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The 2016 VDP GG tasting, part 2
51 Grosses Gewächs from the 2016 VDP tasting in Wiesbaden,
Germany: Rheingau, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
The
2016 VDP tasting of the Grosses Gewächs
(GGs) was a special occasion, and I’ve written about it here
on my blog. Below are notes on 51 Riesling GGs from the
Pfalz, Rheingau and Rheinhessen, most from the highly regarded 2015 vintage. These wines are, of
course, just babies at the moment, and their true qualities will
become apparent with a few years’ bottle age. But it was great to be
able to try them in such well controlled conditions in this
comparative format. See also:
my notes on the 49 Mosel wines
shown at this tasting.
RHEINGAU
Barth Hattenheim Wisselbrunnen Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Has depth and freshness with a nice density to the fresh lemony
fruit. Juicy and focused with a lemony core. Harmonious.
92/100
Hans Lang
Hattenheim Wisselbrunnen Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Distinctive with a
spicy, herby edge to the dense citrus fruits. Nice precision here
with some lovely crystalline fruit characters.
92/100
Josef Spreitzer Hattenheim Wisselbrunnen Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Very pretty fruit: pure, linear and detailed with nice focus to
the citrus fruits. Some pear and a hint of melon here, too. Lovely
purity and freshness with good density. 92/100
Georg Müller Hattenheim Nussbrunnen Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Fresh and bright with a keen citrussy core and some ripe apple
and herb notes supporting. Compact and taut with good acidity.
91/100
Balthasar Ress Hattenheim Nussbrunnen Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Generous honeyed nose with some crystalline fruits. White peach
and pear fruit with a rounded, nutty character. Lovely broad,
generous style.
91/100
Prinz Hallgarten Jungfer Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Detailed and lively with vibrant lemon and grapefruit
characters, together with high acidity. Beautifully aromatic and
focused with nice weight. Pure and pristine.
93/100
Barth Hallgarten Schönhell Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Stony, smoky nose with high acidity. Very lemony and focused
showinga stony, savoury quality. Linear, with good acidity.
93/100
Prinz Hallgarten Schönhell Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Very detailed and fresh with lemons and pithy grapefruit. Has
some tangerine, too. Lovely fruit focus with nice purity.
92/100
Peter
Jakob Kühn Mittelheim St. Nikolaus Riesling GG 2014 Rheingau,
Germany
Lovely matchstick reduction adds minerality to this generously
fruity wine, with complex, herb-tinged apple, herb and lemon notes,
as well as a hint of peach and cabbage. Rich and complex but with
good acidity, this has lots of personality.
95/100
F.B.
Schönleber Mittelheim St. Nikolaus Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Lively and fresh but with some generous yellow plum fruit. Has a
hint of herbiness, too, with good acidity. Complex and pretty with a
fine spiciness. Mineral.
93/100
Josef Spreitzer Mittelheim St. Nikolaus Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Smoky, herby, lemony nose. The palate shows broad pear and melon
fruit with some spicy citrus notes keeping things fresh. Lovely
complexity here, with generosity and minerality to the fruit.
93/100
Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Rauenthal Baikenkopf
Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
So delicate and pure with pure pear and apple notes
complementing the gentle citrus core. Really elegant style.
93/100
August Eser Oestrich Doosberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau, Germany
Fresh and textural with a clarity to the citrus and pear fruit,
with some spicy limey notes framing the fruit. Nice finesse here.
93/100
Peter Jakob Kühn Oestrich Doosberg Riesling GG 2014 Rheingau,
Germany
Has some rich, honeyed, spicy notes on the nose, alongside the
pure citrus fruits. Richness and detail on the palate with sweet,
broad pear, melon and lemon fruit. Really complex and with great
concentration.
94/100
Josef Spreitzer Oestrich Rosengarten Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Ripe and focused with good definition to the pear, melon and
citrus fruit. Dry but with some generosity, showing good
concentration and lovely fruit intensity. Really nice.
94/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Oestrich Rosengarten Riesling GG 2015 Rheingau,
Germany
Juicy and bright with nice grapefruit and herb notes. Lovely
lemony fruit here. Fresh with good focus and brightness.
91/100
Schloss Vollrads Schlossberg Riesling GG
2015 Rheingau, Germany
Open, fresh and gently herby with ripe apple and lemon fruit, as
well as a bit of melony richness. Supple and juicy with nice
acidity. Has precision and freshness. Midweight.
92/100
PFALZ
A.
Christmann Königsbach Riesling GG 2015
Pfalz, Germany
Generous and detailed with nice rich melon and pear fruit. Has
lovely breadth here but stays in focus with a bit of spiciness and a
touch of citrus pith. Harmony, texture and purity here. 93/100
Geh.
Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Forst Ungeheuer Riesling GG 2015
Pfalz, Germany
Fresh and vivid with nice citrus fruit. Textural and generous
with a bit of melon alongside the pear and white peach. Ripeness and
concentration here. Lovely.
94/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Forst Ungeheuer Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Cream, melons and pears here with nice weight to the pear and
apple fruit, as well as some citrussy detail. Nicely focused with a
tangerine edge.
93/100
Georg Mosbacher Forst Ungeheuer Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Pithy, waxy edge to the nose. Cabbagey and herby with a slightly
plastic-like reductive edge to the fruit.
