Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Ungsberg 2012
| Country: | Germany |
| Region: | Mosel |
| Grape Type: | Riesling |
| Winery: | Richard Bocking |
| Organic: | Yes |
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Ungsberg 2013 is 100 percent Riesling.
This close-to-dry wine displays the perfect balance between pure, rich fresh fruit (pineapple, lemon and peach) and mineral flavors. Noticeable is a round and rich texture supported by focused slate. This wine can be enjoyed now and through 2015.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 grams / liter,
Acidity: 7.0 grams / liter TA
High bearing potential
Fruit: 100% Riesling Appellation: Traben Trarbach, Germany Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from our sustainably farmed vineyards covered in blue and brown slate and quartz. The Ungsberg is known for the extreme pitch of the slopes high above the Mosel River. This wine comes exclusively from old vines (40-60 years old) and from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown on this spot since the 16th Century. Harvest Dates: November 2, 2012; after the first frost. Production Notes: The fruit for this wine is deep, rich and intense, produced only from the best and oldest vines in this vineyard (40-60 years old). It is carefully hand picked later in the season to allow for ideal ripeness. All fruit is painstakingly hand sorted to allow only the best grapes to be crushed for the Single Cru. The juice is fermented by natural occurring yeast only- no added cultures- slowly at cold temperatures until the perfect balance of acidity and fruit is reached. The wine was aged sur lies for 10 months, then aged 100% German in oak barrels. This wine was bottled at the End of July 2013.
Review:
Bottled with 18 grams of residual sugar and 12% alcohol, the 2013 Trarbacher Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben opens with an intensely floral and concentrated bouquet, whereas its pure, deep, ripe and concentrated fruit aromas (maracuya) emerge only slowly but very precisely. There is a certain relationship to the Chenin Blancs from Svennières, perhaps. Full-bodied, powerful and complex on the palate, this remarkable rich but pure, delicate and well-balanced Riesling from ungrafted, 80-year-old vines on grey and blue slate with quartzite inclusions, reveals a persistent and salty finish which makes this, maybe, the most impressive (but also most powerful) wine of the recently revitalized estate, so far. - Robert Parker 90 Points
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Burgberg 2012 is 100 percent Riesling.
This close-to-dry wine displays the perfect balance between pure, rich fresh fruit (pineapple, lemon and peach) and mineral flavors. Noticeable is a round and rich texture supported by focused slate. This wine can be enjoyed now and through 2015.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 grams / liter,
Acidity: 7.0 grams / liter TA
High bearing potential
Fruit: 100% Riesling Appellation: Traben Trarbach, Germany Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from our sustainably farmed vineyards covered in blue and brown slate and quartz. The Ungsberg is known for the extreme pitch of the slopes high above the Mosel River. This wine comes exclusively from old vines (40-60 years old) and from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown on this spot since the 16th Century. Harvest Dates: November 2, 2012; after the first frost. Production Notes: The fruit for this wine is deep, rich and intense, produced only from the best and oldest vines in this vineyard (40-60 years old). It is carefully hand picked later in the season to allow for ideal ripeness. All fruit is painstakingly hand sorted to allow only the best grapes to be crushed for the Single Cru. The juice is fermented by natural occurring yeast only- no added cultures- slowly at cold temperatures until the perfect balance of acidity and fruit is reached. The wine was aged sur lies for 10 months, then aged 100% German in oak barrels. This wine was bottled at the End of July 2013.
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Ungsberg is made 100 % Riesling
This riesling is made from grapes coming from a single-vineyard in the Ungsberg part of the Trarbach's vineyards. It is located in prime location along the Mosel River, and the vines are older as well, producing not only little quantity, but also higher quality. Here the soils is not blue slate, but rather grey slate. This gives the wine an interesting balance with an elegant structure and a wonderful mouthfeel.
