2016 SPATER-VEIT RIESLING FEINHERB

Heinz and Silvia Welter farm 7 hectares in and around the famous village of Piesport in the Mosel, mostly on steep slate slopes. The winery’s name is a combination of Silvia’s maiden name (Spater) and that of her mother (Veit), one of Piesport’s oldest winegrowing families. Heinz took over winemaking from Silvia’s father in 1988 and has continued the tradition of domaine-bottling wines from top sites such as Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Domherr, Grafenberg and Falkenberg – all from the grand Piesport slope.
The dominating feature of the Piesport vineyards is their Devonian, finely-weathered slate, which gives birth to opulent wines that are finely balanced by generous minerality and acidity. The amphitheater-shaped Piesporter Goldtröpfchen’s vineyards all enjoy southeast-to southwest-facing expositions, with deep clay and slate soils before reaching rock. “Lots of underground springs run throughout it,” says Heinz.
He prefers spontaneous fermentation and all wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks before spending a short time in traditional Fuder before bottling, to help settle the wines and provide a touch of roundness.
Rare for an entry-level Estate Riesling, this comes from hand-picked fruit from the Falkenberg vineyard on the steep Piesporter hillside, just above Goldtröpfchen. Value alert!