A Nahe Riesling at Ten Years

2002 Weingut Jakob Schneider Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese (Germany, Nahe)

I came home from a very long day at work and found my girlfriend had cooked up some orange chicken with rice and veggies. I instantly thought: riesling. I wanted something with a bit of sweetness, but also some acid. I ended up popping a 2002 Weingut Jakob Schneider Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese. This is a late harvest (spätlese) wine from the Nahe region vineyard of Norheimer Dellchen. I bought this bottle a few years ago and figured: what better time to pop this wine and see what is has going.

This riesling is a gorgeous orange-honey color with thick legs streaking down the glass. The aromas are fresh and rich, with mango, honey, lime and minerals. The age has added a wax and honeycomb aroma, which I love. The complexity of aromas is quite something.

The wine starts out plump on the palate, but the acid rushes in. It starts off with a gorgeous white peach flavor, followed by nectarine and honey, but the acid streaks through the entire time, keeping it balanced. There's a flavor that reminds me of biting into a nectarine rind, but in a really delicious way. The mineral flavor really comes out on the midpalate. Honeycomb and a hint of nougat linger on the finish with the acid. It got more expressive with time, opening up to show richer, fuller flavors. Still, that tangy acid lingers.

This really is an endlessly enjoyable riesling, I would love to try this again in ten years. It has lots of evolution left.

94 pts IJB