2020 Muscadet Part I: Bonnet-Huteau, Branger/Manoir de la Grelière, Caves de la Nantaise, Chevillardière/Pichon, Petite Fessardière, Drouet, Landron
The hot 2018 and 2019 vintages were problematic for the Muscadet appellations, leading to many wines that were flabby and had tropical fruit instead of the typical crispness and sea salt austerity. Happily, 2020 appears to be an ideal for the wines. (Continue reading here.)
2019, 2018, 2017 Baden Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part IV (Sonnenstück, Schlossberg, Vorder Winklerberg, Wanne, Winklen, Winklerberg from Blankenhorn, Heger, Stigler)
Alas, across three different vintages, wines that are easy to bypass. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Baden Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part III (Doktorgarten, Enselberg, Feuerberg Kesselberg, Schlossberg from Bercher, Freiburg, Heger, Keller, Michel)
Good wines, if slightly below expectations. (Continue reading here.)
2019 and 2019 Baden Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder (Bienenberg, Königsbecher, Löchle, Schlossberg, Sommerhalde, Wildenstein from Burg Ravensburg, Heitlinger, Huber)
Trust the wife and son of the late Bernhard Huber, one of Germany’s greatest Pinot Noir producers, to come through. (Continue reading here.)
2018, 2017, 2016 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part 3 (Heydenreich, Im Sonnenschein, Kalmit, Kastanienbusch, KB, Münzberg, Rosenkranz, Sankt Paul, Sonnnenberg from Becker, Kranz, Minges, Münzberg-Kessler, Rebholz, Siegrist, Wehrheim)
These producers at the southern end of the Pfalz release their Pinot Noirs a little later than most of those further north. (Continue reading here.)
2019 and 2018 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part II (Felsenberg, Idig, Kalkberg, Michelsberg, Ölberg-Hart, Saumagen from Bassermann-Jordan, Bergdolt, Christmann, Fitz-Ritter, Rings)
A fine collection from the the northern part of the Pfalz and theMittel-Haardt. It comes as no surprise as it includes some of my favorite Spätburgunder producers in all of Germany (Bergdolt, Christmann), but also an impressive first Spätburgunder GG effort from Fitz-Ritter. (Continue reading here.)
2017 and 2018 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part I (Im Grossen Garten, Kirschgarten, Mandelpfad, Steinbuckel from Knipser, Kuhn)
From the area not far from Battenfeld-Spanier in the Rheinhessen, more good Spätburgunder. (Continue reading here.)
2019 and 2018 Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder (Berg Schlossberg, Hassel, Höllenberg, Reichestal, Schlenzenberg from Allendorf, Diefenhardt, Kloster Eberbach, Künstler, Müller)
As with the Ahr, some producers have shown a disappointing reversion to past years when oak was more heavily (and clumsily) used. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Ahr Grosses Gewächs Spätburgunder Part II (Alte Lay, Eck, Herrenberg, Kräuterberg, Mönchberg, Pfarrwingert, Rosenthal, Silberberg from Adenauer, Burggarten, Deutzerhof, Meyer-Näkel, Stodden)
Only Meyer-Näkel stood out in this generally disappointing group. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Ahr Grosses Gewächs Spät- and Frühburgunder Part I (Burggarten, Herrenberg, Kirchtürmchen, Landskrone, Mönchberg, Schieferlay, Sonnenberg from Burggarten, Deutzerhof, Meyer-Näkel, Stodden)
German Spätburgunder producers largely have moved away from the heavy use of oak. I’m sorry to say that there seems to have been some backsliding with the Ahr wines in 2019. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Franken Grosses Gewächs Silvaner Part II (Julius-Echter-Berg, Hohenroth, Kammer, Am Lumpen 1655, Maustal, Pfülben, Steinbach Altenberg 1172 from Juliusspital, H. Sauer, R. Sauer, Schäffer, Sommerhausen, Schmitt's Kinder, Störrlein Krenig, Wirsching, Zehnthof Luckert)
Once again, two years with acidity too gentle to make truly great Silvaners, but some attractive ones for near- and medium-term drinking. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Franken Grosses Gewächs Silvaner Part I (Himmelpfad, Hoheleite, Kallmuth, Rothlauf, Stein-Berg, Stein-Harfe from Bürgerspital zum Heiligen Geist, Juliusspital, Löwenstein, May, Stattliche Hofkeller Würzburg, Weltner)
Based on my sampling of 2019 and 2020 Silvaner GG at the Wiesbaden Preview, while there were good wines made in both vintages, the acidities are too relaxed to permit Franken Silvaner to show its true greatness in either vintage. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Mosel Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part VI (Abtsberg, Altenberg, Bruderberg, Gottesfuss, Herrenberg, Hörecker, Karthäuserhofberg, Nies'chen, Volz from von Hövel, Karthäuserhof, von Kesselstatt, von Schubert, van Volxem)