Ripe aromas of pineapple, lemon and peach.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 g / l,
High bearing potential
production 1300 bottles
Reviews:
This legally dry bottling from 40-year-old vines on a steep site along the Kautenbach side valley delivers abundant juiciness of tangy grapefruit and lime, mingling on a firm palate with saliva-inducing mineral salts, piquant citrus seed and invigoratingly pungent green herbs. The gripping, animated finish suggests a mouthwatering infusion of oyster liquor. - Vinous 90 Points
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Ungsberg 2012 is made 100 % Riesling
This riesling is made from grapes coming from a single-vineyard in the Ungsberg part of the Trarbach's vineyards. It is located in prime location along the Mosel River, and the vines are older as well, producing not only little quantity, but also higher quality. Here the soils is not blue slate, but rather grey slate. This gives the wine an interesting balance with an elegant structure and a wonderful mouthfeel.
Ripe aromas of pineapple, lemon and peach.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 g / l,
High bearing potential
production 1300 bottles
Reviews:
Dusty mineral, subtle almond and concentrated lemon as well as bright vegetal flavors characterize the clear and pure nose of the pale-yellow 2012 Trarbacher Ungsberg Riesling Alte Reben. It comes from a very steep vineyard with 40-year-old vines rooting in grey, blue and brown slate soils with quartzite inclusions. On the palate this is a dense, compact, piquant and dry (though 10.8 grams per liter residual sugar is legally not dry in Europe), medium to full-bodied Riesling with a demanding complexity and purity. Still very young in the beginning, the finish of this seemingly lean, but elegant and complex wine, is salty, slightly drying (due to its quartzite-coined minerality) and gives early hints of maturity. This is a very gastronomic new entry in the Wine Advocate that should not be overlooked. 1,300 bottles produced.-Robert Parker 90 Points
Whiffs of candle wax and lime zest accent pretty floral notes on this slightly off-dry Riesling. Flavors of yellow cherries and peach are juicy and ripe on the palate, extended through the finish with steely streaks of mineral and acid. It’s an elegant wine with power and complexity. — A.I. (12/1/2014)
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (December 2014), 91 pts
The Weingut Richard Bocking Winery
Our story embraces Classic Viticulture on the steep slopes of the Mosel River Valley with a 15-generation family tradition.
The extremely steep, slate-laced hillsides in the central region of the Mosel River offer optimal conditions for producing great Riesling wines. Since 1624 the Böcking Family has been devoted to producing wines of the highest quality – crisp, fruity wines that are the finest a Riesling enthusiast could desire.
The roots of the Böcking family can be traced to the early 17th Century, when the family was appointed regional treasurer under Prince Pfälz-Zweibrücken. Soon thereafter, the family became active in the budding wine production and trading business in Trarbach, purchasing what may be the oldest Riesling vineyard on the Mosel, the Trabacher Ungsberg. The Trarbacher Schlossberg vineyard was acquired soon thereafter.
The Böcking family has lived, loved and passed down the tradition of winemaking, along with portions of four steep-slope vineyards, to successive generations. It is their experience and dedication, combined with decades-old vines growing on rich, mineral soils, that allow the family to continue to produce the finest Mosel Riesling wines.
Recently, Denman Zirkle and daughter Sigrid Carroll, a direct descendant of Richard Böcking purchased the Estate from a cousin, Wolf von Marschall. Denman, along with his daughter, Sigrid Carroll, Wolf’s sister, Leweke von Marschall, and the winegrower, Simon Trös, combined tradition and history with confidence and entrepreneurial vision to lead the family enterprise into the future and reestablish its international following. Their focus is on natural viticulture and production, developing mostly drier Riesling wines to suit contemporary tastes in Germany and abroad.
In 2013, after almost 400 years, Böcking wines were introduced to the U.S. market for the first time. Importation into the United Kingdom began the following year.
In Germany, Böcking wines are being distributed by several large merchants, including Weinkontor Freund ( http://www.weinkontor-freund.de ), one of the largest in Germany. Freund serves over 2,000 restaurants and retail clients, many high end. Until 2014, Freund specialized in wines from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. When he added Germany in 2014, Richard Böcking is the only winery on the Mosel he chose to represent."
