It is the perlage that first catches your eye with the 2015 Hassel: What beautiful fine pearliness, what vehemence and long-lasting persistence does this great sparkling wine have? Whole-cluster pressing and traditional bottle fermentation are a given for all Barth sparkling wines. In addition, the base wine, which was vinified according to the strict specifications of a wine from a VDP.GROSSE LAGE, is vinified 100% in large wood. Like all of the house's sparkling wines, each bottle is hand shaken up to 55 times before it is disgorged after 60 months of yeast storage. A truly unique piece. The long maturity on the yeast is evident in the nose with notes of rye sourdough, Schüttelbrot, walnut and cool smoke. Lots of melting on the palate thanks to this wonderfully creamy perlage. Also typical Riesling fruit: ripe peach, apricot jam, citrus and yuzu. In the very long-lasting finish there is an exciting triad of ripe acid structure, some phenolics and a lot of mineral pressure. Notes of licorice, dark chocolate and Assam tea, almost stony at the last sip. As VINUM so aptly wrote: “A sparkling wine that rightly bears the title VDP.Große Lage.” At the German Sekt Award 2022, it was consequently named Sekt of the Year.