Got this one out of curiosity at Weingut Braunewell in Rheinhessen – I was picking up my standard box of their fab Chardonnay Sekt, when this one caught my attention: the region of Rheinhessen doesn’t do a lot of icewine – in its rather moderate climate it’s rarely getting cold enough (you need temperatures of -8c to harvest icewine) and few winemakers are inclined to take the risk and challenges of leaving gapes out in the vineyards for an icewine harvest. Conditions in Moselle are much better. So in 2012 the brothers Braunewell had placed their bets well and got rewarded with a nice little batch of icewine – and now the two last bottles were waiting for me to pick them up.
Opened one yesterday for a tasting of German wines with nice bunch of wine lovers. This wasn’t my first luscious wine but definitely my first icewine. On a general note, it’s lighter, less intense than a Trockenbeerenauslese – and no taste of noble rot, more on the fruity range of aromas.
Beautiful medium golden colour. On the nose a touch of warm pine forest, honey, dried yellow stone fruits. First sip: Nice balance between sweetness and acidity, more fruity – candied citrus – notes now. Still a hint of honey and dried apricots. Long but not overly intense finish.
Married beautifully to a duck liver mousse.
