Selbach-Oster Riesling Auslese Anrecht Himmelreich Zeltinger Mosel 2024

James Suckling and I seem to share a similar devotion to Riesling – and it appears we’re both equally enamored with this wondrous, single-vineyard 2024 vintage from Germany’s Mosel region. He gave it 97 points (!), and I’m happily ruminating on all the expressive, keenly balanced layers that flow from my glass. Under $45 is a killing on this.

Technically, this falls into the “subtly-sweet” category for Riesling – with “Auslese” meaning “select harvest” in reference to extra-ripe, hand-picked, late-harvest Riesling grapes that carry the noble rot of botrytis. And, yet, this one’s bounty of sweet summer peaches and smooth lemon curd notes is immaculately balanced with herbal touches of tarragon and chervil, and a searing undercurrent of wet stone minerality with a texture almost akin to a light oil. It’s almost like a full meal in your glass, dancing between round, bright fruits to garden greenery to tongue-caressingly smooth stoniness. What’s more, it’s amazingly over $30 off!

It comes from Selbach-Oster, one of the finest and oldest family-run estates in the Mosel, dating back to 1600. If you had to sum up Selbach’s wines in just a few words, all the hardcore Riesling rumblers would agree on brilliant, complex, classic, and balanced. These are classic wines both the way that they taste (truly balanced and less “sweet”), and in the way that they’re produced. Grapes are gently pressed at low pressure, and the juice settles by gravity, then fermenting in naturally cool cellars at low temperatures, predominantly in traditional oak barrels with wild yeasts. 

The grapes here are picked from the “Anrecht” parcel of the enormously prized Zeltinger Himmelreich vineyard. This little south-facing, mid-slope parcel is the trophy of the vineyard, with the deepest subsoil of broken slate mixed with loam and organic matter. After all, the name Anrecht does translate to “entitled,” and entitled to greatness it does appear to be. It’s also slightly cooler than the other parcels, imparting some of those less-sweet, more-earthy layers of delight into the wine. All in all, a tremendous wine in any category – and a full-on showstopper for “subtly-sweet” Riesling. A swell drop of 40% off makes it even sweeter, and we’re inclined to bring home a 6-pack for endlessly delicious cheese plate and Thai takeout pairings ahead.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Doubling down on Thai takeout – those concentrated yet clean fruit notes in the wine will hold up impeccably next to some spicy Pad Krapow.