Riding high The quality of German Riesling - in all its myriad styles, from kabinett to eiswein has never been higher, says Stephen Brook. After much deliberation, he picks his top 20 Riesling estates, from the Mosel to Pfalz, with a recommendation from each consistency have guided my choices, I have also sought to achieve a balance of regions and styles. The task is complicated by the undeniable fact that the standard of German Riesling has never been higher. The quality-driven growers' association known as the VDP has rightly overridden the lax and often ludicrous German wine law to impose far GERMANY IS NO longer the sole exponent of great Riesling, but it still produces styles that are unmatched by other countries - be it feather-light Mosel kabinetts, with their flawless balance of sweetness and acidity, or pungently racy eisweins. This stylistic diversity makes composing any Top 20 a tricky task, and although absolute quality and, 't - MOP,... - ' -. 16, '-1.' P... J., I / 7 'p 7v i.- 1.'..,. -;--u. I 4 i' 0,, OY...!ek. 1 44 _.jt 4 O f k $41 4V4 t.. 'T/ ' 0 '4_:.,. ii. 4. 4% Af 18 R IM, '!ti SI 1
1tI 1i*1!i[c o Brook's top 20 Riesling estates higher standards on its members. This, together with its campaign to recognise the country's top vineyards (once declared equal. all 2,600 of them, by the 1971 wine law), has been immensely influential in moving quality up many notches. Even regions such as the Rheinhessen hinterland, once regarded as the heartland of the ghastly sugary wines that did so much damage to the reputation of German wine, are now producing some of the world's greatest Rieslings. Any of the following properties would have merited inclusion here - Kesselstatt, Markus Molitor, Leitz, von Buhl, Koehler-Ruprecht, Mosbacher and Wagner-Stempel - but editorial rigour and limited space required firm choices to be made. Style is also an issue. Whereas 20 years ago, dry German Rieslings were mostly sour and tart, today they are the dominant style in more southerly areas such as the Pfalz, and are even produced with considerable success in parts of the Mosel. Below: Riesling vines in the famous Goldtropfchen vineyard bask in autumnal sunshine above the town of Producers are listed within their region, and then in alphabetical order. Wines marked with a D (after the alcohol level) are 'officially' dry - i.e. with less than nine grams per litre (9g/1) of residual sugar Piesport on the Mosel Mosel Clemens Busch Pünderich is a little-known village between Koblenz and the famous vineyards of Wehlen and Bernkastel. Since Clemens Busch took over the family domaine in 1991, he has demonstrated that its principal vineyard, the Marienburg, is among the Mosel's great sites. He has divided it into different sectors, resulting in a slightly confusing range of bottlings.. t*r -. --.:.'. a I - S Ly, WIW
There are also two blended wines, demonstrating the influence of the grey and red slate soils here. The farming has been biodynamic for some years, and most of the wines are dry. Intense, full-bodied and streaked through with mineral undertones, they show remarkable power and structure. Clemens Busch, Vom Grauen Schiefer Trocken 2009 **** 17.5/20pts 19 The Winery Closed nose, but rich and full bodied, packed with flavour and minerality. Long. Drink: 2011-2018. Alcohol: 12.5% D Fritz Haag Wilhelm Haag became a popular and respected figure in England and America in the 1980s. His finest parcels are in the outstanding Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr site, which he treats much as a conductor handles an orchestra, drawing a range of flavours and styles from a relatively small surface. Even a simple kabinett can bristle with energy, while his TBA5 and beerenauslesen are consistently among the Middle Mosel's greatest. The wines always exude a sense of structure as well as intensity of fruit. Bold and forthright, they seem to reflect their maker. Today, Wilhelm is taking a back seat, allowing his talented son Oliver free rein. Fritz Haag, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel 2009 ***** 18.5 42 Howard Ripley Robust aniseed nose. Lush, creamy and very concentrated, but high acidity gives tanginess and energy. Drink: 2015-2030. AIc: 