From a high-acidity vintage that is often predestinated for age-worthy wines, Raumland's relatively late-harvested (mid-September and end of October) 2010 Chardonnay Brut Nature Grande Réserve aged sur lattes for 130 months and was disgorged in February 2022. Vinified in stainless steel (71%) and oak barrels (29%), with the malolactic fermentation included, and bottled in April 2011, this is a German sparkling wine that is unique in its complexity; it's undoubtedly on a par with the best Blanc de Blancs from the Côtes des Blancs of Champagne. The iodine-rich aroma of terra fusca (brown limestone clay) and ripe Chardonnay fruit (white flowers, light fruit) is absolutely fascinating and lingers for a long time. The dense, intense bouquet, characterized by terroir and yeast maturation, with its vanilla and fresh brioche aromas, is reminiscent of Champagne from Mesnil as well as the best Chardonnays from the French Jura. I would never think that this was a German sparkling wine! Fresh and intense on the palate, even dramatic, yet also fine, elegant, enormously salty and puristic right into the long finish, this fizz is dense, rich and intellectually engaging in its enormous complexity. This is not a wine for texture hedonists but for structure-loving wine freaks who want to practice humility in order to understand the greatness of this category-busting sparkling wine. The wine is enormously dense and long lasting and will tell us its best stories over the coming years. A Ulysses novel, so to speak, is this Grande Reserve! Those who buy it should not be too stingy with their portions. We will enjoy this 2010 for a very long time and continue to be amazed by it. 12% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in November 2023.
- Stephan Reinhardt (12/2023)
