Mosel Fine Wines!

Wines of the Month – February 2015

Reinhold Franzen Bremmer 2013er Calmont Riesling GK GG
One of the best dry Mosel wines in 2013 was made by an up-and-coming Estate. Here is the story.

The Reinhold Franzen Estate is a household name in the Bremm area, with its 9 ha of vineyards of which a staggering 5 ha in the Bremmer Calmont.Does Bremmer Calmont not immediately ring a bell? As you can see from the picture here above, this vineyard is incredibly steep (allegedly the steepest vineyard in Europe) and can, for large parts, only be worked on small terraces. According to Kilian Franzen, the red iron-rich soil of Quartzite slate with a high proportion of stone gives Calmont wines quite a mineral side.Young Kilian Franzen had to take over the Estate in his early 20s after his father Ulrich died in a tragic vineyard accident in 2010. Together with his mother and his then girlfriend and now wife Angelina, he steadily brought the Estate to new heights, refining the House style and taming some of the natural exuberance of Bremmer wines.For those not familiar with the style of the Estate, its wines are made with some pre-fermentation maceration and go through some malolactic fermentation. This is a “creeping” type of malo, which happens in parallel with the alcoholic one and makes the wines only slightly rounder.We have been regularly recommending wines from this Estate over the last years. Already in 2012, it produced some outstanding wines. However, we feel that in 2013, the Estate outdid itself, producing some truly superb dry wines. This includes the GG (Grosses Gewächs) from the Calmont, made from over 70 year-old un-grafted vines. Simply put, this wine is one of the best dry Mosel wines made in 2013.Something tells us that we will hear more from this young couple in the coming years!You can read more about the Estate’s wines in Issues No 26 (Oct 2014) and No 23 (Oct 2013).

2013er
Reinhold Franzen
Bremmer Calmont Riesling GK GG
13 14       91+

This gorgeous wine delivers a superb nose of slightly infused orchard fruits, grapefruit and earthy spices. The wine is long and elegant on the palate and a delicate touch of acidity underlining the zesty side of the wine leaves one with a fresh, fine and complex feel in the long finish. This is a great success with plenty of development potential ahead. 2015-2023