Wine Advocate: 95 Points
Warm and coolish at the same time, the 2017 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Alte Reben is very clear, flinty, ripe and intense on the nose, with beautifully herbal, tropical fruit and even some yeasty notes. On the palate, the wine is highly elegant, refined and salty, with great purity but also generosity. This is a lush, almost Traminer-like Riesling with lychee and rose petal flavors on the long, aromatic and stimulatingly salty aftertaste. This is a great dry Würzgarten from 30 different old plots on both volcanic and red slate soils. This 2017 is the finest Würzgarten the duo has made so far. Two fuders, roughly 2,000 liters, were produced.
Vinous: 91 Points
Sourced from several parcels of ancient vines in choice spots, like its vintage 2016 predecessor this wine was raised in Steinmetz's cellar. A penetrating nose of fresh strawberry and pear mingled with smoky, pungent marjoram and black tea ushers in a palate of flattering glossiness, creaminess and surprising softness (as also reflected in remarkably low measurable acidity). There is a faint trace of finishing heat (from 13.0% alcohol) that accentuates grapefruit peel and pear seed piquancy, but fortunately, the pear and red berry fruit delivers enough crunchiness to invigorate and enough primary juiciness to refresh. And in terms of sheer persistence, not to mention overall concentration, this is impressive stuff. Steinmetz noted that the old single-post-trained vines in question were especially susceptible to botrytis, so a highly selective harvest was imperative.
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