Emrich-SchönleberRiesling Halenberg GG 2023 (750ml)

The Halenberg is often considered, along with the Auf der Ley (offered only through the German auctions) the most structured and densest and most monumental of the Grand Crus from Schönleber. It is certainly a stony and dense wine; there is always more weight, more push and depth to the Halenberg. If the Frühlingsplätzchen is a dancer, the Halenberg is a monolith – its power is its presence, and vice-versa. In youth there is both more fruit and more mineral, compared to Frühlingsplätzchen. This is one of the most statuesque and substantial GGs out there, perhaps akin to Keller’s Morstein in density and structure.

The top, top wines of 2023 are epic and this, well, is one of them. Compared to the Frühlingsplätzchen, the Halenberg is rounder and riper – at least on first opening. There is more depth, more raw and pushing citrus fruit; the register feels more yellow than green. On the palate too, while the minimalist aesthetic of Schönleber is there, the wine feels more textural, both more fruity and more mineral. On day two the wine goes full 360 and shuts down completely: the nose is like smelling the cold purity of space (albeit with maybe a tinge of Meyer lemon?) It is haunting and the reputation of the wine begins to make sense only after 24+ hours open, holy hell. This is a brilliant wine, severe, coating, dense with concentration. Wow. This is an immense wine that needs hours/days to unfurl if you are drinking sooner and will certainly age for a decade or two or longer.