I had long made a note of 'matured Riesling' as the topic for another small tasting. It finally worked out. By matured in this case I mean 'ready to drink', so we're not talking about decades-old Riesling here. I am tasting dry wines in this tasting; residual sweet wines would (normally) have much more potential to mature. To narrow it down further, I am using Rheingau Rieslings from the Kesseler and Prinz wineries.

Mature Riesling

I have long been convinced of Riesling's remarkable ageing potential. Unlike other white varieties such as Chardonnay—even from top producers—my experiences have been less impressive. Riesling, however, can mature beautifully, likely thanks to its high acidity and distinctive varietal character. As it ages, the primary fruit notes of peach, citrus and blossom are joined by appealing tertiary aromas, such as honey or beeswax. Some describe a petrol note, though I find this more reminiscent of dried apricot or other raisined fruits. Dry Rheingau Rieslings are typically richer and fuller than those from the Mosel, which seems to favour longer maturation.

Three Rheingau Rieslings

2011 August Kesseler Lorcher Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese trocken

Light golden in colour, this wine offers an expressive bouquet of orange peel, ripe pineapple, white flowers, dried apricot, honey, and a hint of yeast, with a cool, mineral nose. On the palate, it is fresh and polished, with taut acidity, a lean body, and flavours of juicy lemon, green apple, and grapefruit, finishing with good grip and length. The wine appears youthful and vibrant. A very good example of a ten-plus years old dry Riesling that still has punch and character for a few more years.

2013 August Kesseler Rüdesheim Rheingau Riesling

From the same producer, I wanted to try this slightly younger but lower-quality village wine for comparison: Straw yellow. The bouquet is subtly vegetal, with light floral notes, mild honeydew melon, stone fruit, citrus, and earthy minerality. Not tired, but slightly restrained. The palate shows more grip and juiciness: crisp, linear acidity, with lemon, green apple, and grapefruit. A touch of sweetness softens the acidity. The medium finish is slightly sweet-bitter, recalling grapefruit and apple. Well-preserved, yet clearly mature. Best enjoyed soon.

2017 Prinz Hallgartener Frühernberg Riesling trocken

Pale straw yellow. The aroma is ripe, yellow-fruited, slightly muted and developed, with a floral touch, subtle herbs and a yeasty note. The fruit is a little crumbly rather than vibrant, but shows no marked maturity. The palate brings unexpectedly grippy acidity, with ripe yellow fruit, apple, orange, and candied lemon. The finish is fairly long, fresh, but shows some phenolic bitterness. Slightly lacking in harmony, the weakest of the trio.

Conclusion

All Rieslings showed rather well in this tasting. While the colour was straw yellow to golden in every case, the wines themselves were mostly relatively youthful, at least not overly matured. The Spätlese by August Kesseler showed best and came out as my favourite, which is not that surprising, considering that it is the highest-quality wine on paper. On the other hand, Prinz's Frühernberg is a so-called VDP.Erste Lage, indicating it is from a "premier cru" site. So that one was slightly disappointing. The 2013 village Rheingau Riesling by Kesseler performed as expected. I gave it fewer points than when I last tried it two years ago, but it is still showing well today.

Concluding my small tasting, I stand by my introductory words saying that Riesling is capable of long bottle ageing. Judging by my experiences with premier cru Burgundy whites, I'm afraid to say those would likely not have held up as well in many cases. Don't get me wrong, I love white Burgundy; I've just come to the expression lately that perhaps it's not necessary to keep them in your cellar for a very long time before enjoying them.