Weszeli - 2012 Riesling, “Seeberg”

The diversity of the Kamptal is extensive, and Davis has great breadth in the various exposures, soil types, and genetic materials that have amassed from the nearly 400-year-old Summerer estate he purchased in 2010. Seeberg, primarily grown on mica schist (another acidic rock type), gives tremendous saltiness and deep mineral characteristics, and may be the top site in his range of vineyards.

Honey, apple, preserved lemon, and a light white smokiness lead with aromatic charm, while the initial attack on the front palate is strong and piercing with layers of dense phenolics. This high acid, salty wine is ripe with tart apricot flavors and finishes with a soft bitterness—a welcome quality in a wine like this!—lingering on the back-palate for what seems like minutes. 18 months in semi-neutral 2000-liter oak barrels (purchased in 2011) help transform what could have been a behemoth wine with difficult, ridged angles into a vast wine that manages to be both lithe, textured, and deeply complex.