Axel Pauly, `Lieserer Niederberg-Helden` Mosel Riesling Kabinett Single Bottle
Country: Germany Region: Mosel Vintage: 2018
Category: White Wine Color: White Varietal: Riesling
Producer: Axel Pauly
"Axel Pauly is one of the dynamic young stars of German wine. He took over the Pauly estate from his father after doing vintages in California, New Zealand and other parts of Germany. Most of the nine hectare estate is situated in the heart of the Mosel Valley, in the village of Lieser, with the exception of a small parcel in neighbouring Bernkastel.
Fittingly, the label features the Mosel hills which, when turned on their side, reveals the 'Tres Naris' (or 'three noses') of Axel, his father and his grandfather. The grey and blue slate soils of Lieser are cooler than the red slate in Bernkastel, which results in more minerally wines than those from its more famous neighbour. The Pauly vines cling to steeply sloping,
vertigo-inducing vineyards, where Axel uses crop thinning, leaf plucking and grape selection at harvest to ensure a ripeness of flavour in the grapes that he preserves through to the final wine.
From the quaffable dry 'Tres Naris' and pristine steely 'Purist' through to the traditional half-dry 'Generations', the stunning quality and great purity of the Pauly range is enhanced by Axel's approach in the winery. Wild yeasts are used until they begin to struggle towards the end of fermentation, at which stage Axel introduces cultured yeasts to preserve the expression of the vineyard character in the wines. The single vineyard 'Helden' Riesling, whose name means 'Heroes', is pure and elegant with wonderful concentration."
Product Features: Sustainable;Vegan;Vegetarian
Product Allergens: Sulphites Label
Winemaker: Axel Pauly
Vineyards:
The Kabinett Riesling was harvested from the family's small parcel of vines in the single vineyard of Kardinalsberg, in the famous village of Bernkastel. Stringent crop-thinning and leaf-plucking ensured excellent flavour concentration in the ripe grapes, which were sorted and picked manually, to ensure only the best berries were selected at harvest time. Vines are on average 40 years old. The wine is a Kabinett, meaning that it was harvested slightly later in the season, resulting in riper fruit and a fuller palate than the earlier-picked styles.
Vinification:
The grapes underwent skin contact for 10 hours prior to fermentation in stainless steel tank, in order to extract precious Riesling flavours. The fermentation lasted two and a half weeks at approximately 20°C, with natural yeasts used for this wine. The wine was kept in inert, large oak barrels for six to seven months, which resulted in a more mellow, smooth wine but without any hint of oak. It is slightly sweeter in style than Axel's other wines, as a result of the stopped fermentation that left a low alcohol of 8.5%.
Tasting Notes:
This Riesling is a bright yellow with youthful glints. It is intensely aromatic with honey melon, peach, pineapple and ripe apple notes. On the palate, it is fresh and lively with a well balanced sweetness and acidity.
Food Suggestion: The discreet alcohol of this wine lends itself well to Thai or Indian cuisine with vegetarian or light meat dishes.
Closure: Stelvin ABV: 8.5% Acidity [g/l]: 8.6
