Wines by Johannes Zillinger Numen Riesling 2020

Zillinger’s Numen range is a supremely expressive Riesling. Made from the oldest vines, there is close to no intervention. This Riesling sees a short time on skins in amphora, then slowly pressed before being left on its lees for 14 months in 600 litre old oak barrels. Slightly cloudy, the wine already shows a certain density in the glass. The nose is expressive and reminds me of the smell of an orchard at the time of harvest; orange peel, Nashi pear, pink ladies, honeysuckle, fresh ginger, mandarin, honey and wax. The palate is not what you would expect from a typical Riesling – the lees contact gives body and richness but with beautiful acidity. There is pomelo on the palate, providing zesty citrus freshness to the ripe pear and waxy contour. As it evolves, there are notes of apricots poached with cinnamon sticks, brown sugar on a piece of lemon and small tropical white guavas with a long finish. A mouth filling wine with lots of complexity re-imagining Riesling in a different outfit. An asset for a good dinner party!