In This Newsletter:
Emrich-Schonleber
&
Vinopolis Featurette: Aldo Conterno’s Colonnello Barolo
Emrich-Schonleber
Your Three-Day Discount Starts Now
Emrich-Schonleber
&
Vinopolis Featurette: Aldo Conterno’s Colonnello Barolo
Emrich-Schonleber
Your Three-Day Discount Starts Now
Despite the fame and renown of the estate inside Germany, Emrich-Schonleber flies under the radar in the USA. These are spectacular wines—every bit the equal of Dönnhoff, their main competition in the Nahe. This is the producer that inspired Stephan Bitterolf to open Vom Boden, the mostly-German wine importer best known for bringing Keller to the States.
Yet, these just don’t see wide distribution in the USA. Although our friends at Vom Boden picked up the estate in the 2021 vintage, these typically are available in minuscule quantities. Typically, except around here, that is to say.
Father and son team Werner and Frank Schönleber work with awe-inspiring sites, the most prominent being Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen. Both are unusually steep for the Nahe—they have slopes of up to 70%. Halenberg is as you’d dream for the Nahe: a mixture of blue slate (like the Mosel) and quartz. Frühlingsplätzchen (pronounced “Froooh-lings-PLATS-shen”) is a pebbly vineyard with volcanic and red loam soils. Per Bitterolf, this is THE dry Riesling, the wine that started sparked his journey to share some of the greatest German wines with America: “I just love the soaring aromatics, the sharpness of the wine, the linear lightness and delicacy, on special show with the vintage 2022.”
The Schönlebers are best known for their top-end GG’s, but don’t sleep on the Pradikat wines, as well (or the rare TBA). Though only available in painfully tiny quantities in some vintages, we stock up whenever we can. Browse our impressive in-stock selection of wines from as far back as the 2018 vintage on our three-day sale now.
“Frank Schönleber, who took over his parental estate in 2005, is the third generation of his family to farm vineyards in Monzingen after his grandfather started to focus on wine only and his father Werner recultivated historic sites… The wines are bone dry, yet a light touch marks them. There is much elegance and subtle savouriness here.” -Anne Krebiehl MW, writing for Vinous in 2023
Yet, these just don’t see wide distribution in the USA. Although our friends at Vom Boden picked up the estate in the 2021 vintage, these typically are available in minuscule quantities. Typically, except around here, that is to say.Father and son team Werner and Frank Schönleber work with awe-inspiring sites, the most prominent being Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen. Both are unusually steep for the Nahe—they have slopes of up to 70%. Halenberg is as you’d dream for the Nahe: a mixture of blue slate (like the Mosel) and quartz. Frühlingsplätzchen (pronounced “Froooh-lings-PLATS-shen”) is a pebbly vineyard with volcanic and red loam soils. Per Bitterolf, this is THE dry Riesling, the wine that started sparked his journey to share some of the greatest German wines with America: “I just love the soaring aromatics, the sharpness of the wine, the linear lightness and delicacy, on special show with the vintage 2022.”
The Schönlebers are best known for their top-end GG’s, but don’t sleep on the Pradikat wines, as well (or the rare TBA). Though only available in painfully tiny quantities in some vintages, we stock up whenever we can. Browse our impressive in-stock selection of wines from as far back as the 2018 vintage on our three-day sale now.
“Frank Schönleber, who took over his parental estate in 2005, is the third generation of his family to farm vineyards in Monzingen after his grandfather started to focus on wine only and his father Werner recultivated historic sites… The wines are bone dry, yet a light touch marks them. There is much elegance and subtle savouriness here.” -Anne Krebiehl MW, writing for Vinous in 2023
5% off any 4-8 in-stock wines from Emrich-Schonleber
10% off any 9 or more in-stock wines from Emrich-Schonleber
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Thursday, June 6th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 9 or more in-stock wines from Emrich-Schonleber
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Thursday, June 6th at 9 am Pacific.
