"At 11.5% alcohol, this mid-August bottling leads with hauntingly musky, bittersweet suggestions of iris, peony and narcissus, allied to whiffs of lemon and tangerine. The silken palate brims with peach and citrus, billowing with persistent floral perfume and proving strikingly transparent to the mineral nuances that supply smoky, stony and mouthwateringly saline complexity to a vibrant, delicate, umami-laden and sensationally persistent finish. Schätzel attributes his Ölberg’s animation and sheer juiciness and its immediate appeal to the fact that this site is relatively well-watered and moisture-retentive in comparison with other portions of Nierstein and Nackenheim’s famed Roter Hang. (Note that this vineyard’s name is one of those from Nierstein for which there is not any established official spelling. I have previously listed Schätzel’s wines from this site under the spelling “Oelberg” and apologize for having only now realize that his labels utilize the spelling with an umlaut: “Ölberg.”)" Vinous