In the United States, Böcking is represented by importer Kysela Pere et Fils, named Importer of the Year in 2013 by Wine Enthusiast magazine. The wines are currently being distributed in the Mid-Atlantic states, District of Columbia, and Montana. Please click here see where to purchase our wines.
The Weingut Richard Bocking Vineyards
The character of the wines is shaped by the distinctive Grand Cru, steep slope vineyards of which Richard Böcking has 15 acres under cultivation. The plantings are 95% Riesling and 5% Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). Of the five vineyards: Ungsberg, Burgberg, Schlossberg, Huenerberg and Taubenhaus, four are classified as Grand Cru with vintage vines up to 80 years old. The age of the vines force the roots of these grape vines deep into the ground for water and nutrition. Thus, the vines are constantly absorbing their nutrition, even during unseasonably dry periods. The constant nourishment provides vines that are strong, disease resistant, and produce small, compact grapes with an unusual concentration of fruit.
Richard Böcking develops their wines by hand, from the vineyard to the bottle. Unadulterated; with an originality that can be produced only in a natural vineyard environment. From this tenet springs Böcking's fundamental philosophy—a philosophy of allowing a wine to develop naturally. In the steep-slope vineyards, this philosophy means the small vineyard parcels are cultivated individually and by hand. All wines are developed as bio-dynamically as possible, using naturally occurring yeast and introducing only the sparest amount of sulfur. This meticulous attention to natural agriculture and production creates beautifully finished wines while sustaining the vineyards for the future.
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Ungsberg is made 100 % Riesling
This riesling is made from grapes coming from a single-vineyard in the Ungsberg part of the Trarbach's vineyards. It is located in prime location along the Mosel River, and the vines are older as well, producing not only little quantity, but also higher quality. Here the soils is not blue slate, but rather grey slate. This gives the wine an interesting balance with an elegant structure and a wonderful mouthfeel.
Ripe aromas of pineapple, lemon and peach.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 g / l,
High bearing potential
production 1300 bottles
Reviews:
This legally dry bottling from 40-year-old vines on a steep site along the Kautenbach side valley delivers abundant juiciness of tangy grapefruit and lime, mingling on a firm palate with saliva-inducing mineral salts, piquant citrus seed and invigoratingly pungent green herbs. The gripping, animated finish suggests a mouthwatering infusion of oyster liquor. - Vinous 90 Points
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Ungsberg is 100 percent Riesling.
This close-to-dry wine displays the perfect balance between pure, rich fresh fruit (pineapple, lemon and peach) and mineral flavors. Noticeable is a round and rich texture supported by focused slate. This wine can be enjoyed now and through 2015.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 grams / liter,
Acidity: 7.0 grams / liter TA
High bearing potential
Fruit: 100% Riesling Appellation: Traben Trarbach, Germany Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from our sustainably farmed vineyards covered in blue and brown slate and quartz. The Ungsberg is known for the extreme pitch of the slopes high above the Mosel River. This wine comes exclusively from old vines (40-60 years old) and from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown on this spot since the 16th Century.
The fruit for this wine is deep, rich and intense, produced only from the best and oldest vines in this vineyard (40-60 years old). It is carefully hand picked later in the season to allow for ideal ripeness. All fruit is painstakingly hand sorted to allow only the best grapes to be crushed for the Single Cru. The juice is fermented by natural occurring yeast only- no added cultures- slowly at cold temperatures until the perfect balance of acidity and fruit is reached. The wine was aged sur lies for 10 months, then aged 100% German in oak barrels.