We offer thirty wines from Emrich-Schonleber, including:
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Riesling Trocken 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 13 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 91 points “Sourced from a range of vines on slate soils, this is fresh, punchy and attractively cast in a firm style with vibrant, rich lemons and white peaches and flinty allure. There’s plenty of flavor here. Really sleek and focused. Drink now. Screw cap.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Riesling Trocken 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “Such a joyful and delicious dry riesling with a tidal wave of stone and citrus fruit, as well as berry and herbal notes. Long, succulent finish that says “drink me!”. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Lenz Riesling 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 18 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “Such a joyful and delicious dry riesling with a tidal wave of stone and citrus fruit, as well as berry and herbal notes. Long, succulent finish that says ‘drink me!’ Drink or hold.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Estate Riesling Trocken 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 11 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 91 points “Plenty of pink and yellow grapefruit, but also white peach. Very crisp and bright with notes of citrus and peachy fruit on the sleek and vibrant palate. Long, wet-stone and lemon-zest finish. Easily enough substance to carry the very bright acidity. Drink or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber ‘Mineral’ Riesling Trocken 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $36, that’s $34.20 at 5% off and $32.40 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “The intense aroma of red-fleshed vineyard peach is married to intense wet-stone minerality on the sleek yet compact palate. Then it leaps out like a mountain stream cascading down an Alpine cliff face at the very racy finish. Drink or hold.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Fruhtau Riesling Trocken 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 8 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 92 points “Brimming with white fruit and Amalfi lemon with delicate aromas of spring blossoms. Juicy and pithy palate that’s quite compact, the fine tannins quite pronounced. Lime-zest note at the very crisp finish. With plenty of aeration this turns in a more fruity direction and that suggests it just needs a bit of time. Drink or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Halgans Riesling Trocken 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $41.90, that’s $39.81 at 5% off and $37.71 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2020 Monzingen Riesling trocken Halgans is deep, intense and complex on the nose that shows bright and intense lemon fruit intermingled with flinty stone aromas and notes of blue slate splitters. Pure and tensioned on the palate, this is a full-bodied, very complex and structured dry Riesling from younger vines in the Halenberg. Almost 50% of the grapes come from the steepest part of the cru, and this probably gives the power and intensity on the finish. This is a spectacular wine with a certain generosity but a merciless terroir expression on the finish. Needs time, though. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Niederberg Riesling 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $59, that’s $56.05 at 5% off and $53.10 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “A seriously smoky nose with an exciting hint of youthful, leesy funk pulls you into this sleek yet concentrated dry riesling. Extremely focused finish with so much wet-stone minerality. GG quality without any doubt! Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
“[Emrich-Schonleber’s] Grand Cru GGs are simply among the greatest dry Rieslings made in Germany, period” -Stephan Bitterolf, Vom Boden
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $85, that’s $80.75 at 5% off and $76.50 at 10% off, 7 bottles in stock now
Decanter 97 points “The Frühlingsplätzchen is in the cooler western part of the Nahe region, which has endowed this Riesling with tightly wound acidity. The wine is produced in a very classic style, underpinned by beauty and silkiness. At the same time, there is plenty of varietal character with citrus fruit and grapefruit as well as nuances of wet stones alluding to its origin. The tight structure leads to a long finish. Drinking Window 2021 – 2040.”
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 97 points “A breathtaking wine that has all the mineral depth and concentration you associate with a Grand Cru, but also a wide spectrum of very fine citrus and berry aromas. Then it splash lands in an explosion of fresh-herb aromas. Drink or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $89, that’s $84.55 at 5% off and $80.10 at 10% off, 11 bottles in stock nowStuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “Complex nose of pink and yellow grapefruit, peach and spring flowers. A super-elegant, dry Nahe riesling that marries plenty of juicy fruit with excellent concentration and vibrant minerality that leaps out at you. A slew of wild-berry and rose-hip character adds to the excitement at the dangerously crisp, wet-stone finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2024.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $79, that’s $75.05 at 5% off and $71.10 at 10% off, 9 bottles in stock now
