Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese 2019 – characterized by Devonian slate
The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Auslese 2019 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; after being 100% hand-harvested, the wine was aged in neutral Fuder casks. This very dense, extract-rich Saar Riesling from the Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate, 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 ripe acidity that provides a refreshing lift. 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 – award-winning
The long finish reveals the concentration of this Riesling Auslese. On the tongue, it feels weightless. With a moderate alcohol content of 8%, the Riesling Auslese is an ideal companion to game or foie gras terrines; once matured, it pairs well with spicy Asian dishes or desserts featuring dark chocolate. And, of course, with aged blue or washed-rind cheeses. Although it delights even in its youth, it only reveals its full potential after 10–20 years of bottle aging. Mature Rieslings from the Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate are also available from us, with a few years' head start. Or you can practice patience, because the future of the Zilliken Riesling 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 the wine can mature optimally.
The 2019 vintage on the Saar
The 2019 vintage was a year of challenging weather conditions: the winter was dry, the vines budded early, frost struck a low-lying parcel in the Rausch in April, the mulch layer between the vines proved its worth during the hot summer by preventing drought stress, and the extremely hot days around 40 degrees Celsius did cause some grapes to suffer from sunburn. As a result, great care was taken during the manual harvest in autumn to select only healthy grapes. Despite all the weather fluctuations and low yields, 2019 was a year with high average temperatures, and the result was ripe grapes. With their fine fruit, lively ripe acidity, and the classic, mineral-rich Saar spice, wines like this Riesling Auslese offer great drinking pleasure right now. The wines from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE Rausch of the 2019 vintage possess great aging potential.