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Langwerth von Simmern Hattenheimer Mannberg Riesling Auslese 2007 375ml 3 BOTTLES AVAILABLE. For many, many years Langwerth von Simmern was one of the leading estates, and arguably the best of all, in the Rheingau. Beginning with the late 1970s or in the 1980s, the estate (along with most of the Rheingau) lost its edge. Even in the 1990s, when the Rheingau began to recover, the occasional bottles I came across did not thrill me. But slow progress was being achieved: beginning in 1996, the cellar converted to stainless steel, which was then further upgraded in 2000 along with a new press. Then a new technical Director, Dirk Roth, previously the winemaker at Josef Biffar in Deidesheim, was brought in, and changes in the vineyard with respect to matters such as trellising and pruning were instituted. Last year, I was impressed by the Erstes Gewächs wine and made a mental note to visit. I did, and I am glad that I did so -- these wines did justice to the earlier reputation of this estate. The style is relatively modern, but of quality. Harvest in 2007 was fairly early, beginning in mid-October. The label at this estate has been very distinctive with a vine motif against a red background and the coat of arms in the middle. Now, that label is kept for the wines designated as from the top vineyards; the others have the same design but with a black background. Although traditionally known for its noble late harvest wines, the dry wines here are remarkable and most worthy of your attention. THE FINE WINE REVIEW Claude Kolm’s Issue 122 : 2007 IN GERMANY, PART I: A GREAT VINTAGE The Year of the Long Hang Time Ratings: FREIHERR LANGWERTH VON SIMMERN - 2007 HATTENHEIMER MANNBERG AUSLESE 95(+) points Our estate owns ca. 90% of this site, a source of Langwerth von simmern wines since 1464. The deep, chalky, loess soils yield powerfull, fruity and spicy wines. Connoisseurs apppreciate the Mannberg for its very expressive, full-bodied wines as well as its lusciously sweet top growths. The history of the Freiherrn (Barons) Langwerth von Simmern dates back to the year 1464, when Johann Langwerth von Simmern was given about 13 hectares of "Hattenheimer Mannberg" as a reward for his services as chancellor to Duke Ludwig von Pfalz-Zweibrücken. In 1472, after the acquisiton of Castle Hattenheim, the family finally made the Rheingau their home. After buying Stockheimer Hof in 1711, the family moved to Eltville, the cultural centre of the Rheingau. At Stockheimer Hof, the mother of Baron vom Stein was born in 1721. The acquisiton of Lichtenstern Hof in 1753 laid the foundations for the current estate. The two buildings lend the modern Langwerther Hof its character and enclose the Estate Park inside. The wine world is agreed that the Rheingau represents Germany's greatest concentration of top quality Riesling. It is difficult to name a single property that has produced an unbroken run of successes with no major change of direction, particularly since the German wine trade has been buffeted in recent years by a series of difficulties including the most demanding variable: consumer taste. A number of properties, for example, have tailored their output to match the German market's current love affair with dry or Trocken wines. At the Baron Langwerth von Simmern estate, Freiherrlich Langwerth von Simmern'sches Rentamt, there has been reassuring continuity, The cellarmaster Josef Schell, for example, has worked to the same brief since 1958, aiming to produce long-living wines of unimpeachable purity which reliably express the individual nuances of each of von Simmern's top ranking vineyards. he estate's holdings include some of the finest sites in the important central slice of vineyards just above the banks of the Rhine between hattenheim and eltville. The 125 acres are shared between such famous sites such as Hattemheimer Nussbrunnen, Erbacher Macrobrunn, Rautenthaler Baiken and Eltviller Sonnenberg so that they include a range of the Theingau's diverse soil types. Erbacher Macrobrunn is perhaps von Simmern's most famous single wine, partly because it impressed America's first serious wine collector, Thomas Jefferson, 200 years ago. The estate's director Helmut Kranisch points out however that his Hattenheimer Mannberg was originally considered part of 'Marcobrunn'. Herr Kranisch controls 4 acres of Erbacher Macrobrunn and 15 acres og Hattenheimer Mannberg, which gives von Simmern almost monopoly on this secon, exceptionally well falvoured site. All von Simmern's wines are meticulously well made. Even if the Macrpbrunn wines are just a little fuller than the Mannberg examples, both are ideal vehicles for the unique combination of honeyed Riesling frui and mineral-scented earthiness that characterises the Rheingau. Jancis Robinson "One of the best German producers" PARKER'S WINE GUIDE, Robert M. Parker Jr., p. 1304A Anyone keen to buy into the 2007 vintage but less than enthusiastic about bordeaux should think seriously about Germany’s exceptional 2007 vintage. Europe’s weird weather pattern last summer may have made life difficult for vintners growing red wine grapes on the Atlantic coast but played nicely into the hands of those growing Riesling on the banks of the Mosel and Rhine. The 2007s are – glory be - wines to enjoy drinking rather than wines to notch up ripeness and auction records. Jancis Robinson Shipped in a temperature controlled container.