7% Reinhold Haart From his house and cellar on the quayside in Piesport, Then Haart has a magnificent view onto the great Goldtröpfchen vineyard, where most of his Bha of vines are located. Now aided by his son Johannes, Haart, who has been crafting his wines for 40 years, is supremely skilled at soliciting every nuance of flavour and spice from the site. Sometimes they show a slight but perceptible aniseed aroma, which brings piquancy to the floral quality of the Rieslings. Unlike many producers, he bottles the wines fairly late, encouraging maximum flavour extraction from the fine lees. Reinhold Haart, Piesporter Goldtropfchen Kabinett 2009 **** 17 15.17 Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks Lean, fresh, appley nose, stylish and restrained. Juicy, rounded, quite forward and supple; good acidity and length. Drink: 2011-2018. AIc: 8.5% Dr Loosen The Loosen estate near Bernkastel made good wines before aspiring archaeologist Ernie Loosen came on the scene in 1987. His arrival transformed the property. He is fortunate in owning parcels in the Middle Mosel's finest sites, including some 100-year-old vines in Urziger Wurzgarten. Low yields ensure excellent concentration and quality, 46 1 September 2011 DECANTER North Sea Koblenz@ Nose! Berlin. 5 GERMANY inn / 0 10 Other vineyards 20 30 40 kilometres Rhine RHEINGAU TMainz F E1 r'fl Mainz MOSEL m Rhine -.- RI-IEIN I-lESSEN flsaarburg.- NAHE Top 20 Riesling Estates i. clemens Busch 11. Emrich-SchOnleber 2. Fritz Haag 12. Schdfe-Frohlich 3. Reishold Heart 13. Georg Breuer 4. Or Loosen 14. Peter Jakob KUhs 5. Maximis GrUnhaus 15. Robert Well 6. Egos MUller 16. Bassermasn-Jordan 7. JJ PrUm 17. BUrklin-Wolf 8. Willi Schaefer 18. Rebholz 9. Zilliken 19. Keller 10. DUnnhoff 20. Wittmann but Loosen has also shown flair in creating less complex but still typical and inexpensive bottlings and has marketed them with the determination of a crusader. From generic Rieslings to intense Eisweins, the Loosen wines are beyond reproach. Dr Loosen, Urziger WUrzgarten Spätlese 2009 **** 17.5 16419.50 Averys, Christopher Piper, Howard Ripley, Private Cellar, Slurp, Tanners Muted but spicy nose. Rich and full, with splendid appley fruit, depth and power. Long. Drink: 2013-2022. Alc: 7.5% Mannheim N D PFALZ Rhine Right: Helmut Dönnhoff and his son Cornelius set the standards for Nahe wine; the estate is one of Germany's most reliable
cj4 :1 Maximin Grünhaus The Von Schubert family has long guided the fortunes of this 30ha Ruwer estate beneath the slopes of the Abtsberg and Herrenberg vineyards. The vineyard names reflect their monastic origins: Abt being the abbot, Herr the lord, while the Brudersberg refers to the brothers. Dr Carl von Schubert produces wines in a range of styles. Within Germany, the drier styles are much admired, and in warm years they can be delicious, although British and US consumers prefer the exquisite off-dry styles and the stupendous - and very expensive - beerenauslesen and TBA5. Despite their lightness of body, they can age 30 years plus. Maximin GrUnhaus, Abtsberg Auslese No 149 2009 ****18 26 Howard Ripley Closed nose, but the plate is broad, voluptuous, very concentrated and spicy, with lift, complexity and excellent length. Drink: 2015-2030. AIc: 8% Egon MUller Above: Fritz Haag's finest vines are in Brauneberg along the Mosel Below: flavourful, floral and spicy Riesling from Rheinhold-Haart The Muller family has lived for centuries beneath the steep slopes of the Scharzhofberg hill. Selective harvesting and very old vines are key to the superb range of Rieslings from this one site. There is a vogue for producing dry wines from many top Saar vineyards, but Muller has resisted this trend. His Scharzhof estate excels at the sweeter end, with auslesen, botrytis wines and eiswein (this 0 was one of the first estates in Germany to produce eisweins on a commercial basis, from 1961.) Of the botrytis wines, the TBA5 especially often smash auction records. I1 I *111 [c1 owner of this small 3ha estate. He picks the grapes late for optimal ripeness and subjects the crop to rigorous sorting to ensure that only the healthiest fruit is selected. Individual casks are sometimes bottled separately (also true of