Zilliken Winery – Rausch Riesling Auslese
The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese 2015 is a fruit-sweet, graceful Riesling from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE, Saarburger Rausch. The grapes grow on a unique soil formation characterized by Devonian slate and diabase. After 100% hand harvesting, the wine was aged in neutral fuder barrels. This very dense, extract-rich Saar Riesling from Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken, made from shriveled, hand-selected berries, convinces with fully ripe peach and date fruit, accompanied by vibrant floral notes, some vegetal hints like fresh spring moss, and the typical wet stone minerality of the Saar. A Riesling Auslese which, despite 100g of residual sugar, possesses a tightly laced acidic corset and leaves an almost refreshing impression on the palate. The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese 2015 is a wine full of power and opulence, with a very long and brilliant future ahead of it.
Rausch Auslese 2015 – a wine and its characteristics
- 7.5% Alcohol
- 100g/l Residual Sugar
- 8.6g/l Acidity
Zilliken Riesling – awarded
- 18/20 Jancis Robinson
- 94 Points Mosel Fine Wines
- 92+ Points John Gilman
The long finish reveals the concentration of this Riesling Auslese. On the tongue, it feels weightless. With a moderate alcohol content of 7.5%, it is an ideal companion for game or foie gras terrines. When aged, it pairs well with spicy Asian dishes or sweet desserts without too much acidity. And, of course, with aged cheeses from cow, goat, or sheep. Even though it is captivating when young, it only reveals its full potential after 10-20 years of bottle aging. Try it out; we also have aged Riesling Auslesen from Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken in stock. Or you can practice patience, as the future of Zilliken Auslese looks bright.
Incidentally, our cellar is cooled in summer and heated in winter by a geothermal heat pump powered by a photovoltaic system, allowing the wine to mature optimally.
The 2015 vintage in the Saar region
The 2015 vintage was a year with a warm, beautiful summer, and the dry, cool October allowed a top vintage to ripen. During the harvest, Weingut Zilliken also enjoyed excellent harvesting weather, which enabled intensive selection. The balanced ratio of fruit and acid structure is what makes the 2015 Riesling Auslese so appealing. With its high ripeness and impeccably clean botrytis, we compare this vintage to the great 1975.