TennstedtRiesling “Waldportier” 2020 (750ml)

The “Waldportier” is sourced from a the Trarbacher Hühnerberg, deep into the side valley on the Trarbacher side of Traben-Trarbach. My sense is that this is the heart of Tennstedt’s collection, sourced from the Hühnerberg, the site deepest within the valley.

Compared to the “Perlmutt,” the “Waldportier” feels not exactly darker, but smoother, more creamy and restful. As much as I personally like the “Perlmutt,” the “Waldportier” is undeniably more complex, wider, deeper… more complete. This is not a big wine, yet it feels like “more” wine; it is more texturally plush, with tart banana-cream vibes, at times custardy and complex, then showing an exuberant and ripe fruit, from honey-tinged melon to darker notes of guava and even cassis.

Yet while it’s relaxed, “restful” as Reinhardt suggests, there is considerable push, a vibrant core of acidity and pushes this along and gives the wine tremendous length. A day later this wine is only just beginning to open and I realize my mistake. I should have opened both of these bottles two or three days ago; tasting over only 24 hours feels like reading the first few lines of a great long masterpiece. A mistake I won’t make again.