A side trip up the Ruwer and Saar Valleys shows success there, too. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Mosel Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part V (Apotheke, Goldtröpfchen, Hofberg, Laurentiuslay from Grans-Fassian, Lieser, and Weis-St. Urbans-Hof)
Finishing off the Mittel-Mosel, Schloss Lieser continues to be a step ahead of everyone else. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Mosel Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part IV (Juffer, Juffer-Sonnenuhr, Layet, Niederberg-Helden, Paulinshofberg from F. Haag, Lieser, Weis/St Urbans-Hof)
The match-up of the Haag brothers, Olivier at Fritz Haag and Thomas at Schloss Lieser, yields some amazing results. And Nik Weis shouldn’t be overlooked, either. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Mosel Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Marienburg, Rothenpfad, Fahrlay, Falkenlay, Fahrlay-Terrassen from Busch)
As always, an outstanding collection from perfectionist Clemens Busch. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Mosel Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part I (Kirchberg, Röttgen, Stolzenberg, Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay, Uhlen Laubach, Uhlen Roth Lay from Heymann-Löwenstein and Knebel)
Solid wines from Heymann-Löwenstein, puzzling wines from Knebel. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part VII (Berg Schlossberg and Rosengarten from Künstler, Leitz, and Wegeler)
A somewhat disappointing finish to what on the whole is a very strong Rheingau GG survey. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part IV (Doosberg, St. Nikolaus, Rosengarten from A. Eser, Kühn, Prinz, Spreitzer, Wegeler)
A selection of outstanding producers and outstanding wines from both vintages. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part III (Hassel, Jungfer, Nussbrunnen, Schönhell, Wisselbrunnen from Barth, A. Eser, Müller, Prinz, Ress, Spreitzer)
Here, I prefer the 2020s to the 2019s, but it could also be because I prefer the producers who showed their 2020s (and whose 2019s I did not taste). (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Baikenkopf, Gräfenberg, Hohenrain, Langenberg, Marcobrunn, Siegelsberg from Dieffenhardt, Kloster Eberbach, Jung, Knyphausen, Oettinger, Weil)
Topflight wines here, although nothing to challenge the phenomenal Künstlers in the previous post. (Continue reading here.)
2020 (and a 2019) Rheingau Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part I (Hölle, Kirchenstück, Königen Victoriaberg, Nonnberg, Weiss Erd from Flick, Künstler, and Werner)
The delights of the 2020 vintage continue to show through in the Rheingau region. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Nahe Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part IV (Felseneck, Frühlingsplätzchen, Halenberg, Auf der Lay, Stomberg from Emrich-Schönleber and Schäfer-Fröhlich)
And finishing off the Nahe, the duel between two of its greatest producers, Emrich-Schönleber and Schäfer-Fröhlich in the Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg vineyards, plus some additional GG’s from each. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Nahe Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part III (Brücke, Felsenberg, Hermannshöhle, and Kupfergrube from Crusius, Dönnhoff, Gut Hermannsberg, and Schäfer-Fröhlich)
This sector of the Nahe is always interesting because there are four top producers of Felsenberg. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and a 2019 Nahe Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Bastei, Dellchen, Krötenpfuhl, Mühlberg, Rotenberg, Steinberg from Crusius, Dönnhoff, and Gut Hermannsberg)
In this stretch of the Nahe, very good wines with the exception of Crusius’s puzzling Bastei, but Dönnhoff’s two wines here clearly stand apart. (Continue reading here.)
2020 (and a 2019 and a 2018) Nahe Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part I (Burgberg, Dautenpflänzer, Felseneck, Goldloch, Höllenpfad im Mühlenberg, Johannisberg, Pitterberg, Pittermännchen from Diel, Dönnhoff, Kruger-Rumpf, Salm, and Schäfer)
These wines are just the prelude to some of the other delights of the vintage in the Nahe. (Continue reading here.)
2020 (and a 2019 and 2018) Rheinhessen Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part V (Heerkretz, Hölle, Kirchberg, Scharlachberg and EMT from Bischel, Kruger-Rumpf, Salm, and Wagner-Stempel)
Because of political boundaries, these wines are all in the Rheinhessen, but from a terroir standpoint, they are Nahe wines (Nahe is quite near to these vineyards). (Continue reading here.)
