Mission Codename Ja bäby
“This is the very top of the heap in dry Riesling. Bassermann-Jordan has been making wine for 300 years in the Pfalz (episode 173), a region that has enough heat to ripen Riesling fully every year, leading to some of the fullest and most interesting dry Rieslings in the world. It’s no secret that I love Riesling, and this gets my enthusiastic stamp of approval as one of the best you can get! Go for it – you won’t regret it. “
Elizabeth Schneider, Podcast Host and Author of Wine For Normal People - Wine Spies’ Podcast Partner and Brand Ambassador
Found ourselves rapping with this…
“it plays on the fade, slice like a ninja, cut like a razor blade, so fast, other buyers say damn… if wine was a drug, we’d sell it by the gram!”
To our version of Ice Ice Baby.
Cause this, is INCREDIBLE juice baby! It slices the palate like a ninja, and the acidity cuts like a razor blade, but the IMMENSE fruit does not make you feel any pain whatsoever, rather gobs of pleasure.
It’s a GG, a Grosses Gewächs, meaning a dry-as-can-be rendition from one of Germany’s few Grand Cru vineyards. Put this in Burgundy, and you have a Montrachet. Put this in your lockers, then your mouth, and you will be thanking us. For cutting you this sliced like a ninja deal, making it a steal, on what should be classified as a controlled substance sold by the gram, because it’s delicious beyond imagination. Needs a “DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE!” label somewhere on the bottle too, ELECTRIC stuff, it’s borderline trippy good, not exaggerating. See for yourselves.
Let’s hear what Vinous has to say on the recent developments at this mighty fine historic winery “The now two-decade-long collaboration of cellarmaster and vineyard manager Ulrich Mell with director Gunter Hauck had already achieved impressive results when the Bassermann family sold their famous estate in 2002… almost immediately reflected at Bassermann-Jordan in wines of greater vinous refinement. The past several collections, though, have struck me as representing yet another step in the direction of precision and distinctive personality.”
Continuing “Like a number of the top Pfalz estates, Bassermann tends to make available in each export market a highly restricted selection of those Grosse Gewächse. The practicality of this approach is understandable, but it has the serious drawback for the geeks among us of making it difficult to collect and compare the entire series, which even at the cellar door is sold largely via subscription. And that in turn makes it hard to appreciate the full extent of this team’s accomplishments, which prominently include rendering Rieslings expressive of their distinctive sites.”
Oh yea, a Basserman Jordan TBA from the – get this – 1949 vintage hit 99 points with Vinous recently, being called “astonishing” with a “2020-2050” drinking window recommendation. This obviously won’t go that distance without all that sugar, but the way it’s built will last decades too, easily.
Only 50 cases imported and most were already claimed when we got to this gem, fair warning.
94 Points – Wine Spectator
“A concentrated, dry Riesling, featuring ripe peach and apricot flavors, underscored by hints of lime and sea salt. A viscous texture and a minerally core add to the charm. Balanced, with the minerality carrying through, but this still needs time to harmonize fully. Picks up a spice detail on the lingering finish. 50 cases imported. Best from 2022 through 2032.”
93 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
“Corn tassel and sea breeze on the nose set the tone for a silken palate that exhibits sweet corn succulence and mouthwatering salinity. The finish really sneaks up on you, eventually bursting with fresh lime, engendering strong salivation, and exhibiting a persistently tactile sense of crystalline mineral impingement and a wonderful transparency to herbal and marine nuances. Drink 2019-2029.”
What the Winery Says
2017 Hohenmorgen GG Pfalz Riesling
- Winemaker
- Uli Mell
- Vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Varietal
- 100% Riesling
- Appellation
- Deidesheim, Pfalz, Germany
- Vineyard
- Hohenmorgen GG
- Size
- 2.76 hectares
- Altitude
- 130-140 meters above sea level
- Vineyard age
- 20+ years old
- Yields
- 32 hl/ha
- Exposure
- South
- Soils
- Loam, sandstone-gravel, limestone
- Harvest dates
- October 14-16, 2017
- Total acidity
- 7.1 g/L
- Residual sugar
- 1.4 g/L
- Aging
- 10 months on fine lees
- Vessels
- 100% stainless steel