A 1976 Trockenbeerenauslese made from Ehrenfelser in the Erbacher Steinmorgen vineyard by Baron Knyphausen of the Rheingau. TBA is the rarest and sweetest German Prädikat, and 1976 was a year of widespread noble rot in Germany.
About This Wine
Trockenbeerenauslese is picked berry by berry from grapes shrivelled by noble rot, so each vine gives only a few spoonfuls of juice. The result is very sweet, low in alcohol and, with good acidity, able to age for decades. Ehrenfelser, a 1929 Geisenheim crossing of Riesling and Silvaner, holds its acidity well at high ripeness, which suits this style. The hot, dry 1976 summer was followed by an autumn that brought widespread botrytis, and German estates made an unusual quantity of BA and TBA. The #11 on the label is the estate's cask or lot number, marking a single bottling.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dark honey, dried apricot, orange marmalade, raisin and a hint of caramel.
- Palate: Rich and very sweet, with candied citrus and baked fruit, lifted by lively acidity.
- Finish: Very long, with toffee, dried fruit and a clean, tangy close.
Serving & Food
A TBA of this age needs only a light chill, roughly 10 to 12°C, and small glasses. After a day standing upright, pour slowly and stop before the sediment. It will hold for years yet. Foie gras, Roquefort or a warm tarte Tatin all work well alongside.
How to Enjoy
Serious German sweet wine drinkers and anyone marking a 1976 anniversary. A generous format for sharing at the end of a dinner.
Product Details
Producer: Weingut Baron Knyphausen (Freiherr zu Knyphausen)
Country: Germany
Region: Rheingau
Vineyard: Erbacher Steinmorgen
Vintage: 1976
Grape Variety: Ehrenfelser
Style: Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
Lot: #11
Volume: 700mL
About the Estate
The Draiser Hof, home of Weingut Baron Knyphausen, lies just outside Erbach in the Rheingau. Monks from nearby Kloster Eberbach once farmed it, and the manor house standing today dates from 1727. In 1818 the zu Knyphausen family took over, and eight generations later they still run the estate and its roughly 17 hectares of vines.
Riesling leads the vineyard, with some Roter Riesling and a few older Rheingau varieties alongside, and the estate is a VDP member. In the years when this wine was made it also kept plantings of crossings such as Ehrenfelser, which gave it material for late-harvest sweet wines in favourable autumns.
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