Zilliken Estate – Rausch Riesling Auslese
The 2015 Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese is a fruit-sweet, graceful Riesling from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE "Saarburger Rausch". The grapes grow on a soil formation characterized by Devonian slate and diabase; following a 100% manual harvest, the wine was matured in neutral Fuder casks. This very dense, extract-rich Saar Riesling from the Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate, made from shriveled, hand-selected berries, impresses with fully ripe peach and date fruit, accompanied by vibrant floral notes, a touch of vegetable character like fresh spring moss, and, typical of Saar minerality, wet stone. A Riesling Auslese that, despite its 100g of residual sugar, possesses a tightly cinched corset of acidity and leaves a nearly refreshing impression on the palate. The 2015 Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese is a wine full of power and opulence that has a very long and brilliant future ahead of it.
Rausch Auslese 2015 – a wine and its values
- 7.5% alcohol
- 100g/l residual sugar
- 8.6g/l acidity
Zilliken Riesling – award-winning
- 18/20 Jancis Robinson
- 94 points Mosel Fine Wines
- 92+ points John Gilman
The long finish reveals the concentration of the Riesling Auslese. On the tongue, it feels weightless. With a moderate alcohol content of 7.5%, it is an ideal companion to 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 truly reveals its full potential after 10–20 years of bottle aging. Those who do not want to wait so long can also find aged Riesling Auslese wines from the Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate in our cellar. Or you can practice patience, for the future of the Zilliken Auslese looks bright.
Incidentally, our cellar is cooled in summer and warmed in winter by a geothermal heat pump powered by a photovoltaic system, ensuring optimal conditions for the wine to mature.
The 2015 wine year on the Saar
The 2015 wine year was a year with a warm, beautiful summer; the dry, cool October allowed a top-tier vintage to ripen. During the harvest, the Zilliken estate also enjoyed perfect picking weather, which enabled intensive selection. The balanced relationship between fruit and acid structure creates the special appeal of the 2015 Riesling Auslese. With its high maturity and pristine botrytis, we compare this vintage to the great 1975.