- Region
- Nahe
- Producer
- Weingut Emrich-Schönleber
- Vintage
- 2018
- Grape varieties
- 100% Riesling
- Bottle size
- 150 cl
- Ratings
- 97+ points Robert Parker
- 94 points Vinous
- Classification
- VDP.Grosse Lage®
- Special characteristic
- Contains sulphites
- Auction wine
- Rare bottle
- Net item
This auction wine is available exclusively in large bottles. Wild-yeast fermentation followed by a long period of maturation on the fine lees, either in stainless steel vats or oak casks.
When a winery produces an auction wine, this is a special bottling of its best wine. The process of making an auction wine starts by earmarking a batch of grapes, a vineyard parcel or a specific barrel or cask of wine that proves to be of exceptional quality. By definition, such wines can only be bought at auctions and are not freely available for purchase. These bottles are adorned with a sticker labelling the wine accordingly. The annual VDP auctions have always been one of the highlights in the social calendar of Germany's Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates, or VDP for short). In addition to the most recent bottles filled from VDP members' very best casks, the auctions also see rare and exquisite wines from older vintages go under the hammer. These older wines will have been stored all their lives in the cellars of the wineries that produced them – a guarantee of authenticity and quality.
For some years now, Frank Schönleber has been producing a separate bottling from the fruit that he sources from the property's best vineyard. The 2018 vintage boasts a cornucopia of ripe fruit as well as extraordinary charm and a total absence of botrytis. The aromas are so pure and precise. Ultra-fine Riesling fruit such as apple, pear, peach and apricot, underscored by exquisite yeast notes. Incredible warmth on the palate, along with textural sweetness and aromatic complexity. Auf der Ley is one of the Nahe's best wines.
Auf der Ley is a wonderful site – the third-largest grand cru vineyard in Monzingen. Gravel, slate and quartzite are the dominant features of its soil. Sourced from Frank Schönleber's oldest vines, this wine boasts the true stature and greatness of a Grosses Gewächs. Only produced in exceptional years.