2020 Rheinhessen Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part IV (Fenchelberg, Hundertgulden, Pettenthal, Rothenberg from Bischel, Gunderloch, Keller, Kühling-Gillot, Rappenhof, and St. Antony)
As one continues north on the Roter Hang, somewhat stronger wines. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Rheinhessen Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part III (Brudersberg, Hipping, Ölberg, Zehnmorgen from Gunderloch, Kühling-Gillot, St. Antony, and Schätzel)
After the spectacular Wonegau wines, the wines from the Roter Hang sector of Rheinhessen, overlooking the Rhine River, while still overall very good, were a bit of a comedown. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Rheinhessen Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Aulerde, Brunnenäschen, Frauenfeld, Kirchspeil, La Borne, Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück, Morstein from Battenfeld-Spanier, Groebe, Gutzler, Wittmann)
Who would have thought 25 years ago that many of the world’s greatest dry white wines would come from the Wonnegau? I discovered them about 15+ years ago, but they are still relatively unknown and thus undervalued in the marketplace. (Continue reading here.)
2020 and 2019 Rheinhessen Riesling Grosses Gewächs Part I (Geiersberg, Kirchenstück, Kloppberg, Kreuzberg, Leckerberg, Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott from Battenfeld-Spanier and Winter)
It’s no longer news that the once-disparaged Rheinhessen is producing great and exciting wines. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Pfalz Reisling GG Part II (Herrenberg, Mandelpfad, Michelsberg, Steinbuckel, Weilberg from Knipser and Schaefer)
Unlike some of the 2019 Forst wines, no sign that there is any shut down of these wines. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Pfalz Riesling GG Part I: Reiterpfad-Hofstück, Kieselberg, Freundstück, Jesuitengarten, Kirchenstück, Pechstein, Ungeheuer from Buhl and Schaefer)
In the past, I’ve argued for holding back release of GG wines an additional year, and some producers, such as these, have begun doing so (not an easy changeover from a cash flow perspective). But it may be that with the 2019s, many have already gone into a closed down phase. These were not easy wines to evaluate. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Riesling GG Part VII (Herrenberg, Kirschgarten, Michelsberg, Saumagen, Schwarzer Herrgott, Steinbuckel, Weilberg, from Fitz-Ritter, Kuhn, Pfeffingen, Rings)
Once we leave magical Forst, the vineyards change, but there are still wines of high quality. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling GG Part VI (Jesuitengarten and Pechstein from Acham-Magin, Bassermann-Jordan, Bürklin-Wolf, Mosbacher)
The greatness of the 2020 Forst wines continues with the last two vineyards. Once again, all superb, but with Mosbacher and Bassermann-Jordan outrageously great. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part V (Freundstück, Kirchenstück, and Ungeheuer from Acham-Magin, Bassermann-Jordan, Mosbacher, Siben)
Deidesheim being the Chambolle-Musigny of the Pfalz, Forst is the Vosne-Romanée — the source of the very greatest vineyards and frequently the greatest wines. Note in particular the spectacular results from Bassermann-Jordan and Mosbacher. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part IV (Grainhübel, Kalkofen, Kieselberg, Langenmorgen from Bassermann-Jordan, Bürklin-Wolf. Mosbacher, Siben)
The greatness of Deidesheim, the Pfalz’s equivalent of Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte d’Or, continues with these wines. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part III (Gaisböhl, Hohenmorgen, Reiterpfad, Achtmorgen, In der Höhl from Bassermann-Jordan, Bergdolt/St. Lamprecht, Bürklin-Wolf)
As we get to the Mittel Haardt, the fireworks begin. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Bürgergarten "Im Breumel", Hölle, Idig, Meerspinne, Ölberg-Hart, Schäwer, Vogelsang from Christmann, Minges, Müller-Catoir, Rebholz)
Continuing to move north in the Pfalz, the wines remain outstanding, but only with the Müller-Catoir Im Brümmel and the Minges Schäwer did I begin to see hints of the greatness to come from the vineyards further north in the Pfalz. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Pfalz Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part I (Ganzhorn, Kalmit, Kastanienbusch, Kirchberg, Köppel, Sonnenberg, Im Sonnenschein from Bernhart, Kranz, Rebholz, Siegrist, Wehrheim)
Very good results from these producers, but usually they produce some of the top GG’s of the vintage for me; not this year. (Continue reading here.)
2019 Franken Grosses Gewächs Riesling: (Stein-Berg, Hohenroth, Kallmuth, Lumpen 1655, Steinbach Altenberg 1172, Julius-Echter-Berg from Juliusspital, Krenig, Löwenstein, Schäffer, Sommerhausen, Wirsching)
This selection of 2019 Riesling GG’s indicates that fans will have fun for a long time debating which is the greater vintage, 2019 or 2020.
The Löwenstein and the Wirsching wines are in the traditional Bocksbeutel, the others in Burgundy-style bottles. (Continue reading here.)
2020 Franken Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part II (Centgrafenberg, Am Lumpen 1655, Maustal from Fürst, Horst Sauer, Rainer Sauer, Zehnthof Luckert)
Further evidence of the greatness of the 2020 Rieslings in Franken: (Continue reading here.)
