Wittmann, Riesling trocken, Sonderedition K&U, 2007
It has been quite a while since I tasted my last Wittmann. Wittmann, for those of you who have never heard the name, is a well-known winery from Rhine-Hesse that produces biodynamic wines. My dad loves Wittmann, especially their 'S class' wines, and I do fondly remember one Wittmann S I had a few years ago. This wine is even more special, at least according to wine merchant K&U, who take great pride in featuring 'slow' wines: terroir, serious work, hand-made and the minimum amount of technology in the production process (even that word would be wrong for them, I guess - it is more about allowing the wine to develop). This Riesling is a special edition made for K&U, so no temperature control, only natural yeasts, yadda yadda yadda. So let's taste this biodynamic beast.
Champagne. Yeasty champagne. This is the first impression after unscrewing the bottle. Yeast, nicely mixed with a fresh, mineral acidity and a very sparkly feeling - think champagne meets Pinot blanc (there was a certain nuttiness in there) with a somewhat bitter finish. You can smell the yeast over more than a meter distance. Clearly, this wine is not only made 'slow', it also needs some time after opening the bottle. After a good hour, more fruit comes through, peachy yeast with lemony mineral and some herbs. Call me crazy, but it almost felt as if there was a hint of chocolate in the finish.
A good wine, without doubt, but also not easy. The yeast is very dominant and it might take a little time to get used to it. This wine either needs a year or two more or a longer discussion with our friend Mr Decanter. It has character and quality but seems a little too slow as far as elegance is concerned. Still a nice experience.