First White German Iconic Wine on “La Place de Bordeaux

For the first time in the history of Bordeaux‘s négociants, a dry Riesling from a German wine growing estate will be sold by la Place de Bordeaux, the most famous of all marketplaces for Grand Vins of the world. That trailblazing estate: Weingut Battenfeld Spanier, represented by H.O. Spanier and Carolin Spanier-Gillot.

Maison Ginestet, one of the leading négociants in Bordeaux, has since 1897 earned a sterling reputation for identifying outstanding fine wines. General Manager Franck Lederer expressed excitement about the opportunity of distributing the “rising star” German Riesling via Maison Ginestet, key player of La Place de Bordeaux: “German white wine, and in particular the bio-dynamically cultivated terroir wines of H.O. Spanier, has earned its place in the finest restaurants and collections of passionate wine connoisseurs the world over. We are happy and proud to do our part bringing this wine on the famous table of the world.”

“There‘s not a partner in the world from our point of view with a better understanding of our fine, uncompromising Rieslings and with better commercial connections worldwide. Maison Ginestet already distributes many of our absolute favorite wines and we‘re so thrilled to join their distinguished list with our own bottles” H. O. Spanier commented enthusiastically.

The French négociant will begin distribution of Battenfeld Spanier wines worldwide on September 26th, launching with a major rarity, the 2017 C.O. Riesling.

“C.O.” comes from the craggiest section of the Zellertal, situated between Frauenberg GC and Schwarzer Herrgott GC, and is harvested only as the last of the other fruit is coming in. C.O. is fully a creation of the Zellertal itself. It is sourced from a selection of the oldest vines and finest parcels, and thus does not fall under the standard site classification, yet like several iconic cuvées from Burgundy or Piedmont. The most important plots are owned solely by the estate and were therefore not classified in 1998. These are popularly known as “Bei den Felsen” (À-côté-des-rochers) — a reference to the calcareous and rocky subsoil. There’s no fruitiness, but plenty of salinity, stone, limestone, and mineral spice — like a monolith that time itself has carved into a sculpture. The effect is one of drinking pure stone, hence the “LIQUID EARTH BY H.O.” moniker.

Carolin Spanier-Gillot adds: “The chance to start with our Family Reserve, specifically the ‚C.O. Liquid Earth’ that we produced for our wedding in 2005 and since then have only shared with our absolute closest friends and a few trusted addresses — I‘m just speechless. I feel such joy and gratitude.”

Maturity makes the difference between a good and an outstanding wine. H.O. and Carolin created a subterranean cellar, naturally cooled across its 1,800 square meters. A massive investment to bring wines onto the world market at the perfect point in time. “C.O.” is released after some years of maturation spent in the estate’s dedicated aging cellar. One of the world’s few white wines that is presented to the public only after maturation, “C.O.” is stored each year in the aging cellar. Only a few retailers and journalists have had the pleasure of tasting this wine, as it has been intentionally held back waiting for the right moment to let wine connoisseur all over the world discover our iconic wine.

Stuart Pigott, the front man for James Suckling in Germany writes: “This feels like a German version of Trimbach‘s Clos Ste. Hune, but because the climate is cooler in Rheinhessen than in Alsace, this has very moderate alcoholic content and crisper acidity - 97/100 points.”

Stephan Reinhardt, Chefverkoster Deutschland für Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate urteilt: „This is a very promising and expressive Riesling from pure limestone. The finish is very long and complex and the aging potential should be excellent here. (…) Dry Riesling with great Finesse.“ Die Verkostungsnotizen für den aktuellen Jahrgang werden Ende des Jahres veröffentlich.

German-Italian wine critic Giuseppe Lauria (weinwisser.org) awarded 19/20 points for the current vintage: “Freshly opened, it shows delicate mature notes, yet just a bit of air and it grows in clarity and nuance. A dazzling bouquet with appealing ethereal notes of grapefruit peel, lemon balm, mint, and lemon, followed by the earthy/chalky notes for which this grand cru is known. Wonderfully focused on the palate and precisely arranged, with the fine creaminess lending the wine an elegant texture, continuing with refreshing notes of mint and lemon balm that linger into the ethereal, stony finale. Plays fully on the side of finesse with the self-confidence of a grand wine, 2023 – 2038.”

Franck Lederer appreciates the kind words from his new partner and offers his own in return: “With Battenfeld Spanier, we weren’t just deciding on another outstanding producer, we were taking on an estate like no other. One of the most renowned Riesling estates, holding one of the most fascinating micro-appellations, the Zellertal, with three decades of history working organically and bio-dynamically. That produces a wine of moderate alcohol content, depth, expression, and which is released onto the market at the perfect stage of maturation. An opportunity that even we would perhaps only encounter once and that we absolutely wanted to share with our best distributors in the world! H.O. and Carolin have a motto: ‘Nature guides our way. Only when we listen properly can we find the right solutions.’ We couldn‘t have said it better ourselves and look forward to joining in the effort.”

Maison Ginestet will distribute Battenfeld Spanier “C. O. LIQUID EARTH” worldwide, except in Germany and Austria, where the long-standing partners of the Spanier-Gillot family will retain their exclusive distribution rights.