With respect to the apparent fashion towards wine labels that consist of cryptic collections of letters and, at times, numbers, I'm not a fan. To be honest, it reminds me too much of the sort of corporate-speak that surrounds me every day; when I come home, I'd rather sit down to something vaguely romantic and aspirational instead of a label that describes the result of a scientific trial.
It's a small point, though, and this wine is certainly less obscure than some in this regard. I believe FGR refers to the forty grams of residual sugar retained to produce what is a sweeter style of Riesling. The nose here is quite delicate, with aromas of cut apple, lime juice and a fuller, custard apple-like fruit. There's also some prickly minerality that adds a real sense of sophistication. The nose isn't as powerful as some off-dry Rieslings I've tried, but not everything has to shout.
The palate is more extroverted and what I like most is the interplay of tart acidity, an assertively textural mouthfeel and a flavour profile that is quite tight despite the sugar. Some Rieslings go all tropical when you throw some sugar at them; this one, by contrast, has gobs of lime juice alongside other richly aromatic notes that remind me of rambutans. Excellent drive through the mouth, and on the after palate it becomes unexpectedly textural, emphasising the minerality in the flavour profile while pleasing the tongue with a schisty, raspy presence. All very pleasing. A lovely lift occurs towards the finish, which sends a blast of flavour to the back of the mouth and helps it to echo for some time.
I do like this wine. Personally, it doesn't have an "x factor" that some wines of lesser absolute quality can sometimes have, but that's simply my reaction to this wine on this particular evening. I'm especially grateful for a relatively low 8.5% abv, which makes it easy to gulp without ruining your evening.
Leave a comment