Riesling Stromberg Grosses Gewachs Schaefer Frohlich 2017 (750ML)

96 Points, David Schildknecht, Vinous: "White peach, gooseberry and lime are laced in the nose with chamomile, peppermint and pennyroyal. Those juxtapositions anticipate the dynamic of ripeness and citricity as well as of soothing and pungently invigorating elements that characterize this entire amazing performance. There is remarkable sheer succulence and intensity of glowingly pit-tinged white peach, zesty lime and crunchy, seedy gooseberry on the surprisingly silken palate. It's as if concentration of fruit flavors were inversely proportional to the Stromberg's rocky, virtually topsoil-free surface. But this is not to suggest that mineral flavor elements are short-changed. Far from it! That "dark minerality" that Fröhlich deems can be unpacked as some combination of smoky peat and black tea with stone suffusion and alkaline accents. "As ripe as they might get," notes Fröhlich, "the berries on these old vines never lose their greenish tint or make the transition to deep gold," and that is reflected in the vivid freshness and juicy animation of a long, fugal finish that tingles the tongue and tugs at the cheeks. If Bockenau's virtues went virtually unnoticed until the 21st century, those of today's Stromberg sites were almost completely unknown until Schäfer-Fröhlich produced their first, vintage 2012 Grosses Gewächs showcasing them. "When we had to demonstrate to the VDP with historical evidence that this site was Grosses Gewächs-worthy," relates Fröhlich, "we uncorked a [nearly-dry] 1957 Spätlese from my grandfather that was unbelievably fresh and fine."" 4/19

97 Points, James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com: "It's hard to imagine how a riesling could have a more northerly personality than this cool, delicate and very elegant wine. Great balance and very long, saline finish. From a forgotten, top site that Tim Fröhlich reactivated in 2012. Drink or hold." 9/18

96+ Points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar: "The Stromberg GG here is often not quite as elegant as the very top grand cru bottlings, but this is not the case in 2017, as the lower yields from the frosts have given this wine a precision I can seldom recall in previous young vintages. The bouquet is pure and complex, wafting from the glass in a superb blend of grapefruit, tart orange, lime zest, ocean-like salinity, white flowers and a great base of minerality. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and racy, with outstanding mid-palate intensity, seamless balance and a very long, focused and superbly complex finish. This is the finest young vintage of Stromberg I have ever tasted from Tim Fröhlich! (Drink between 2025-2085)" 6/18 Issue #75

95 Points, Anne Krebiehl, Decanter: "The customary reduction resulting from a spontaneous, slow ferment still clouds the nose of this Riesling. From porphyry soils on a rocky, elevated site we get almost piercing freshness that presses all of the pleasure buttons of dry Riesling fans. Bundled around a central, bright shaft of acid are alluring notes of citrus and juicy passion fruit. A most wonderful, stony, precise juxtaposition of exactitude and juiciness." 8/18

96 Points, Mosel Fine Wines: "The 2017er Bockenauer Stromberg GG proves rather reduced and smoky at first. It then gradually reveals riper notes of pineapple, orange, yellow peach, tangerine and gingerbread, all wrapped into spices and residual scents from the spontaneous fermentation. The wine proves coats the palate with juicy and lightly flavors. The finish is however focused and even racy thanks to a pure and lime driven acidity kicking in. A slightly tart side in the after-taste still needs to melt into the wine but the wine is hugely impressive. 2025-2037" 10/18 Issue #43