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2022 1.5L Displayed Price: $189, that’s $179.55 at 5% off and $170.10 at 10% off, 2 magnums in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “One of the stars of the vintage in the Nahe! Cool and uplifting with a wealth of fresh and dried herbs and the whole spectrum of citrus. Powerful and compact on the palate which has breathtaking herbal and mineral intensity. Expands and expands at the super-long finish. Excellent aging potential, but you can drink it from release.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $69, that’s $65.55 at 5% off and $62.10 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95+ points “The 2018 Halenberg Riesling GG is super precise, pure and fresh on the intense and stony, still reductive nose, with its notes of candied lemon and lime (that means: slightly greenish). On the palate, this is a rich and concentrated yet elegant, silky-textured, vital and powerful, persistently salty and tensioned Halenberg that is far too young to discover its full potential today. It’s rich and elegant, refined and slightly tannic and needs time to develop its full potential. Tasted in July 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2021 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $94.05 at 5% off and $89.10 at 10% off, 8 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “The vibrant white-peach, wild-herb and floral bouquet of this stunning GG makes a serious statement. Very compact and concentrated, it’s only just beginning to reveal its abundant treasures. Super-focused and precise, it grows and grows as it shoots over the palate at great speed. Incredible depth of wet-stone minerality at the super-long finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $89, that’s $84.55 at 5% off and $80.10 at 10% off, 9 bottles in stock now
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs 2022 1.5L Displayed Price: $199, that’s $189.05 at 5% off and $179.10 at 10% off, 2 magnums in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “Very attractive nose of peach and spice with just a touch of exotic fruits. Rich and ripe with a touch of mid-palate creaminess as it rolls gently over you, the power very understated. Delicate slatey minerality at the long silky finish. Drink from release.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 93-95 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Halenberg Grosses Gewächs comes with a timid nose. A subtle tropical top note and a serene aroma of iced mint appear teasingly, captivating in its shimmering and subtle aromatic spectrum. The palate has this cool aspect, too. Freshness is buffered by a gentle yeasty creaminess that verges into a soft white citrus pith. The 2022 is smooth, slender, elegant, beautifully textured and vivid. The finish is incisive and elegant, with lasting lemon length. (Bone-dry).”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Riesling Kabinett 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $31.90, that’s $30.31 at 5% off and $28.71 at 10% off, 29 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “Predominantly from a late-ripening plot of the Niederberg, the 2020 Monzinger Riesling Kabinett is clear, bright, fresh and piquant on the flinty, attractively reductive and finely fruity nose. Piquant and fresh on the palate, this is a bright, lush and slatey, crystalline Riesling with a stimulatingly salty and piquant finish. Absolutely fabulous. 9% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Niederberg Riesling Kabinett 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $41.90, that’s $39.81 at 5% off and $37.71 at 10% off, 6 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “Brimming with spring blossom aromas plus a touch of flint. This may be a light-bodied wine, but it also has very good structure and stacks of wet stone character at the long, crisp and crystalline finish. Drink or hold.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Lightly poached pear and white peach gain a welcome bit of brightness from fresh lime, so that an effusively ripe and soothingly creamy Riesling still delivers animation and refreshment. At the same time, there is a sense of lift and delicacy here that goes beyond what was exhibited by this year’s Kabinett, and which perfectly fits the floral perfume that wafts through this wine’s entire performance. A bittersweet hint of cassis and subtle piquancy of fruit pit add counterpoint to the complexly layered, bell-clear finish. The grapes for this came in during the first days of October. Picking under the right conditions for Spätlese was just as challenging this year as picking for Kabinett, opined Schönleber, who admitted to having simply ‘missed the window’ for doing so in the Frühlingsplätzchen. ‘More and more,’ he said, noting the irony, ‘Spätlese is going to signify anything but “late-harvest.”’”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $41.90, that’s $39.81 at 5% off and $37.71 at 10% off, 22 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “A giant Spätlese that’s packed to the gills with peach and berry fruit, salty minerality and supernaturally vibrant acidity. Such complexity that it’s hard to express in such a string of adjectives. Breathtaking freshness at the finish. Decades of aging potential. Drink or hold.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $57, that’s $54.15 at 5% off and $51.30 at 10% off, 8 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 94 points “It would have been a waste, opined Schönleber, not to have done something with the impeccably clean but overripe and lightly desiccated grapes that informed this Auslese, and which would have added too much potential alcohol to the Grosses Gewächs. But there wasn’t much more juice in them than in those that had been set aside for BA and TBA – too little, in fact, for a proper day’s pressing – so subsequent incoming bunches that harbored a higher percentage of juicy grapes were added in. Peach, pear, orange and pineapple combine for an intense fresh-fruit concentrate at once luscious and tangy. The underlying feel is seductively silken, but orange zest and cinnamon lend invigorating sizzle. Mouthwatering salinity adds to the delights of a vibrant, ringingly clear finish.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $66, that’s $62.70 at 5% off and $59.40 at 10% off, 20 bottles in stock now
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese 2020 375ml Displayed Price: $38, that’s $36.10 at 5% off and $34.20 at 10% off, 23 half-bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “Very intense, candied yellow-grapefruit nose. Super-concentrated, but the most important thing about this Auslese is the incredibly tight focus on the palate and the purity of the dried apricot and mango. Super-succulent and vibrant finish that doesn’t want to stop. Drink or hold.”
