2012 Weingut Reinhold Haart Wintricher Ohligsberg Riesling Spätlese

Reinhold Haart's 2012 Wintricher Ohligsberg Riesling Spätlese comes from a Grand Cru vineyard on steep Devon slate terraces in the village of Wintrich, just upstream from the estate's more famous Goldtröpfchen holdings in Piesport. The Ohligsberg is a historic site whose severe gradient and ancient slate soils produce wines of mineral tension and precision, a distinct counterpoint to the rounder character of Piesport's bottlings. The 2012 vintage on the Mosel was cool and irregular, demanding careful selection and patience, and the estates that waited were rewarded with wines of elegance and focus rather than weight. Theo Haart's Spätlese from this vineyard reflects that restraint beautifully. Weingut Reinhold Haart has been a fixture in the Middle Mosel for generations, and while the family name is most closely associated with Piesport's legendary Goldtröpfchen, the estate's holdings in the neighboring Wintricher Ohligsberg reveal another dimension of the winemaking. The Ohligsberg site sits on steep terraces above Wintrich along the Mosel's winding course, its Devon slate terroir imparting a stony, herbal minerality that sets it apart from the more opulent Piesport bottlings. Haart's approach here emphasizes precision and site expression, allowing the vineyard's character to define the wine rather than imposing a uniform house style across all bottlings. The 2012 Spätlese is now well into its drinking window, showing the beginnings of complexity that come with a decade of bottle age. Expect ripe stone fruit, white peach, and apricot underpinned by citrus freshness and the site's characteristic stony minerality, with honeyed tertiary notes beginning to emerge alongside the primary fruit. The sweetness is restrained and perfectly integrated, carried by bright, racy acidity through a long, focused finish. Serve well chilled with roasted pork, duck confit, or spiced autumn squash dishes, or simply pour a glass and linger over it as the wine opens in the glass. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.