TEPPO RIESLING MOSEL 2018
31 Days of Riesling…Covid 19 aside, I say why 31 and why in the middle of summer in Toronto, when we virtually have 0 access to the great wines of Germany. It has been the same issue every year. So let us start talking about Riesling all the time. 365 days of the year.
Teppo Riesling from the Mosel is a project driven by 3. Dirk Niepoort as the ‘artiste’ of Portugal fame, Daniel Niepoort his son ,in collaboration with Philipp Kettern of Germany. The winery project is called Fio, based in the Mosel.
A wine of minimal intervention, aged in fuder and left on the lees. This wine is is not defined by the laws of ‘natural’ wines, though it is a great example that wine of this ‘nature’ can be profound, ‘clean’ and direct. Let us call a spade a spade!
Complete circle.
It is a wine that is built to age over time, though tasting on the day, this Riesling offers up precision, elegance and delicatesse!.
Check out the wine label designed by the renowned graphic artist Joao Noutel. His work can be seen on many of Portugal’s avant garde wines. For all you consumers who only buy wine based on the ‘attractiveness of a label’ the graphics match the quality of the wine and vice versa!
Teppo - [ = time, or is a reference to the arquebus firearm of the 1500’s introduced to the Japanese by the Portuguese]
Aromatics are persistent and intense. 24 hours later the Riesling charm of lemon, citrus, green apple candy, floral still lingers…a slight lactic/lees tone reminds me of the underlying aroma of richness and energy that is often associated with high end Muscadet!
A remarkable wine, in this display of finesse and elegance. Well crafted and bright. Bone dry Riesling that shares some spiritual connection with Ontario Riesling yet speaks of a place that you can imagine and see in your mind.
The palate is gentle with nice sweet-tartness of lemon segments…like the little micro tear drops of a lemon’s flesh that combine to make the lemon whole. Brilliant bright mineral acid on the palate. Lengthy and persistent…with a naturalness that is clean and precise.
Pow! (fire cracker emoji)
NOTE: Tasting 4 days later at room temperature, left on the same shelf when this photo was taken , with a quarter of the wine left in bottle…the wine is fantastic and drinks as brilliant as any ‘fine Riesling’ open on the day! I dig it! Let us revisit in a few years! A new bottle I mean!