2017 Halgans Monzinger Riesling
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Monzingen Riesling Trocken Halgans is clear and flinty as well as warm and concentrated and even slightly minty/herbal on the nose but still fascinatingly clear, fresh and piquant. Full-bodied, lush and crystalline on the palate, with firm tannin grip and good concentration, this Halenberg is rich and powerful but elegant and persistently salty yet also a bit bitter. It reminds me a bit of the Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg and will have some caramel flavors with age, but it is still impressive. Tasted in July 2019.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Scents and brightly-juicy palate presence of lime, white peach and red raspberry are already familiar from this year’s “Mineral” bottling; and the same goes for subtly, intriguingly fusil, oily and marine notes announced already on the nose. The feel here is quite plush and glycerol-rich but at the same time there is a sense of underlying stoniness. The vibrant, resonant, bell-clear finish features a refreshing edginess of zesty citrus and a shimmering array of mineral nuances. (This effectively serves as the second wine to Schönlebers’ Halenberg Grosses Gewächs, as explained in further detail in my review of its inaugural, vintage 2015 installment).
The village-level Halgans may be only the estate’s second dry wine from the Monzinger Halenberg, but its substance and concentration would grace many other estates’ Grosse Gewächse. Fumy, flinty, chalky, but it’s unmistakably Riesling, not Pouilly-Fumé. Fruit and herbaceous zest are not missing, but play second fiddle to the compact minerality. A rich texture makes sure that things don’t turn too austere on the palate. (MS)