other top estates such as Maximin Grünhaus). Schaefer wines are characterised by their intensity and purity. Graach gives slightly broader, more opulent wines than Wehlen, yet they never show any trace of heaviness. Willi Schaefer, Graacher Domprobst Kabinett Cask 32009 **** 17.5 14.17 Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks Discreet lime nose. Pipe, juicy and full-bodied, with perceptible extract and considerable power. Complex and very long. Drink: 2013-2022. AIc: 7.5% Zilliken Hanno Zilliken is rightly proud of his wines, which are the finest expression of the Saarburger Rausch vineyard. Dry wines aren't his strong suit, but even a humble kabinett can be outstanding here. The Rausch gives citric raciness as well as underlying minerality, and all the wines in his portfolio share that character. They are so delicious and enticing young, thanks to their mouthwatering acidity, that it is easy to forget that these are wines that be confidently cellared for two or three decades. The eiswein can be among Germany's finest. Zilliken, Saarburger Rausch Kabinett 2009 **** 17.5 812.67415.50 Harvey Nichols, Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks, The Wine Society Delicate appley nose. Lean and racy, not too sweet thanks to high acidity, tangy and intense, balanced and long. Drink: 2012-2020. AIc: 8% Egon Muller, Scharzhofberger Kabinett 2007 **** 17.5 37.30 (2008) Slurp, Top Selection Lean mineral nose. Precise attack, mineral and stony, fairly dry and austere now, but needs time. Good length. Drink: 2014-2022. AIc: 10% JJ PrUm 3 This is the best-known branch of the extended Middle Mosel Prüm family. From top sites in Wehien and Graach, Dr Manfred Prüm and his daughter Katharina craft the most extraordinary wines: light yet intense and rapier-like, amazing examples of how much flavour can be packed into light-bodied and low-alcohol wines. One of Manfred Prüm's party tricks is to bring up bottles from his cellar and challenge knowledgeable visitors to guess the vintage. It's easy: guess, and add at least 10 years. The wines are almost imperishable. ii PrUm, Wehiener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2008 **** 17 818-825 Averys, Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks, OW Loeb, The Wine Society Delicate lifted floral nose. Lean but juicy, with fine acidity and concentration, and great persistence. Drink: 2012-2020. AIc: 8% Willi Schaefer No one makes better wines from Graach in the Middle Mosel than Willi Schaefer, the self-effacing D önnhoff For more than 20 years, Helmut Ddnnhoff has set the standards for Nahe wine to which other growers aspire. With top vineyards in Schlossböckelheim (Felsenberg and Hermannshöhle) and Norheim (Dellchen), he has the resources and surface (20ha) to select grapes for a wide range of styles. Dönnhoff is equally at home with dry and off-dry styles, and -sensational beerenauslese and eiswein when the vintage permits it. Difficult years like 2000 or 2008 present no obstacles, and in 'off-vintages' Ddnnhoff is invariably among the most reliable of great producers. A Dönnhoff, Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Grosses Gewachs 2009 ***** 18.5 832435Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks, Swig Intense mineral nose of apple and quince. Hint of sweetness balanced by racy acidity. Stylish and long. Drink: 2012-2022. AIc: 13% D Emrich- Schönleber Monzingen had no great reputation for its wines - until Werner Schdnleber showed what could be done with its vineyards, which lie on a soil of blue slate and quartz. Like other top Nahe growers, he seems equally adept with dry, botrytis and eisweins. 'DECANTER September 2011 1 47
