Schloss Johannisberg : Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée 100 Spätlese

Characteristics and Tasting Tips of Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée »100« Spätlese from Schloss Johannisberg

Tasting

Color
The color reveals a bright, clear golden hue.

Nose
The bouquet reveals remarkable complexity with aromas of candied apricot, baked yellow apple and dried mango, accompanied by notes of candied citrus and orange zest. Floral nuances of chamomile, verbena and jasmine intermingle with gentle spices of cinnamon, cardamom and touches of honey and vanilla.

Palate
On the palate, this wine reveals a perfect texture combining subtle sweetness with fully balanced ripe acidity. The tasting unveils an intense yet airy presence, with a fine salinity that lends elegance. Flavors of exotic fruits linger on a long, harmonious finish.

Food and Wine Pairings

This exceptional cuvée pairs perfectly with Brittany lobster served with saffron noodles and peas in cream. It also enhances glazed scallops with cabbage in riesling, or a saddle of venison in a pistachio crust. For desserts, it beautifully accompanies a coconut mousse with marinated exotic fruits.

Serving and Cellaring

Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée »100« Spätlese is ideally enjoyed at a serving temperature between 8 and 10°C. No decantation is necessary to fully appreciate its aromatic complexity.

Other Characteristics

This wine has a residual sugar level of 61.1 g/L, an acidity of 7.7 g/L and an alcohol content of 12.5%, characteristics of a moderately sweet Spätlese of great finesse.

An Exceptional Historic Cuvée from the Prestigious Rheingau

The Estate

With a winemaking heritage spanning over a millennium, Schloss Johannisberg is established as a must-have among great German wines. Founded in the 12th century as a Benedictine monastery, the estate then entered a period of uncertainty due to Germany’s troubled political and economic history over several centuries. Paradoxically, these difficulties allowed Schloss Johannisberg to rise again like a viticultural phoenix in an even more radiant and prosperous form: the entire estate is planted with riesling, making it the first and one of the finest walled vineyards of this grape variety in the world.

The Vineyard

The unique 50-hectare vineyard surrounds the Johannisberg castle, facing south towards the Rhine. Soils composed of Taunus quartzite, fertile loam and loess, enriched with a small amount of iron oxide giving them a reddish hue, offer an exceptional terroir for the expression of this German riesling German.

The Wine

Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée »100½ Spätlese is a Rheingau wine bringing together the best Spätlese vintages from decades between 1915 and 2015. The blend includes 36 remarkable vintages, notably 1915, 1921, 1937, 1943, 1945, 1953, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1985, 1992, 1993, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015.

This cuvée celebrates the 250th anniversary of Spätlese, officially created at Schloss Johannisberg in Germany in 1775. This event is often attributed to an anecdote in which a messenger arrived late to authorize the harvest, delaying the picking and thus allowing the grapes to ripen further on the vine. This late harvest gave birth to an exceptionally rich and sweet wine, marking the beginning of the Spätlese category in the classification of German wines.

Winemaking and Aging

Benefiting from aging in the Bibliotheca Subterranea, the estate’s underground treasure, Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée "100" Spätlese is an exceptional cuvée, produced in limited quantities and presented in an elegant wooden case accompanied by a booklet retracing its history.

Grape Variety

100% riesling, the emblematic grape variety of the Rheingau that here reveals all its nobility and its exceptional aging potential.