Description
Mader, “Rosacker” Grand Cru Riesling
Of the myriad things I love about France’s Alsace region, what stands out above all is the frozen-in-time quality of its villages and vines. And when it comes to single vineyards, it hardly gets more hallowed and rarefied than “Rosacker,” an ancient site from which some of the world’s greatest dry Rieslings have sprung over the past 500 years. Regarding prestige, historical intrigue, and what we call the “gotta-have” factor, Grand Cru “Rosacker” is to Alsace as Grand Cru “Montrachet” is to Burgundy.
Located in the idyllic, stone-and-timber village of Hunawihr, this gold-standard terroir has been a perennial source for some of France’s finest Grand Cru dry Riesling—most notably Trimbach’s legendary $300+ “Clos Sainte Hune.” Accordingly, owning any piece of land here is considered an honor, and although Mader’s parcel falls well short of a single hectare, they cherish their 60+-year-old vines to the fullest extent by farming biodynamically. The result is a phenomenal small-batch Riesling that displays lush texture, mineral profundity, and breathtaking precision. In other words, Mader’s 2019 is a luxurious knockout right now, but make no mistake: This is a certified blue-chip collectible for those looking to expand the breadth of their cellars!
Jean-Luc and Anne Mader founded their family domaine in 1981, after having worked at the local winemaking cooperative. These days they’re ably assisted by their son, Jérome, who now oversees most of the work in the vineyards and cellar. Headquartered right in Hunawihr, their vineyard holdings span roughly 10 hectares, which they farm organically (and, more recently, biodynamically). As is so often the case in the bucolic hills of Alsace, everything is done by hand from start to finish, and typically the Mader whites incorporate significant percentages of whole bunches in their fermentations, lending depth and longevity to the wines.
The Rosacker Grand Cru, which covers 26 hectares (roughly 60% planted to Riesling), is widely regarded as a “Holy Grail” site for Riesling, thanks at least in part to Trimbach’s “Clos Ste. Hune.” The Mader’s tiny parcel—less than one hectare—is rooted a little higher up the slope, and consists of 60+-year-old, Certified Organic vines. In the cellar, their hand-harvested fruit is subjected to a long, slow fermentation in stainless steel and left on its lees until bottling the following summer.
When Jacqueline Freidrich published “The Wines of France” 14 years ago, she wrote that “Mader’s wines from Grand Cru Rosacker steal the show.” Having hunted down and savored the last six vintages, we’ve come to a simple conclusion: She’s right, and recent vintages deserve even more praise! Given a 15-minute decant in all-purpose stems, this 2019 explodes with concentrated aromas of green mango peel, citrus blossoms, guava, freshly cut green apple, white peach, pineapple core, damp white flowers, and lime leaf with undercurrents of smoke, flint, and crushed river stone. Mader’s Rosacker Riesling always seems to pull off the impossible because it manages to be paradoxically rich and laser-sharp at the same time. This 2019 is loaded with layers of lush green/white fruits and pulses with crescendoing acidity that electrifies the mid-palate and triggers an explosion of pulverized minerals on the finish. Although outrageously delicious right now, it will start developing savory complexities around 2024 and begin taking on a honeyed tone beyond 2030. This is an extremely limited wine so keep that in mind before pulling all of your corks prematurely!