Whatever the style, the wines show clarity of fruit and precision. Though not especially weighty, they have the stuffing and concentration to age well. The dry Riesling called 'Mineral' is an excellent and inexpensive introduction to the Schönleber style. Emrich-Schönleber, Monzinger FrUhlingsplatzchen Grosses Gewächs 2009 **** 18 32.17 Justerini & Brooks Flamboyant apple and mineral nose. Rich, creamy and plump, with excellent fruit and concentration; brisk and bracing. Long. Drink: 2012-2020. Ak: 12.5% D Schäfer-Fröhlich Ever since Tim Frdhlich took over this 1 Eha estate in the late 1990s, quality has soared. The property is based in Bockenau, not one of the Nahe's bestknown villages, but it also has top sites in more renowned Schlossböckelheim. From his holdings he produces no fewer than four Grosses Gewbchs Rieslings, essentially dry wines of fine minerality and staying power. But Frbhlich is equally adept at nobly sweet wines, which usually come from the Bockenauer Felseneck. Given the quality and consistency on offer here, prices are very reasonable, although a top eiswein certainly doesn't come cheap. Schäfer-Fröhlich, Bockenauer Kabinett 2009 NOW ****17 12 Howard Ripley Fragrant appley nose. Fresh apple and apricot fruit, but has breadth and weight, spicy and direct. Drink: 2011-2015. AIc: 7.5% Rheingau Georg Breuer Bernhard Breuer was an impassioned advocate of drier styles of Riesling, observing that this was the traditional style in the region, except when nature made possible the production of small quantities of nobly sweet wines. He backed up the theories with grand dry Rieslings from Rauthental Nonnenberg and Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg. Some of the sweet wines were remarkable too, but dry wines were Breuer's speciality. After his untimely death in 2004 there were fears for the future of the estate, but his brother Heinrich and daughter Theresa have showed no signs of allowing quality to slip. Georg Breuer, Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Erstes Gewächs 2008 **** 18 45.99 (2007) Noel Young Rich apricot nose, with hints of honey and petrol. Creamy and concentrated, with a good dose of spicy, tangy acidity. Long, dry finish. Drink: 2012-2020. AIc: 12.5% D Peter Jakob KUhn This Oestrich estate is now being run by the 11th generation of the same family. Kuhn is an inveterate experimenter, who visits vineyards around the world to discover practices he can adapt and adopt. Thus some of his vines are trained in a tightly spaced Burgundian fashion, which he believes gives good results here. His 15ha are in the top sites of 48 1 September 2011 DECANTER Above: Theresa Breuer and her uncle Heinrich now hold the reins at Georg Breuer in Rheingau Right: Philipp Wittmann has been making excellent dry Rieslings in Rheinhessen since the 1990s Below: Weingut Robert Well - the source of the finest sweet wines in Rheingau, says Brook Lenchen and Doosberg. From the latter he makes mostly dry wines; from Lenchen mostly sweeter styles. He's also one of the very few German growers to produce a dry wine fermented in amphorae. Peter Jakob KUhn, Quartzit Trocken 2010 **** 17.5 17.99 (2008) The Winery Muted mineral nose; broad and full-bodied, with mass and volume and tangy acidity. Long. Drink: 2012-2018. AIc: 11.5% D Robert Weil Although this substantial property in Kiedrich has been owned since 1988 by Suntory, the Japanese company trusted young Wilhelm Weil to run the estate as he saw fit. He remains at the helm, maintaining the property's reputation as the finest source of sweet wines in the Rheingau. Some complain that because the grapes' ripeness levels always far exceed those legally required for, say, auslese or beerenauslese, it has been easy for Weil to wow the critics. But no one complains about the wines' quality, despite their jaw-dropping prices. Robert Weil, Kiedricher Grafenberg Auslese 2009 18.5 'Germany is no ***** 62.17-269 Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks apple and aniseed nose. Opulent, full-bodied and longer the sole Lush highly concentrated, with high acidity to balance the fruit, and exceptional length. Drink: 2012-2030. AIc: 8.5% exponent of great Riesling, Pfalz but it still B assermann-jordan Since 2003, businessman Achim Niederberger has produces styles bought two outstanding and important Pfalz estates: unmatched by this one and Von Buhl. Both own an array of top vineyards, and are close to level-pegging in terms of quality. Basserman-Jordan has a slightly better track any other record, and benefits from the long-term presence of country' winemaker Ulrich Mell. As elsewhere in this part of
