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Riesling
One of the world's great grape varieties and the acknowledged king of German vineyards, also important in Alsace, Riesling goes through a number of ripening phases making it incredibly varied. Picked early it can form a base wine for Methode Champenoise; a little later, it makes a wonderfully crisp, aromatic lemon-lime filled dry white. A little riper the grapes produce an excellent, slightly sweet 'Spatlese' wine, later again an 'Auslese', and so on. In Australia, crisp, minerally, citrus-led styles dominate, with regions like South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia producing the finest examples. Fish, shellfish and crustaceans are perfect partners. Browse our top rated Riesling wines here.
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2017 Wittmann Kirchspiel Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$140. 00Bottle$1680.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Tasted as a sample in April 2018, the 2017 Kirchspiel Riesling GG is very clear and smoky on the fresh and lemony nose. This is a tight, intense and linear Riesling with lemon-fresh spiciness in the finish, which is lean and elegant, very fine and balanced. Lingering salinity and piquancy, long and expressive.
92-93 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine AdvocateVery complex, herbal nose, the fruity notes way in the background. Really concentrated but also super-elegant with a fine-grained texture that’s unlike any other Wittmann GG. Exceptionally long finish with intense chalky character. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Great aging potential. Drink or hold.
96 points
Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com![1056485_1.jpg]()
- 96
2018 Wittmann Aulerde Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$120. 00Bottle$1440.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Very intense, lemony notes here with dried honeysuckle, apple curd, bright quince and spearmint. There’s a layered, compressed quality to the center palate, despite the impressive power here, and the acidity drives long and pure. Ripe but well-defined on the finish. Drink now.
96 Points
jamesuckling.com![30000290_1.jpg]()
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2017 Wittmann Aulerde Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$120. 00Bottle$1440.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Tasted from the vat on April 30, 2018. The 2017 Aulerde Riesling GG offers a pure and chalky bouquet of ripe yellow-fleshed, almost tropical fruits along with dashes of lemon juice. Pure and lean but full of tension on the palate, this is a dry, firm and elegant Aulerde with juicy fruit and lovely balance. Good length and salinity and fine grip. Promising.
90-92 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine AdvocateLavish yellow fruit, including some almost overripe pineapple. This just avoids tipping into opulence; there's healthy acidity and that lifts this monster dry riesling at the bold, herbal finish. From almost 70 year old vines. Biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Drink or hold.
95 points
Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com![760054_1.jpg]()
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2015 Wittmann Morstein Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$125. 00Bottle$1500.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Although a bit shy and many years from its peak, this is clearly one of the finest dry Rieslings of this great vintage. The nose of tropical flowers, peaches, and pineapple is subtle and enticing. On the palate it's as deep and concentrated as it is delicate and tantalizing. The breathtaking finish is as mineral as wine can be. Patience will be rewarded.
97 points
jamessuckling.comWittmann's iconic 2015 Riesling GG Morstein comes along as a limestone rock incarnation of Riesling with concentrated fruits and lemon perfume on the nose. Fermented in Doppelstück (2,400-liter oak vats), the 2015 is cool and herbal on the nose, very chalky, citrus-like and beautifully concentrated. It has ripe pineapples aromas and crushed rocks. This is extremely well focused, pure and precise. Fresh and salty on the palate, this full-bodied and highly elegant 2015 is intense and juicy, but also taught and very piquant in the finish. This wine is long, persistent, very complex and salty on the finish. There is really good tension and grip here and the chalk seems to crumble on the palate. A promising and powerful Morstein that will further improve in the bottle. This is a Must Have of the 2015 vintage. The acidity is almost Mosel-like in its delicacy. The finish has great grip and tension. This is great wine. "Morstein is so complex, because we have so many parcels here and can compose like how we want. But the central part gives great wines in every year." Total production is 1,1000 liters.
94-96 points
Stephan Reinhardt - The Wine Advocate #228 (Dec 2016)This offers a gorgeously precise and fruit-infused nose of minerals, grapefruit and strawberry puree as well as minty herbs. The wine oozes elegance and purity on the palate, where a touch of breadth just add a smooth side to the focused and delicately zesty structure. This finish is pure chalk and grapefruit heaven. This is a great wine with huge upside in the making! 2023-2030+
95+ points
Jean Fisch and David Rayer - Mosel Fine Wines![1056487_1.jpg]()
- 97
2018 Wittmann Kirchspiel Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$140. 00Bottle$1680.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
This has a super fine nose with an impression of aromatic elegance and finely defined notes of chalk, white pepper, dry spices and a fresh, lemon and lime-peel edge. The palate has pin-point acidity and fine, leaf-like detail. The power is very discreet here and the finish is succulent, dry and uber fresh. Drink or hold.
97 Points
jamesuckling.com![1056424_1.jpg]()
- 98
2018 Wittmann Morstein Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$165. 00Bottle$1980.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Wild yellow flowers blow in a citrusy, salty breeze. Freshly picked nectarines run amok and honeydew melon drips in intensity. Alluring and decadent at the same time with glitzy tension, but ornately spiced stone fruit. The acidity is tempered only by the raw power here. Stoney and tightly constructed, but deep and welcoming. Drink now or hold.