2020 Franken Grosses Gewächs Riesling Part I (Pfülben, Stein-Berg, Hoheleite from Bürgerspital, Schmitt's Kinder, Staatliche Hofkeller, and Weltner)
The annual Grosses Gewächs preview in Wiesbaden at the end of August showed magnificent Rieslings throughout Germany.
Some producers have been allowing their wines to age before previewing, so I will also be reviewing some 2019s that were shown. As a generalization, 2019 is the more concentrated, structured vintage, and probably will be the longer-lasting. But the 2020s are so seductive for their finesse and harmonious acidity, that I have a slight preference overall for them. But you almost can’t go wrong buying the wines blind.
The Staatliche Hofkeller wines and the Bürgerspital Stein-Berg wine are in the Bochsbeutel bottle that is typical of the region, the other wines, reflecting awareness of shipping and storage issues, are in Burgundy-shaped bottles. (Continue reading here.)
Weingut TESCH (Nahe) -- 2020 Rieslings
2020 was the third consecutive hot, dry vintage. Fortunately for Tesch, more than 16 (of its 23) ha of vines are over 50 years old and so have the deep root systems to reach water. The young vines did have to be irrigated.
Recognizing that climate change is here for good, Martin Tesch has been doing work in the vineyards to deal with it. In the past, the vineyard work was intended to achieve maximum ripeness, but now, for example, more leaves are left to give more shade by, for example, not cutting the tops of the vines.
In the previous post I posed the question of 2020 or 2019? As outstanding as the 2019s are, I must give a slight nod to the 2020s because of my preference for a more elegant expression of acidity here. (Continue reading here.)
Weingut TESCH (Nahe) -- 2019 Rieslings
Martin Tesch is tenth generation of his family making wine. Formerly in the VDP, the estate left that organization because, Martin explained to me on a visit in Langenlonsheim some years ago, his program for marketing his wines did not fit well. Nevertheless, the single vineyard wines here are the equivalent of top Grosses Gewächs wines; the Nahe chapter of the VDP, which does not feature any other ownership in this corner of region, is the poorer for the estate’s absence.
As Martin Tesch expects that his customers drink the basic Unplugged first and leave the individual vineyard sites to age for a few years, there is a touch more residual sugar in the individual vineyard site wines than in the Unplugged, and the wines will become even drier with a few years' time.
2019 or 2020 (which will be reviewed in my following post)? It’s largely a question of style, but both are excellent vintages here. (Continue reading here.)
Reichsgraf von KESSELSTATT (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer): Mostly 2019 Releases
With the pandemic travel bans and limited wine importation due to the (thankfully now-rescinded) tariffs, I’ve had little opportunity to taste wines from the much-heralded 2019 German vintage. This is my first opportunity to taste more than an occasional bottling. (Continue reading here.)
Ridge Vineyards: Fall 2021 National Releases
The following wines are being released throughout the United States on September 1.
I’m happy to say that these wines do not present the oak and alcohol issues I found with some of the spring release wines. And pay attention to the Monte Bello — a very special version of that very special wine. (Continue reading here.)
Domaine de TERREBRUNE/DELILLE & D'ARTHUYS -- Current Release Wines
Terrebrune is one of my handful of favorite Bandol estates. Certified organic. (Continue reading here.)
Domaine La BÉGUDE -- Bandol and Other Recent Releases
Certified organic. This estate belongs to the Tari family, long associated with Château Giscours in Margaux and Château Nairac in Barsac. It is the highest and most northerly estate in Bandol; 30 hectares are under vine, but the entire estate consists of 500 hectares.
These are excellent wines and worthy of your attention. (Continue reading here.)
Northern Rhônes Recently Tasted Part III: Pierre Benetiere, Stephane Rousset, Cave Saint-Désirat
More evidence of the unevenness of the 2017 and 2018 vintages: (continue reading here)
Recent Northern Rhônes Part II: Guy Farge and Monier/Monier-Perréol/Perréol
As indicated in the previous post, 2018 is not an easy vintage to get right. (Continue reading here.)
Recent Northern Rhônes Part I: Barge, Belle, Blachon, Chapoutier
Recent vintages have been uneven here. Many of the wines are high in alcohol, but these producers handled it better than one would fear. Use of new oak seems to be more problematic, though. (Continue reading here.)
Ridge Vineyards: Spring 2021 National Releases
I have found Ridge in recent years to have moved more in the direction of wines of oak and power, which is not my preferred style and not consistent with Ridge wines I’ve known from further back. I cannot say whether this is a result of climate change, winemaker preferences, or both. As mentioned below, John Olney, who has long been in charge of the wines at Ridge’s Lytton Springs facility, is now taking over as head winemaker and chief operating officer at Ridge, so we’ll see in the future if there is any change in direction for the wines.
The assessments below are “objective" in the sense that I have tried to eliminate as much as possible my personal preferences in judging the wines. (Continue reading here.)