Ansgar Clüsserath
This is Eva Clüsserath's top dry bottling from this grand cru site. Trittenheim’s finest individual vineyard, Apotheke, lies on the right bank of the Mosel, opposite the village of Trittenheim. Although Apotheke literally means pharmacy, the vineyard’s name does not refer to medicinal/healthful properties of its wines, but rather derives from a foundation established by the “Abtsberg” Abbey of Trier. It numbers among the top sites on the Mosel, not least due to its extreme slope of up to 78%. The southwest-facing hillside benefits from direct solar radiation well into late evening, a lengthy time during which the slate soils store heat – warmth that lengthens the ripening period. Weathered slate slopes with subterranean water veins ensure an optimal supply of nutrients and enable the vines to develop deep roots. Single-stake training is practiced in the family’s oldest parcels in this site planted with 60- to 80-year-old vines. The grapes yield wines that have great aging potential and reflect complex minerality. In their youth, the wines show finesse; as they mature, rich fruitiness reminiscent of apricot and peach.
April, 2019
The Wine Front
95 points
Potent perfume of fresh flowers, ripe apple, fresh mixed citrus. The palate delivers a lot of flavour but also crisp, tart citrussy tang, green apple, mineral water-esque characters and quite a good deal of power. Complex, energetic, intriguing expression here, with great texture in tow. Super.
September, 2018
jamessuckling.com
94 points
Don't be deceived by the rather shy first impression. This still has some yeasty notes from the long, wild ferment. It also has great candied-citrus and dried-herb notes. At once richly textured, finely nuanced and light-footed on the palate, it builds up to a great crescendo on the very long, super-mineral finish. Drink or hold.
April, 2018
Wine Advocate
92 points
From a roughly 100-year-old plot, the 2016 Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Trocken opens with intense, concentrated, perfectly ripe fruit intertwined with fine slate and floral aromas. Full-bodied, lush and very elegant, with great finesse and floral aromas, this is a pure and beautifully balanced Apotheke whose fine, refreshing acidity is perfectly integrated and interwoven with lingering "minerals" and finely weathered slate flavors. It's a gorgeous Apotheke and one of the finest I have tasted from Eva Clüsserath. Bottled at the end of July 2017 (AP #8); tasted March 2018.
June, 2019
Wine Spectator
92 points
A very graceful, subtly complex and harmonious Riesling, with finesse to the texture. Shows hints of red apple, jasmine, allspice and mineral, all mingling and persisting through to the long aftertaste. Drink now through 2026.
January, 2018
Vinous Media
91 points
White peach, apple and lime are subtly marked by the piquancy of their seeds and pits, as well as by subtle suggestions of crushed stone and smoky black tea. A cooling infusion of basil adds to the appeal of a buoyant, lusciously fruited, silken-textured palate. The lingering finish here is transparent to stony, smoky, and marine mineral nuances. These old vines yielded tiny, unblemished green-gold berries, reported Clüsserath, and those optical observations certainly fit the resulting wine’s irresistible flavors.
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