Review:
From 75-year-old vines in a site adjacent to the estate’s share of Schlossberg that faces west into the village of Trarbach and away from the Mosel, this bottling finished much drier than the estate’s other 2014s, but at 11 percent alcohol it still evinces a nice sense of levity. Clearer and brighter than the corresponding Schlossberg, its influences of malo and old barrique are in no way problematic, although along with lees influence they make for a subtle impression of creaminess. Apple, white peach and lime deliver generous, tangy juiciness, while stoniness and salinity add interest and saliva-inducement on the persistent finish. Vinous 90 Points
The Devon Riesling, from our Heritage Collection, is the basis of our wine pyramid and is created as a drier wine with grapes picked during mid-harvest. The is dry, crisp and clean with an animating acidity. Showing great aromas of kiwi, green apple, white peach and lime. This balanced, fresh Riesling shines with notes of citrus and slate, typical of the Mosel appellation.
Alcohol: 11% vol
Residual sugar: 14 g / liter
Acidity: 7.9 g / liter
Intense and vibrant, with focused notes of rich, zesty raspberry puree, blackberry, black licorice and pomegranate that are focused, easing into the plush texture.
Review:
Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex aromas of plum, earth and pepper; deep, focused plum flavors with oak and pepper notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, deep Pinot that needs some air to open up. Pinot Report 94 Points
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Burgberg 2012 is 100 percent Riesling.
This close-to-dry wine displays the perfect balance between pure, rich fresh fruit (pineapple, lemon and peach) and mineral flavors. Noticeable is a round and rich texture supported by focused slate. This wine can be enjoyed now and through 2015.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 grams / liter,
Acidity: 7.0 grams / liter TA
High bearing potential
Fruit: 100% Riesling Appellation: Traben Trarbach, Germany Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from our sustainably farmed vineyards covered in blue and brown slate and quartz. The Ungsberg is known for the extreme pitch of the slopes high above the Mosel River. This wine comes exclusively from old vines (40-60 years old) and from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown on this spot since the 16th Century. Harvest Dates: November 2, 2012; after the first frost. Production Notes: The fruit for this wine is deep, rich and intense, produced only from the best and oldest vines in this vineyard (40-60 years old). It is carefully hand picked later in the season to allow for ideal ripeness. All fruit is painstakingly hand sorted to allow only the best grapes to be crushed for the Single Cru. The juice is fermented by natural occurring yeast only- no added cultures- slowly at cold temperatures until the perfect balance of acidity and fruit is reached. The wine was aged sur lies for 10 months, then aged 100% German in oak barrels. This wine was bottled at the End of July 2013.
Richard Bocking Alte Reben Trarbacher Ungsberg 2013 is 100 percent Riesling.
This close-to-dry wine displays the perfect balance between pure, rich fresh fruit (pineapple, lemon and peach) and mineral flavors. Noticeable is a round and rich texture supported by focused slate. This wine can be enjoyed now and through 2015.
Alcohol 12% vol
Residual sugar 10.8 grams / liter,
Acidity: 7.0 grams / liter TA
High bearing potential
Fruit: 100% Riesling Appellation: Traben Trarbach, Germany Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from our sustainably farmed vineyards covered in blue and brown slate and quartz. The Ungsberg is known for the extreme pitch of the slopes high above the Mosel River. This wine comes exclusively from old vines (40-60 years old) and from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown on this spot since the 16th Century. Harvest Dates: November 2, 2012; after the first frost. Production Notes: The fruit for this wine is deep, rich and intense, produced only from the best and oldest vines in this vineyard (40-60 years old). It is carefully hand picked later in the season to allow for ideal ripeness. All fruit is painstakingly hand sorted to allow only the best grapes to be crushed for the Single Cru. The juice is fermented by natural occurring yeast only- no added cultures- slowly at cold temperatures until the perfect balance of acidity and fruit is reached. The wine was aged sur lies for 10 months, then aged 100% German in oak barrels. This wine was bottled at the End of July 2013.
