98pts James Suckling

96pts Wine Advocate

The 1997 Riesling Vinothek Severin Fass was aged for 25 years in a large, traditional oak cask (filtered, though not on the lees) and opens with an intense yet pure, fresh and spicy, finely oaky bouquet with a deep, mineral tone of crushed stones. On the palate, this is a very intense and complex Riesling slowly building up and revealing great finesse and balanced juiciness. The wine develops a sustainable, aromatic and structured finish with great finesse, lingering salinity and fine tannin grip. A fabulous, intense and elegant Riesling that is incredibly young in terms of freshness but ageless and immortal by its structure and fruit intensity. Natural cork. Tasted in June 2022.

Winery Notes

Through methods both ancient and original—including the aging of white wine for up to 17 years in barrel—fourth-generation winemaker Nikolaus Saahs Jr. makes Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners of multi-faceted complexity, surreal texture and fantastic aging potential.