GERMANI 1 1*111 [c It ALmd Left: Werner Schönleber and family in the vineyards of the Emrich-Schönleber estate in Nahe Below: BUrklin-Wolf, based in Pfalz, has been biodynamic since 2005 I. Rebholz Hansj org Rebholz comes across as a cerebral winemaker with a certain austerity, and this characterises many of his wines. His 19ha estate is based in Siebeldingen in the southern Pfalz, not a region known (until recently) for the quality of its Rieslings. Indeed, Rebholz makes excellent Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Muskateller, but its Grosses Gewbchs Rieslings are invariably rich and punchy, without lapsing into clumsiness. Indeed, the style is quite lean and racy, and the Rieslings certainly benefit from some bottle-age in order to display their true complexity. Rebholz, Siebeldinger Im Sonnenschein, Ganz Horn Grosses Gewächs 2009 **** 18 N/A UK www.oekonomierat-rebholzde Complex nose of apples, quince and mango. Fine attack, zesty and lean, with purity and delicacy; poised and very long. Drink: 2012-2020. AIc: 13% D the Pfalz, dry styles of Riesling prevail, with individual bottlings from up to 16 different sites, including five Grosses GewOchs wines. But the lighter, dry Rieslings also show ample extract and concentration. Bassermann-Jordan, Deidesheimer Kalkofen Grosses Gewächs 2009 **** 17.5 'Kesselstatt, Markus Molitor, Leitz, von Buh Koeh lerruprech t, Mos bacher and WagnerStempel would all have merited inclusion here' 32.27 The Wine Barn Zesty lime and mineral nose. Fine attack, lean and racy, showing precision and poise; well balanced, energetic and long. 13%. Drink: 2011-2018. AIc: 13% D Keller Before the late 1990s no one imagined that sectors of the Rheinhessen inland from the Rhein could make great wine, let alone great Rieslings. Then Klaus Keller and his son Klaus-Peter burst upon the scene, with dazzling wines from selected parcels among their best sites. The Rieslings are irresistible: there are five Grosses Gewächs wines in a dry style and stunning TBA5 in top vintages. Some cuttings came from the Saar, which, Keller speculates, may account for the raciness of the Rieslings, although they also have the richness and amplitude one would expect from the Rheinhessen. Keller, Westhofener Kirschspiel Auslese *** 2009 ***** 18.5 29.17 Howard Ripley, Justerini & Brooks Spicy, appley nose. Voluptuous, yet tightly wound thanks to superb acidity, intense and very long. (The '' is an in-house quality indicator) Drink: 2014-2028. AIc: 8% Wittmann BUrklin-Wolf This 86ha Wachenheim-based estate also has superb vineyards in Forst and Deidesheim. They are divided into PC (premier cru) and GC (grand cm) on the labels, in homage to Burgundian hierarchies. Although Bürklin-Wolf made some remarkable sweet wines and still makes the occasional TBA when conditions permit, today it focuses on the powerful dry wines that this part of the Pfalz produces so effortlessly. Since 2005 the estate has been biodyna.mic. Quality, especially of the top GC wines, has been stunning in recent vintages. Rheinhessen Stephen Brook is a Decanter contributing editor and author of BUrklin-Wolf, Forster Pechstein GC 2009 **** 17.5 The Wines of Germany 32 (2007) The Wine Society Rich apricot and floral nose. Full yet supple, with fine concentration and acidity. Subdued now but top potential, with a long creamy finish. Drink: 2013-2022. AIc: 13% D (Mitchell Beazley, 2003) Forfull details of UK stockists, seep86 Like other Rheinhessen estates away from the river, Wittmann used to release a range of wines from different varieties and in different styles. But by the 1990s it was clear that Wittmann could make very good dry Rieslings, and today, under Philipp Wittmann, the estate is nibbling at the heels of Keller (above). There are some attractive sweet and nobly sweet wines, but the Riesling Grosses Gewbchs from three sites in Westhofen are the most consistent. The Kirchspiel is elegant and poised, while the Morstein is more opulent. As with all great dry Rieslings, these balance finesse and flavour intensity. Wittmann, Westhofener Aulerde Grosses Gewächs 2009 **** 18 F 27. 85 The Wine Barn Ripe pineapple and mango nose. Rich, full and powerful, with considerable weight of fruit and fine acidity on the finish. Vigorous and long. Drink: 2012-2020. AIc: 13% DIE DECANTER September 2011 1 49