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2018 375ml Displayed Price: $249, that’s $236.55 at 5% off and $224.10 at 10% off, 21 half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2018 Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is incredibly pure and aromatic on the nose where super ripe but clear peach aromas are displayed. Extremely rich and refined on the palate, this is a ripe, terribly sweet but refined, fresh and salty-piquant TBA with a stimulating finish. A fabulous wine. Tasted in July 2019.”
David Schildknecht-Vinous 97 points “Peach jam and orange marmalade are prominent in the bittersweet, cooked-fruit but zesty personality of this super-concentrate from a mere hundred liters’ worth of tightly shriveled berries gathered over an extended period and pressed with great difficulty. A white-bread-like aura of yeastiness serves as a noble aromatic expression of botrytis, while an influx of caramel further highlights the impression of botrytis ennoblement, complemented by a feel that is strikingly creamy as well as viscous. An aromatic evocation of sea breeze anticipates the mouthwatering salinity that, along with bright, juicy lemon and orange – testimony to the 13 grams of acidity that have, as it were, been held in reserve – informs this elixir’s superbly sustained finish. One’s mouth is left at once creamily coated and tingling as if from a lightning strike.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Shop our 30 selections from Emrich-Schonleber on sale now on our webstore!
Vinopolis Close-Out Sale Featurette
All of our Close-Out Sale wines are on an additional discount ending tomorrow at 9 am!
5% off any 4-8 in-stock wines from our Close-Out Sale
10% off any 9 or more in-stock wines from our Close-Out Sale
Including: Aldo Conterno’s Colonnello Barolo
Son of the famous Giacomo Conterno, Aldo purchased his own estate, Favot, in 1969 to explore alternatives to the strictly traditional methods of the family estate. He took inspiration from Angelo Gaja and from his experiences while traveling in the United States.
Although he introduced some modern winemaking techniques that improved the quality of the wines, including temperature-controlled fermentation, he never fully embraced the “modern” heavily oak-influenced style. He eschewed new oak on the Barolos and continued to hand-harvest the grapes, using gentle pressing and shorter macerations in the cellar.
The results were polished and elegant wines with pure and bold fruit profiles. Since his passing in 2012, his three sons have run the estate. These are standard bearer wines for the region, and worthy of a dedicated spot in your cellar.
This single-vineyard bottling from Bussia hails from 40- to 45-year-old vines and rated a favorite of the lineup in the 2017 vintage by Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate. So find out what has wowed the critics by picking up the few remaining bottles while our additional discount on our Close-Out Sale is running!
In Stock Now:
Poderi Aldo Conterno Colonnello, Barolo DOCG 2017 750ml Was $179, Displayed Price: $149, that’s $141.55 at 5% off and $134.10 at 10% off, 4 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94+ points “The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Offering plum, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and black pepper aromas and flavors, this broad red has absorbed the oak treatment pretty well already, with a dense matrix of tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and long, ending with elements of mineral and spice. Best from 2025 through 2043. —B.S.”
Although he introduced some modern winemaking techniques that improved the quality of the wines, including temperature-controlled fermentation, he never fully embraced the “modern” heavily oak-influenced style. He eschewed new oak on the Barolos and continued to hand-harvest the grapes, using gentle pressing and shorter macerations in the cellar.The results were polished and elegant wines with pure and bold fruit profiles. Since his passing in 2012, his three sons have run the estate. These are standard bearer wines for the region, and worthy of a dedicated spot in your cellar.
This single-vineyard bottling from Bussia hails from 40- to 45-year-old vines and rated a favorite of the lineup in the 2017 vintage by Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate. So find out what has wowed the critics by picking up the few remaining bottles while our additional discount on our Close-Out Sale is running!
In Stock Now:
Poderi Aldo Conterno Colonnello, Barolo DOCG 2017 750ml Was $179, Displayed Price: $149, that’s $141.55 at 5% off and $134.10 at 10% off, 4 bottles in stock now
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94+ points “The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Offering plum, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and black pepper aromas and flavors, this broad red has absorbed the oak treatment pretty well already, with a dense matrix of tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and long, ending with elements of mineral and spice. Best from 2025 through 2043. —B.S.”
We offer 206 wines on our Close-Out Sale in stock now. The additional discount off their listed price ends tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4th at 9 am Pacific.
Shop the sale on our webstore now!
Don’t miss our additional sale going on now:
Clos Cibonne
5% off any 4-8 in-stock wines from Clos Cibonne
10% off any 9 or more in-stock wines from Clos Cibonne
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Clos Cibonne sale ends Wednesday, June 5th at 9 am Pacific.