98 Points
jamesuckling.com![30010039_1.jpg]()
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2016 Wittmann Kirchspiel Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$120. 00Bottle$1440.00 DozenABV: 12.5%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Welcome to the Riesling fjord! Enormously deep, but also extremely elegant this is the perfect riesling answer to the Grand Crus of Burgundy. If you're in doubt just let this wine roll over your palate and pay attention to the gigantic finish. Drink now, though this also has tremendous ageing potential.
97 points
Stuart Pigott - jamessuckling.comAlthough the Kirchspiel opens with its usual generous exhibition of exotic and stone fruit aromas, a delightful fragrance of highly scented Mediterranean herbs adds intrigue. On the palate, juicy peaches and nectarines are joined by exotic spice, sweet herbs and a subtle sprinkling of dusty minerality. Ample acidity provides contours to a full body. Three-dimensional Grosses Gewächs: you can smell it, taste it and feel it!
18.5/20 points
Michael Schmidt - jancisrobinson.comFrom an east-facing, very calcareous grand cru that gives more spicy rather than fruity flavors, the intensely yellow coloured 2016 Kirchspiel Riesling GG offers a pure, chalky and spicy nose with concentrated, ripe Riesling aromas intermixed with crushed stones. Full-bodied, intense and concentrated on the palate, this is a juicy, silky and elegant Riesling with stimulating concentration and salinity. Very fine and complex. An impressive Riesling from chalk.
92 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine Advocate #233 (Nov 2017)![30000292_1.jpg]()
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2017 Wittmann Morstein Riesling Grosses GewachsRheinhessen, GERMANY$160. 00Bottle$1920.00 DozenABV: 13%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
Tasted as a barrel sample at the end of April 2018, Wittmann's 2017 Morstein Riesling GG is deep, ripe, precise and aromatic on the nose and backed up with great and complex chalky minerality. Full-bodied, round and elegant, with lots of salty stones and vitality, this is a great Morstein that Philipp composed very strictly to keep the level of its most famous wine extremely high. The finish is piquant, pure and salty but also intense and perfectly ripe. Bottled with 12.5% alcohol. Only 6,000 bottles were produced (a loss of 50%) due to the hail at the end of August.
94-96 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine AdvocateAnything but a fruit bomb, this has gigantic herbal intensity on the nose, then literally breathtaking concentration on the palate and a finish of crystalline purity – words more often used to describe the much sleeker wines from the Mosel. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Gigantic aging potential, but you can certainly drink it now.
98 points
Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com![6639108_1.jpg]()
- 94
2017 Yarrh RieslingCanberra, Australian Capital Territory, AUSTRALIA$24. 99Bottle$299.88 DozenMinimum 12 bottlesCellar: 6 - 8 Years (2023-2025)ABV: 11.5%Closure: StelvinBrilliant water like colour with a faint greenish tinge around the outskirts. Aromas of green apple and lime infused with flinty wet steel like characters are followed by citrusy mineral notes. Light and brisk with an understated intensity the palate has flavours of fresh limes, lemon and green apple over wet steel and flinty mineral. Dry snappy finish with crunchy acidity and a long lemon, lime, green apple, wet steel and mineral aftertaste.
Cellar 6-8 years.
Alc 11.5%![905017_1.jpg]()
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2018 Yarrh RieslingCanberra, Australian Capital Territory, AUSTRALIA$23. 99Bottle$287.88 DozenMinimum 12 bottlesCellar: 6 - 8 Years (2025-2027)ABV: 11.5%Closure: StelvinBrilliant water like colour with a faint flicker of green around the outskirts. Aromas of lemon zest and fresh limes meld into hints of green apple and steely mineral notes. Lean and racy the palate is delicately flavoured with lemon, lime and green apple over a steely base that finishes with flinty mineral infusions. Dry crisp finish with razor sharp acidity and a medium length aftertaste.
Cellar 6-8 years.
Alc. 11.5%![2022 Joh Jos Prum Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel]()
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2022 Joh Jos Prum Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel$299. 00Bottle$3588.00 DozenOther Reviews....
Rippling with exotic flower and fruit aromas, this remarkably concentrated Mosel Auslese also has a staggering brilliance thanks to the very racy acidity and wet stone minerality. What a silky texture the breathtakingly refreshing finish has! Wonderful passion fruit flavor here. Drink or hold.
98 points
Stuart Pigott - jamessuckling.comThe 2022er Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese GK was made from shriveled rather than botrytized fruit and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar. It offers a beautifully restrained and almost non-saying nose at first, yet quickly shows superbly complex and captivating notes of fine exotic elements (mango, guava, passion fruit), smoke, whipped almond cream, yellow flowers, orange blossom, acacia, and cassis. The wine proves superbly refined and elegant on the layered and comparatively light-weighted palate. It gains presence and intensity as it unfolds and leaves a magnificent elegant and gorgeously creamy touch in the hugely long finish. What a splendid wine!
96 points
Jean Fisch and David Rayer - Mosel Fine WinesThe 2022 Riesling Bernkasteler Lay Auslese Goldkapsel was made with a small portion of botrytis, around 30%. Candied Mirabelle and white peach are still tempered by aromatic citrus, resulting in a picture of elegance, full of fruit but also of serene, smooth, tempered ripeness that just shimmers with Mirabelle, peach, Meyer lemon and supple, tempered, zesty, balanced sweetness. Botrytis is only evident in concentration and a touch of honey on the finish. (Sweet). Drink: 2025-2050.
94 points
Anne Krebiehl MW - Vinous
