beautifully stony.”
Mosel Fine Wines 90 points “The 2018er Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett (White Capsule) offers a delicate nose of vineyard peach, tangerine, smoke, almond cream, and spices. The wine is nicely dynamic and fresh on the creamy and juicy palate and leaves a superbly light and elegant feel in the fully dry finish. 2022-2033”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese Feinherb, Mosel 2018 750ml $29 special, 12 bottles in stock
James Suckling 95 points “The stunning aromas of cassis, fresh garden herbs and Amalfi lemons make this a very expressive, mid-weight wine that’s barely off-dry and extremely food-friendly. Great interplay of tannins, minerals and live-wire acidity at the very long finish. Drink or hold.”
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2018 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese (Green Capsule) is crystalline on the coolish, pure and refreshing nose with its white fruit and crunchy slate aromas. Crystalline and piquant on the palate, this is an intense and round yet finessed and elegant Himmelreich with perfectly ripe and juicy fruit, delicate slate grip and tension on the finish. This is a classic with juicy-refined Riesling fruit. Bottled with AP number 13 19. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.” 
Vinous 92 points “Golden Delicious apple mingles with lime and grapefruit on the nose, while on the polished, silken, buoyant palate, brightness of citrus takes the lead. Bruised apple skin and citrus peels serve for bittersweet counterpoint on an infectiously juicy, vibrant, stone-kissed finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Feinherb, Mosel 2018 750ml $99 special, 24 bottles in stock
Wine Advocate 97 points “Typically bright and open on the nose, with crunchy and flinty slate aromas, the coolish and precise 2018 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese *** (Green Capsule) is a very fine and elegant, crystalline, fresh and precise, very long and salty Riesling with sweet and concentrated fruit and a long, intense and tightly structured finish. This is a laser-sword Riesling that needs about a decade to refine, yet it will deliver for sure. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.”
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2018er Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese *** (Green Capsule) offers a nice nose made of gooseberry, pear, apricot blossom, minty herbs, and fine smoky elements. The wine proves gorgeously playful and subtle on the still slightly sweet palate but leaves already a suave feel of pear, herbs, and fine spices in the long and elegant finish. A kick of zesty acidity adds to the pleasure of enjoying this beautiful off-dry Riesling which will reach maturity only in a few years, once the sugar will have melted away. 2023-2033”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!