Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese 2019 – characterized by Devonian Slate
The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese 2019 is a sweet, graceful Riesling from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE vineyard Saarburger Rausch. The grapes grow on a unique soil formation characterized by Devonian slate and diabase. After 100% manual 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, impresses with exotic fruit aromas such as pineapple, notes of dried fruit like raisins, accompanied by orange blossom and tart grapefruit. The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese 2019 is very dense and creamy, with a refreshing acidity. An almost weightless finish follows the incredible complexity of this great Auslese.
Rausch Auslese 2019 – a wine and its values
- 8% Alcohol
- 97.8g/l Residual Sugar
- 6.6g/l Acidity
Zilliken Riesling – awarded
The long finish reveals the concentration of the Riesling Auslese. On the palate, it feels weightless. With a moderate alcohol content of 8%, the Riesling Auslese is an ideal accompaniment to game or foie gras terrines; when aged, it pairs well with spicy Asian dishes or dark chocolate desserts. And, of course, with aged blue cheese or washed-rind cheese. Even if it delights when young, it only reveals its full potential after 10-20 years of bottle aging. Try it out, we also have aged Rieslings from Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken stored. Or you can practice patience, because the future of Zilliken Riesling Auslese looks rosy.
By the way, 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 2019 vintage on the Saar
The 2019 vintage was a year with challenging weather conditions: the winter was dry, budbreak was early, in April frost hit a low-lying parcel in the Rausch vineyard, during the hot summer the mulch layer between the vines proved effective and prevented drought stress, but the extremely hot days around 40 degrees caused sunburn on some grapes. Therefore, during the autumn harvest, care was taken to select healthy grapes by hand. Despite all the weather vagaries and low yields, 2019 was a year with a high average temperature, and the result was ripe grapes. With their delicate fruit, lively ripe acidity, and classic, mineral Saar spiciness, the wines, like this Riesling Auslese, already offer great drinking pleasure. The wines from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE Rausch of the 2019 vintage have great aging potential.