Review:
Bottled with 18 grams of residual sugar and 12% alcohol, the 2013 Trarbacher Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben opens with an intensely floral and concentrated bouquet, whereas its pure, deep, ripe and concentrated fruit aromas (maracuya) emerge only slowly but very precisely. There is a certain relationship to the Chenin Blancs from Svennières, perhaps. Full-bodied, powerful and complex on the palate, this remarkable rich but pure, delicate and well-balanced Riesling from ungrafted, 80-year-old vines on grey and blue slate with quartzite inclusions, reveals a persistent and salty finish which makes this, maybe, the most impressive (but also most powerful) wine of the recently revitalized estate, so far. - Robert Parker 90 Points
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What this vineyard captures, more so than any other Pinot Noir site that I have tasted, is both power and elegance. Bright and forceful Bing cherries and dark berries along with the slightest hue of roasted coffee bean on the nose. Immediate and broad textured tannins cover the palate as flavors of black raspberries, licorice and black tea leaves unravel. Oak-inspired overtones of crispy charred marshmellows and fall spice with balance acids elongate a finish that reverbs for hours.
What this vineyard captures, more so than any other Pinot Noir site that I have tasted, is both power and elegance. Bright and forceful Bing cherries and dark berries along with the slightest hue of roasted coffee bean on the nose. Immediate and broad textured tannins cover the palate as flavors of black raspberries, licorice and black tea leaves unravel. Oak-inspired overtones of crispy charred marshmellows and fall spice with balance acids elongate a finish that reverbs for hours.
The Soberanes Vineyard is the latest exciting joint venture between the Pisoni and Franscioni Families. The site features tightly spaced vines and is planted to 33 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah and sits on the Santa Lucia Highlands Bench adjacent to the Garys' Vineyard. The clonal material planted in the loamy, rocky soil is very diverse and features over a dozen of the most renowned heritage selections from California and Burgundy in pursuit of the finest wine quality.
Review:
The vineyard is famous for producing ripe, luscious Pinots stuffed with massive fruit. Many wineries have dipped into it over the years. Krutz’s rendition is dry, balanced and full-bodied, with relatively high alcohol framing raspberry, cherry, cola, red plum, exotic spice and sandalwood flavors. It should age well through 2020–2022.
- Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Marcassin Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 2013 Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard may be even better. Notes of caramelized citrus, hazelnut, apple blossom, lemon oil and orange marmalade are all present in this wine of dazzling aromatic and flavor dimension. It is full-bodied, again shows some wet pebbles (which I equate with minerality), vibrant acidity, and no real evidence of any oak. Much like the 2012, the finish goes on for 45+ seconds. This is another killer Chardonnay from Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer. -Wine Advocate 100 Points
What an extraordinary tasting this was at the Marcassin winery just north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Just when you think the duo of Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer can’t make greater wines, they bowl over the taster with an array of exquisite quality that really must be tasted to be believed. Marcassin was probably California’s greatest Chardonnay after the famous Chalone winery fell from the pinnacle and onto hard times in the 1980s (and it has yet to rebound). Moreover, Marcassin set the bar for great Pinot Noir as well. And while both their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have many competitors these days (from the likes of Harford Court, Mark Aubert, Kistler, Kongsgaard, DuMol, Thomas Brown, Peter Michael, Martinelli and Luc Morlet, to name a few), John Wetlaufer and Helen Turley remain the reigning geniuses of these two varietals in California. Certainly, their meticulous attention to detail in both the vineyard and in the winemaking and élevage account for the quality, but they were among the pioneers who saw the unlimited potential from the Sonoma Coast, now a relatively crowded neighborhood. This was a remarkable tasting that simply blew me away, and I have been following their wines since the first Marcassins were made in the early 1990s. By the way, any doubts about aging potential should be crushed immediately, as even in the most challenging vintages in California, Marcassin Chardonnays and Pinots have aged as well as, if not better than just about any grand cru white Burgundy. For example, 1995 and 1996 Chardonnays, particularly those from the Lorenzo Vineyard, are incredibly youthful and dynamic, and the Marcassin Estate Pinot Noir, even from vintages such as 1998, is simply amazing.
The three Chardonnays tasted include two perfect wines. Perhaps the closest comparison is not to anything made in California, but a Corton-Charlemagne in a top vintage from the famous Jean François Coche-Dury.
