Battenfield Spanier 2017 C.O. Liquid Earth

The Wine

The Critic's Thoughts:

This is like staring into a deep chasm of dried stone fruit and candied citrus a l dusted with chalk. Incredibly concentrated and deeply structured, this reminds me of Clos Ste Hune, but with a cooler personality and a sleeker silhouette. Then comes the fabulously elegant, smoky and chalky finish that just doesn’t want to stop. And a l this at just under 12.5% alcohol. Steinlinden is the name of the parcel where this grows. 98/100
 STUART PIGOTT, JAMES SUCKLING

The Winery write-up:

The C.O. was originally conceived in 2005 as a wedding wine for Carolin and H.O. Spanier. It was stored in the cellar for 5 years as a family reserve. The result was so exquisite that it earned a reputation as one of the best Rieslings in Germany and prompted the winery to add it permanently to its portfolio.

The development towards a wine of origin from the rockiest, stoniest limestone parcels of the Rheinhessen Zellertal is particularly reflected in the stylistics, but with the 2019 vintage also in the name:

C.O. STEINLINDEN (Lieu-Dit). This manifests the winery's decades-long search for the identity of the Zellertal. STEINLINDEN is the name given to the ancient vineyards located between the Frauenberg and the Schwarzer Herrgott in the north-eastern part of the Mölsheim district, named after an olive tree that only takes root in particularly calcareous, rocky and nutrient-rich soils. As with many rare wines from Burgundy or Piedmont, the small-scale origin is not congruent with the vineyard classification.

You won't find fruit in the wine, but instead you will find a lot of salt, minerals, limestone and mineral spices. Reduced to clarity and finesse – a monolith from which time will first shape the sculpture.

Maturity makes the difference between a good and an extraordinary wine. That is why winery built an underground, naturally cooled cellar of 20,000 square feet. A large investment, but the ideal prerequisite for bringing perfectly matured wines to market. C.O. Steinlinden is only launched after a few years of bottle rest in the ageing cellar. It is one of the very few white wines in the world that is only shown to the public when it is in perfect condition.

The Winery

In the words of founders, Carolin Spanier and her husband, "H.O.":

"Back when I finished my training as a winemaker in 1991, I founded a winegrowing estate of my own. From the start, we were dedicated to organic principles.

The restoration and upkeep of the microbial life in the soil is my most important goal, because the soil is the very core of our effort to convey the taste of what came long before us and that which lies ahead. Riesling is my vision."

I have been managing my family's estate since 2006, together with my husband. I am a nature lover, an oenologist, businesswoman and mother of two. What I enjoy most of all, though, is welcoming guests. I want our visitors to feel right at home at our estate, and we've tried to set up an atmosphere that nurtures that feeling.