Wowee what a Riesling. The wines mineral defining feature is well and truly present as soon as the cork is pulled. Despite the evidence of botrytis, this wine is firmly on the dry side, with very little residual sugar present. A beautifully broad texture with Riesling's typical bracing acidity carving through it. White peach, yellow apple, alongside that classic botrytis orange peel and apricot. Lees and foudre giving wonderous texture. Easy to see why this pocket of slate is so well regarded. Scintillating
Nerdy Stuff
Producer: Daniel Fries
Variety: Riesling
Region: Mosel
Soil Type: Slate Rich Sand
Vintage: 2021
Alcohol: 12.5% ABV
Volume: 750ml
About Daniel Fries
Daniel is the 8th Generation of the Fries family who farm 8ha of vineyard in the village of Winningen, exclusively hand harvesting and without the use of herbicides. They farm a Riesling in 2 of the Grand Cru appellations of Uhlen and Rottgen, alongside one of the first estates in the Mosel to plant Pinot Noir in 1986.
Uhlen Roth Lay is a sub-appellation of the Winninger Uhlen. The name already gives away the terroir, as “Roth” means “red” and “Lay” is an old Germanic word for “rock”. It’s the western part of the Uhlen terraces, where the slate has a red color due to the high amounts of iron oxide within the rock. This gives the Roth Lay the strongest mineralic backbone from all the Uhlen wines while showcasing a ripe aromatic profile. Therefore it’s considered as the vineyard that produces the noblest and most characteristic wines within my village. As the yields are very small, I can’t make this cuvée every year.
Winemaking
Fermented and aged in a big german oak barrel for 1 year, then another 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel. Bottled in spring 2023. 5.6 g/L of residual sugar
