Emrich-Schönleber
Rivaner Trocken
2008
11.5% alc.
Nahe, Germany
Müller-Thurgau. Not a pretty name for a white grape. It sounds like an avant-garde German opera director. Maybe that’s why so many other appellations use different names for it. Like rivaner in England and Luxembourg. And anywhere else in which astute principles of marketing apply. It also has a poor reputation from decades of industrial farming in Germany going back to World War II, when the country seized on rivaner to reboot its devastated wine industry due to the grape’s productivity. Throughout most of the late twentieth century, it replaced the high-quality riesling as Germany’s top growing-grape and became the main ingredient for Germany’s sugary liebfraümilch. It also became the worldwide source of much plonk. Is it any wonder that any seriously ambitious winemaker would avoid producing a wine made exclusively from this grape? Of course, careful attention to farming and winemaking can make most ordinary grapes into very attractive wines. Emrich-Schönleber is one of Germany’s top riesling producers. He owns most of the vineyards in the Monzingen along the Nahe River that result in the stunning rieslings that have made his reputation. The rivaner he produces comes from various parcels in the Monsingen, mostly from its reddish, loamy soils with stone and slate. These grapes have limited yields and are hand-harvested, with careful attention to cellar practices. As a result, the estate produces an exceptional, reasonably priced wine. The 2008 vintage shows a pale lemon core with green tints, with medium aromas of white flowers and wet stones. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium-plus acidity, lending medium-broad flavors of pear, lemon and light grapefruit (with a hint of aniseed) that spread quickly across the mouth. The concentration is light but effective. This is a subdued but confident wine; everything falls into place. It would be a hit as a party aperitif—a humble Cinderella who’ll do just fine at the ball. Importer: The Fleet Street Collection. $17.00. 9/26/09.
