TN - 2016 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg

I like to think I keep up to date with the latest happenings in wine, but when David Bueker made mention of some new Trimbach Grand Crus, I was completely surprised.

Happily my local source for Hune and also had some 2016 Schlossberg, and so today I gave one a try. David- thank you for pointing these new bottlings out. While Hune remains my favorite, there is no doubt the Schlossberg is a unique beauty in its own right and, as with Frederic Emile, the difference in quality with Hune is far less than the difference in price.

2016 Trimbach Riesling Alsace Grand Cru Schlossberg

bright lemon color, a very beautiful and inviting nose of apple, peach, beeswax, honeysuckle, savory dried blossoms and petrol, on the palate- at first opening quite friendly and engaging- if primary- with apple and pear fruits, firm notes of stone, and fine lemony acids leading into a good long finish, over the course of 8 hours the mid-palate and finish gained in power to a point of near painful levels of petrol and acid, but finally settled down leaving a finish with substantial acids but also a very unique and crystal clear sensation of liquid stone, there is also here a taste that is quite new to me- a stony element with whiffs of red clay, perhaps this is the granite speaking, overall there is a very generous and ripe fruit to counter the structure in time, and while the 2016 vintage may have had some say in that (difficult to know given this is a fairly new wine- and my first encounter)- there is no doubt in my mind that this new gem is a truly unique and worthy addition to the very top end of the Trimbach stable, pretty as it is right now, given how unruly it became after 2-3 hours in glass I think this will need at least 5 years in the cellar before it really begins to show its potential.

(****)+, 2025-2040

PS- As with Hune, if you really want to get to know this one at such a young stage- open it when you can revisit it frequently for at least several hours.

thanks for the note. have a couple bottles of the 15 but have yet to try. not something you see around often. they also released a third bottling in this series after geisberg and schlossberg; the mandelberg.

Mandelberg has been “released” in prior vintages, but just as “M”.

Tom,

If you can find a bottle, the 2014 is amazing.

There is also a Brand now.

Not yet even announced on the Trimbach website, but indeed coming soon.

I’m going to have to try to find this; I think that Schlossberg is one of the world’s very top Riesling vineyards.

I picked up a couple of bottles each of 14 Schlossberg and 12 Geisberg when I visited Trimbach 3 years ago. If I had known how much prices would increase (20/20 hindsight), I would have purchased more! I don’t plan on opening those any time soon.

Many thanks- will add to the wish list. Right now I am trying to track down a box of 2014 Geisberg. These are proving very difficult finds in the US.

Benchmark Wine has a few bottles of the 2012 Geisberg @ $250.

Oof. 2009 Geisberg only cost me $60 when I bought it on release.

Holy crap, I paid 36 or 38 euros!