A 1990 Trockenbeerenauslese from the Casteller Kugelspiel vineyard, made from Rieslaner by the Fürstlich Castell'sches Domänenamt in Franken. Rieslaner is a Franken speciality that makes some of Germany's most intense sweet wines, and TBA is its rarest form.
About This Wine
Rieslaner is a crossing of Riesling and Silvaner bred in Würzburg in 1921. It ripens late and keeps very high acidity, so it only works on warm sites and in good years, but at full botrytis ripeness it gives wines of great concentration with the freshness to last. Castell has kept a small planting, about one percent of its vineyards. Kugelspiel is one of the estate's classified monopole sites on the Steigerwald slopes. 1990 was a ripe, healthy vintage across Germany, and a TBA from it has had time to settle into deep, honeyed flavours while keeping its tension.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Apricot jam, candied orange, honey, quince paste and a touch of spice.
- Palate: Dense and very sweet, with dried tropical fruit and citrus peel cut by bright Rieslaner acidity.
- Finish: Clean and persistent, with marmalade and honey lingering.
Serving & Food
Small dessert glasses and a cellar-cool 10 to 12°C show it best, and the half bottle stretches to six or eight modest pours. Open it now or keep it longer. On the table, think of a wedge of Roquefort, a sharp lemon tart or a plate of candied citrus.
How to Enjoy
Anyone keen to taste Rieslaner at its most concentrated, and those who keep rare German sweet wines.
Product Details
Producer: Fürstlich Castell'sches Domänenamt
Country: Germany
Region: Franken
Vineyard: Casteller Kugelspiel
Vintage: 1990
Grape Variety: Rieslaner
Style: Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
Volume: 375mL
About the Estate
The Fürstlich Castell'sches Domänenamt is the wine estate of the princely Castell-Castell family in the village of Castell, on the slopes of the Steigerwald in Franken. The key vineyards were first named in a 1266 division of the counts' lands, and in 1659 the family planted what is recorded as the first Silvaner in Germany, on the Schlossberg below the old castle.
Today the estate farms about 70 hectares on heavy gypsum-keuper soils, with Silvaner leading and smaller plots of Müller-Thurgau, Weissburgunder, Riesling and a little Rieslaner. It joined the VDP in 1955. Its classified sites, including the Schlossberg and Kugelspiel, are monopoles, and the house style leans to slow-developing, long-lived wines.
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