Rausch Riesling Spätlese – Wine from Zilliken on the Saar
The 2018 Zilliken Rausch Riesling Spätlese is a fruit-sweet, graceful Riesling from the VDP.GROSSE LAGE of Saarburger Rausch. This finely fruity, succulent, and enticing Saar Riesling from the Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate appears slender and lean, full of minerality, with reserved fruit. Razor-sharp lime zest and candied orange provide dazzlingly clear contours, tempering the natural sweetness into an impressive balance. Over time, the aromas of this Riesling Spätlese unfold into the ripe, multi-layered succulence of apricots, apples, and melons, finishing with a delicate, salty kiss.
Rausch Spätlese 2018 – a wine and its values
- 7.5% alcohol
- 92g/l residual sugar
- 6.7g/l acidity
Riesling – award-winning
- 92 points Mosel Fine Wines
- 90 Eichelmann
- 92 Vinum
- 95 Gault Millau
- 92 Falstaff
- 92 Robert Parker
- 94 John Gilman
The long finish reveals the concentration of this Zilliken Riesling Spätlese. On the tongue, the wine feels weightless. With a moderate alcohol content of 7.5%, it is an ideal accompaniment to light dishes with chicken or fish, sushi or scallops, or spicy Asian cuisine. Although this Riesling Spätlese is delightful while young, it only truly shows its full potential after 7-12 years of bottle aging. Mature Riesling Spätlesen from the Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate are available in our cellar.
Incidentally, our cellar is cooled in summer and heated in winter by a geothermal heat pump powered by a photovoltaic system, ensuring the wine can mature optimally.
Weingut Zilliken – the 2018 vintage on the Saar
2018 was a "century summer" in Germany, with countless hours of sunshine. It was a sunny summer without extreme heat, which meant the vines, having benefited from abundant rain in May, suffered no drought stress. Due to the consistently sunny weather, the harvest began unusually early, on September 24th. "Rarely have the vineyards been so full of golden grapes," Dorothee Zilliken tells us. The magnificent autumn allowed for individual berry selection for noble sweet Rieslings, such as this 2018 Zilliken Riesling Spätlese. The dry Rieslings from 2018 are succulent, mineral-driven, and accessible – tropical aromas paired with classic Saar elegance.