German Riesling

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

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

Today Erich and his son Johannes farm almost 13 hectares - with about 1 hectare entirely ungrafted - in the Saar; several of their plots are in highly-prized vineyards, including Euchariusberg, a once-legendary vineyard you could... 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 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.

This beautifully combines the fruity and zesty elements, delivering great harmony between a vibrant array of peach, dried apricot and white-plum flavors and the firm backbone of acidity. The long, supple finish is well spiced.... Read More

This is as much a masterpiece of filigree as the stained glass windows of a Gothic cathedral. At least this is the first impression, then when you reach the wine’s deep core you find gigantic concentration and off-the-scale... Read More

German wine fans should expect to see more of these “1G” wines going forward. Essentially a “Premier Cru” wine, these can be made from either single-vineyard, “premier cru-designated” sites... Read More

The Schonfels is one of the most daunting sites of the Saar; under Florian Lauer’s care, it is also becoming one of the most famous sites. The vines here are over 100 years old and ungrafted; even in good years, the yield... Read More

The epitome of delicacy in a Spätlese. It is in no way a dry wine, yet the tart and salty vibrations might make parts of your brain think it is! This is supremely focused and clear, with a slim form attenuated into something... Read More

Méthode champenoise Riesling from the Saar legend Peter Lauer is anything but your ordinary Sekt. This dry sparkling white comes from 20+ year-old vines and matures at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius in dark-vaulted rooms for over... Read More

The wine is called “Senior” as a tribute to Florian’s grandfather who was already in the 1950s famous at least in the Saar Valley for his dry Riesling. For 2023, the “Senior” is a dry wine (legally... Read More

With forward fruit and floral aromas of apples and peaches with just a hint of citrus, the wine’s natural acidity gives it a perfect balance that is refreshingly crisp and leaves your mouth watering. Food Pairing: Enjoy... Read More

With forward fruit and floral aromas of apples and peaches with just a hint of citrus, the wine’s natural acidity gives it a perfect balance that is refreshingly crisp and leaves your mouth watering. Enjoy by itself, with... Read More

Stacks of smoky minerality on the sleek, yet compact and well-structured palate. Also excellent citrus ripeness that easily carries the vibrant grapefruit acidity. Long, super-clean finish. Drink or hold.