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 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.)