German Wine

From right across France's border in the German region of Pfalz, this is an incredibly drinkable, lovely Pinot Noir with sweet fruit and exceptional depth. Pleasant, clear ruby red appearance with aromas of wild berries, tobacco,... Read More

Deliciously aromatic and with a dash of sweetness. Always a match for assertively-spiced dishes, this wine is deep-fruited, sweet, joyful, and full of tea roses and pink grapefruit. Borell-Diehl comes from the rolling hills of... Read More

This dry white is made in the classic style: fresh, crisp, limey, and ridiculously easy to drink. A modest 12% alcohol with great acids and no oak (of course), it beats Pinot Grigio at its own game, offering great refreshment... Read More

A liter of light, fresh, medium-pale rosé from the dark-skinned, dark-juiced Saint Laurent grape in Austria. This dry rosé is full of vivid red fruit and subtle melon tones with a core of vibrant acidity and a freshness... Read More

The fresh, balanced taste of Clean Slate is achieved by carefully selecting grapes from vineyards throughout the Mosel. The steep blue slate slopes of the Lower Mosel give the wine its minerality while the Middle Mosel provides... Read More

Assembled just a few days before my tasting in July, the barrel sample of 2021 Marienburg GG shows clear, bright and fresh, just-ripe fruit (white peach) combined with a spicy slate tone. In the mouth, it's delicate, light... Read More

This crisp, refreshing Riesling captures the elegant and racy characteristics of steep, slate-soil Mosel vineyards at a very reasonable price. Flavors of crisp green apples and succulent peaches are interwoven with zesty minerality... Read More

Whiffs of steel and smoke introduce this very angular dry Riesling. Sourced from loess soils, it's a mineral-focused wine accented by spine-tingling lime and lemon acidity. An excellent value pairing with oysters or raw fish.... Read More

The top, top wines of 2023 are epic and this, well, is one of them. Compared to the Frühlingsplätzchen, the Halenberg is rounder and riper – at least on first opening. There is more depth, more raw and pushing... Read More

The Nahe is not a mountain stream, but it might be for all we know with Schönleber’s Frühlingsplätzchen’s cool and pure mineral expression, aptly complemented by a gentle herbal freshness. The crushed... Read More

It has always been, for me, the emblematic wine for this laudable estate. And for them, “feinherb” is a drier wine than for many others. If proof was ever needed – and it isn’t, not anymore, despite the... Read More

One of the three grand cru Rieslings made at Gunderloch (Hipping, Pettenthal, Rothenberg). The Pettenthal site has sandier soils and smaller rocks than Rothenberg with a deep topsoil. The wine is 100% aged in 600L neutral barrels,... Read More

Very dry at just 3.5g/l RS. Sourced from Gunderloch's three grand cru sites (Rothenberg, Pettenthal, Hipping), spontaneously fermented and vinified in steel. Red slate (roten schiefer) coats the tongue and flourishes its herbal,... Read More

Perfumed and fresh on its feet, this charming Pinot Noir is a fantastic bargain find. Red-cherry notes are pure and pristine from start to finish, accented by cooling tones of crushed slate, wild mint and rose petal. It's... Read More

Stefan Steinmetz took over his family’s 120-year-old estate at just 17 years old, following his father’s sudden passing. He has elevated it to benchmark status acquiring some of the top small Mosel vineyards—like... Read More

This bright-white-hay-colored wine offers a beautiful nose made of passion fruit, grapefruit, mint, flowers, a hint of whipped cream, and still quite some residual scents from its spontaneous fermentation. It is nicely juicy and... Read More

Matthias Hild farms 5ha in the upper Mosel doing something that makes almost zero financial sense: saving old, terraced parcels of Elbling. In this area, however, it’s important to understand Elbling is something of a religion.... Read More

Roter Riesling is a unique grape that is indigenous to Germany but fell out of favor for the more prominent and less temperamental varietal. Roter (redder) Riesling has started finding traction again as warmer climates have made... Read More

A blend from Gernot's four Grand Cru sites of ungrafted vines that are a minimum of 60 years old. A vivid, energetic, deceptively dry Riesling with rich fruit and powerful aromatics (reminiscent of an Alsatian wine).... Read More

The vines here are all over 40 years old (some up into their 70s) and the concentration is there. Yet the 2022 feels to me more juicy, expressive and friendly than the 2020. It also has a very serious structure, chewy and phenolic.... Read More

This is a blend of 60% Chardonnay with 40% Elbling, and to some extent, this is what the wine tastes like. It has the stoney, essential quality, the punch of Elbling with a bit more of the glossy, quinine-like fruit of Chardonnay... Read More

Riesling from Rheingau, Germany; light bodied and off-dry; balanced with notes of sour apple and flowers, white peach and nectarine, and hints of orange citrus. While this wine has a bit of sugar, the saline, bright limestoney... Read More

This yellow-colored wine offers a superb and subtly smooth nose made of greengage, mirabelle, citrusy elements, cream, sage, chalky minerals, smoke, and only a tiny hint of funk. The wine is deliciously smooth at first but offers... Read More

This is a stunning dry Riesling featuring notes of apple, pear, lemongrass and green tea. It has a delicate palate with nice minerality, complexity and a long finish.