Vinothek' Wachau Riesling

Score

97

"The 1997 Riesling Vinothek Fass Severin was bottled in February 2022 after almost 25 years in a 3,000-liter barrel, on whose headboard is a carving of Saint Severin—hence the name. (NB this is a different wine from a different site than the one previously released in 2014 as Vinothek 1997). A cooling sense of lemon and Mirabelle rises from the slightly waxy, slightly yeasty nose. All is subdued, and nothing is up-front. Concentration and linearity of lemon brightness is immediate on the palate. This is a pure, very ripe, intense Riesling of unusual freshness. It has a salty, waxy depth that draws you in but comes across as immensely youthful. This is so clean-cut, so hair-raising, so pristine—a wonderful depiction of Riesling's essential nature as a life force of freshness and inherent drive. Profound lemon freshness echoes long. (Bone-dry)"

Score

97