German Catalog 2006 USE THIS ONE.qxp - Michael Skurnik Wines

spreitzer
rheingau • oestrich
When one considers the past four vintages, culminating in the sensational collection from 2005,
one is drawn to a single, inescapable conclusion.
Spreitzer has ascended to the top rank in the Rheingau. No one is better, and few are as fine.
Yet the German press is likely to feel otherwise, in large part because of the emphasis they lay
on the dry wines. This is reasonable enough. For my part I simply don’t consider a German grower’s
dry wine. If they are good I am delighted, and offer them. But this is an extra, not the thing
I come looking for. They could cease producing them altogether and I wouldn’t mind. Nor
would the wine-world be discernibly the poorer.
You might recall a Spreitzer wine finished among the top ten dry Rieslings in all of Germany
two years ago. I loved it too, and selected it, and was
delighted to show it to you. Our reviewers’ enthusiasms
extended to the “high 80s”—maybe a little too low. Yet
the reverse is also true, as Stuart Pigott wrote in a recent
article for WEIN EXTRA. Noting the difference between
the monster scores (high 90s) certain Dönnhoff wines
received over here, in contrast to the around-90 the same
wines received in Germany, he said: “Whereas across the
sea tasters everywhere stood and cheered these great
examples of German Riesling, inside Germany they were
met with Hm, well . . . yes, I suppose . . .”
So it’s the silly culture-wars between them and us
which prevents them from recognizing how freakin’
marvelous these Spreitzers have become. Help me
`splain it to them! Oh they get praise enough; (another
“cluster” in Gault-Millau, another “F” in Feinschmecker,
another “star” in Mondo, and another placement on
DM’s 100-best list) but with each of the last three vintages
has exceeded what are increasingly high expectations,
but alas in a style the Germans do not seem to
cherish.
Andreas & Bernd Spreitzer
•Vineyard area: 11.5 hectares
•Annual production: 6,700 cases
•Top sites: Oestricher Lenchen and
Doosberg, Winkeler Jesuitengarten,
Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen
•Soil types: Deep tertiary loam and loess
•Grape varieties: 92% Riesling, 8% Spätburgunder
The wines certainly speak in the prevailing “syntax”
of the times: crystalline, refined, perfumey and polished.
These are Rheingau wines as Armin Diel might make
them, as Peter Geiben might make them. Indeed it could
be their diametrically opposed personalities to Leitz’s
wines which allows the two to coexist so benignly, without
“competition” (the close friendship between the two
helps I’m sure!). Where Johannes’ wines are ruggedly
individual, Andreas and Bernd’s wines are, in the best
sense, fashionable, spiffy, well turned-out. Thankfully
the two of them are plenty unpretentious.
The wines do require a certain understanding,
because they are never fined and they often show
reduced aromas. As always these vanish with swirling, if
you remember to swirl, and have the time to wait.
All harvesting is by hand. The must is cleaned by
gravity for 24 hours before whole-cluster pressing. After
fermentation (in wood or jacketed stainless steel, partly
with ambient yeasts partly with cultured yeasts, depending
on the vintage) the wines rest on their gross lees for
some time before receiving their only filtration, with
racking. They are bottled off the fine lees.
In 1997 Andreas and Bernd Spreitzer leased the estate
from their father, who remains active. Johannes Leitz first
tipped me off. He’s friendly with Andreas and wanted to
help. I really don’t think it crossed his mind he was creating
a competitor. Leitz is a guy whose friends will also be
sweethearts, and I was intrigued to taste Spreitzer’s wines.
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RHEINGAU WINES