2022 Willi Schaefer Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese Riesling [JS96][WA96][V93]

Producer: Weingut Willi Schaefer 
Region: Graach, Mosel, Germany 
Varietal: Riesling 
Year: 2022 

James Suckling, 96 Points 

"Lovely nose of white peach with just a whisker of caramel. Also a wealth of white flowers. Simultaneously succulent and super-elegant thanks to the thread of slatey minerality that runs through this sensual beauty. The considerable power is so impeccably underplayed that you barely feel it. Very long, pristine finish. Drink or hold." 

Wine Advocate, 96 Points 

"Sourced in the same parcel as the legendary 1976 Auslese and picked rather early, the 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese opens with a clear, precise and elegant nose of white fruits and flinty notes of coolish crushed slate. Intense and lush on the palate, this is mouth-filling and charming, very long and mineral/saline Spätlese that doesn't show exceptionally high acidity but a ripe one that is completely interwoven with the mineral/phenolic structure. This is a hedonistically juicy but weightless and finessed, stimulating and saline Spätlese from the Himmelreich, which didn't produce an Auslese in 2022. All the fully ripe and golden berries went into the Spätlese. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in May 2023." 

Vinous, 93 Points 

"The 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is as tender as the Kabinett but with a slightly sweeter citrus depth. The lemon is the chief notion but with heightened purity and much precision. Subtle creaminess intensifies and adds tingling kumquat spice. Exquisite lightness lays on the palate like a veil, filling the mouth with tender freshness. The finish has some lemon zest; with all its tartness, the sweetness seems to disappear towards the finish. Lovely and light, with exquisite balance." 

Alcohol: 7.5% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Vintage date may differ from pictured.