The tasting with Hanno Zilliken proceeds in a friendly atmosphere, the host speaks motivated and passionate about his wines and his domain.
The next wine he offers us still belongs to the series of the “vertical” that started in previous article with the Rausch Riesling Spätlese 2012, 2011 and 2009.
Rausch
Riesling Spätlese 2010 comes from the difficult year 2010. Zilliken harvested very late this year, after the cold and wet period. When a dry period started, in which the fruit became very concentrated, everything had to go very quickly while bringing in the grapes. Where other winemakers have cursed the year 2010, this has become one of the best in recent years for Zilliken. The quality was very high, so high that almost no basic wines were made, everything was suitable for producing top wines. Especially the Spätlesen are at high level.
Raisins, dried fruits (figs, dates) and pepper, spices on the nose. Fresh acidity in the attaque, juicy fruit and dried fruit in the middle, with minerality and length. A lot of concentration. In the long finish lots of juicy fruit acidity. Elegant.
The grapes used to make the Rausch Riesling Auslese 2012 are harvested individually. So it is literally an Auslese, a selective harvest, where they search for dried grapes so that the sugar content is high.
Complex fruit in the nose with lots of primary fruit (exotic, like pineapple), a delicate spiciness but also a lot of dried fruit (date, figs). After a powerful start follows an almost refreshing lightness by the precise balance between sweet and acid. The finish, with fine citric acidity, is very long.
Then Hanno, with a sparkle in the eyes, comes with a surprise. We get the same Auslese, but … from 1995.
Rausch Riesling Auslese 1995, almost 19 years old, is being sold for the first time this year. The huge cellars at Zilliken are a treasure trove of older vintages. In years when there is little wine – 2012 is almost sold out, the 2013 harvest is barely half of normal – that stock can be addressed to be still of service to the clients.
![Kelder_Zilliken](https://vriendenvanderiesling.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/kelder_zilliken.jpg?w=529&h=396)
Photo © Vrienden van de Riesling
The Rausch Riesling Auslese 1995 is a golden yellow wine with a complex nose that tends to be smoky. Wax, Schiefer, firne (underwood, mushrooms, forest soil) with meanwhile a lot of dried fruits (dried apricots…). This has become a complex wine with lots of flavour components. A dense minerality, a multitude of ripe fruit, saltiness, smokiness, all vying for attention in this glass of top wine. The finish is lingering, with great concentration full of juiciness and sweetness.
We have barely recovered from the surprise, when Hanno announces an “experiment”. In order to experience how Riesling can mature… Not that we did not know already (read here and here), but still we’re curious.
The Riesling Rausch “Qualitätswein” 1984 is a matured Riesling from a “lesser” year. The grapes remained relatively green, they were not fully mature at harvest, and as a result many herbal tones in the juice. This Qualitätswein 1984, with 35 grams of residual sugar, would now be labelled as VDP.Ortswein.
In the nose impressions of forestland, animal, like an old closet or basement. On the palate a lot of evolution, its sweetness completely merged, complex, tertiary, dry to very dry.
This wine is no longer in top shape, but is not yet faulty, and shows that even a simple basic wine here can last a long time – in this case almost 30 years.
The sparkling in the eyes of Hanno Zilliken continues. Opposite the basic wine of a lesser year, he proudly puts an Auslese from a great year. The contrast could not be greater.
The Riesling Auslese 1997 Saarburger Rausch is very fine in the nose, complex, tropical fruit, beeswax, mineral. Versatile impressions on the palate, honey, exotic juicy fruits, with some creaminess. Great length.
We arrive at the absolute top of the range of Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken. The Goldkapsel (gold capsule) and Long Goldkapsel (long gold capsule) are Auslese wines where the dried grapes are picked separately from the bunches with afterwards a selection on maturity and quality on the triage. Herr Zilliken speaks of “Einzelbeerenselection”: the selection of the individual berries.
The Rausch
Auslese 2010 GK has 7.5% ABV and 150 g/l residual sugar, with 12.7 g l acidity. The acidity produced in 2010 gives this Auslese the almost refreshing character of an Eiswein. This wine was rewarded top ratings from various wine writers: 97/100 Robert Parker, 95/100 Gault Millau, 96/100 WineSpectator.
We smell honey, acacia, dried fruit. After a very sweet start with hints of dried fruit, a light-hearted acidity makes a very balanced wine. Lots of body and concentration. Exceptionally long finish with juicy pineapple and citrus.
We end in absolute beauty with Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese 2005 LGK. The grapes were very mature in 2005. This Auslese can technically be considered as Beerenauslese and by its concentration it has almost the character of a Trockenbeerenauslese. Gault Millau awarded 96/100 .
Gold and viscous in the glass, almost oily. The nose is completely open and wide, with ripe and dried fruit, honey, raisins and a multitude of impressions like wax, orange, blood orange … Launching with remarkable freshness, lots of juiciness in the middle with again impressions of orange, honey and ripe fruit. A concentrated, wine, to be enjoyed sip by sip.
However, says Hanno Zilliken, this wine is now in its resting phase. The openness and fruit impressions come from his great concentration. This wine will be at its peak after 20 to 25 years.
After this great tasting experience we get to meet with with Mrs. Zilliken. Ruth is very interested in our Riesling blog, and if we tell you that we only write in Dutch, she is obviously disappointed.
This inducement we just needed to make our articles also available in English. After all, we already played some time with this idea.
So our thanks go not only to Herr Hanno Zilliken for the phenomenal experience of this tasting, but also to Frau Ruth Zilliken to urging us to publish in English.
![Hanno](https://vriendenvanderiesling.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/hanno.jpg?w=529&h=705)
Hanno Zilliken – Photo © Vrienden van de Riesling
Read also:
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 1
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 2
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 3
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 4
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 5
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 6
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 7
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 8
Wine trip to the Saar valley – part 9