86/100
von
Winning Forst Ungeheuer Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Generous peach and
pear fruit with lovely weight and fruit sweetness, as well as a
slight hint of cabbage. Honeyed and bold with lots of ripe fruit.
91/100
Acham-Magin Forst Ungeheuer Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Rich, sweetly fruited and bold with dense pear and peach fruit.
Generous and ripe with a nice fine spicy core. Succulent fruit here.
92/100
Geh.
Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheim Kalkofen Riesling GG 2015
Complex, taut and detailed with lovely pure lemon and pear
fruit. Has freshness and finesse with lovely acidity and precision.
So detailed and fine.
95/100
von
Winning Deidesheim Kalkofen Riesling 2015
Pfalz,
Germany
Pretty and detailed, combining ripe pear and melon fruit with a
lively lemony core. Bright and fine, but also broad and with a
lovely melony character. Nice spicy detail. Just lovely in a richer
style.
94/100
Geh.
Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheim Grainhübel Riesling GG 2015
Pfalz,
Germany
Textural and broad with some fresh lemony notes as well as rich,
focused melon and pear fruit, with some ripe apple. Lovely ripe
style.
93/100
von
Winning Deidesheim Grainhübel Riesling GG 2015
Pfalz,
Germany
Very appealing and fruity with nice precision and focus. Juicy,
fresh and lively with a herby tinge to the ripe fruit. Really
attractive.
93/100
A.
Christmann Deidesheim Langenmorgen Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Talcum powder edge to the focused lemony fruit nose. The palate
shows mint, lemons and pears with nice concentration and a touch of
herbal quality. Attractive stuff.
92/100
von
Winning Deidesheim Langenmorgen Riesling GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
Tangerine and mint on the nose. Fresh but ripe with nice detail
to the pear and lemon fruit. Generous and appealing with a lovely
fruit quality. 92/100
RHEINHESSEN
Gunderloch Nierstein Pettenthal Riesling 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Pithy, minty, lemony nose. The palate is tight and focused with
very high acidity and lovely mineral characters. So bright and vital
with keen acidity. Pure. Linear.
93/100
Kühling-Gillot Nierstein Pettenthal Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen,
Germany
Bright and minty with nice lemony acidity. Focused and pure with
a real freshness and a linear quality to the lemony fruit. Zippy and
intense.
92/100
Rappenhof Nierstein Pettenthal Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen,
Germany
Lemony and direct with a subtle herbal edge and some white peach
richness alongside keen citrussy fruit. Very bright and appealing
with nice fruit.
91/100
St.
Antony Nierstein Pettenthal Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Complex mint and citrus nose with lovely spicy, peachy detail.
The palate has ripe apple and apricot alongside very attractive
citrus fruits. Generous and delightful but still quite serious.
93/100
Kühling-Gillot Nierstein Ölberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen,
Germany
Tight herb and citrus nose with lovely focused citrus fruit on
the palate. Complex savoury herby characters here. Quite serious
with nice weight.
92/100
Schätzel Nierstein Ölberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Lively, intense citrus fruit with some minerally notes. Nice
acidity and depth with some pear fruit richness. Subtle savoury
herbiness, too. Very appealing.
92/100
Gunderloch Nierstein Hipping Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Very pretty with fresh tangerine and lemon notes. Lovely zippy
acidity and freshness here. It's so vital and precise and pure.
93/100
Kühling-Gillot Nierstein Hipping Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen,
Germany
Distinctive stony, mineral, reductive nose. The palate is
savoury and mineral with nice focus and depth. Deliciously tight and
mineral.
92/100
St.
Antony Nierstein Hipping Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Lively with mint and fennel hints to the mineral citrus fruits.
Stony and savoury with lovely detail and a distinctve savoury minty
herbal edge. Delicious stuff.
93/100
Schätzel Nierstein Hipping Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Smoky, detailed, stony and lemony with a bit of mint and
fabulous herb-tinged lemony fruit. Direct and quite savoury, and
delicious.
93/100
Wittmann Westhofen Aulerde Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Electric, lively and intense with vivid lemony fruit and great
concentration. The acid is really high, but it integrates really
well. Such precision and purity with real focus. Long and mineral,
this is thrilling.
94/100
Wittmann Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Detailed and pretty with lively citrus fruit showing admirable
purity and keen, lemony acidity. Focused, pure and intense with
amazing acidity. So fine.
93/100
Wittmann Westhofen Brunnenhäuschen Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen,
Germany
Complex, detailed and lemony with great precision to the citrus
fruit palate. Bright and focused with a subtle herby edge and some
savoury, mineral detail.
94/100
Gutzler Westhofen Morstein Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Generous and textured with nice pear and white peach fruit. Some
creaminess too. Nice broad citrussy fruit on the palate. Detailed
and alive.
92/100
Wittmann Westhofen Morstein Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Combines sweet citrus fruits with a bit of melony richness and
good acidity. Some smoky, mineral hints here. Very lively with nice
acidity, well integrated into the rich fruit. Lovely wine.
93/100
Keller Dalsheim Hubacker Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Really complex, detailed citrussy nose with some melony richness
and a bit of spice. The palate is elegant, harmonious and textured
with lovely depth and focus. Manages to stay light on its feet while
retaining complexity and focus.
94/100
Battenfeld-Spanier Mölsheim Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott
Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Very bright, detailed and intense with keen acidity and a subtle
herbal edge to the lively lemony fruit. So intense and vivid with
real bite and minerality.
92/100
Battenfeld-Spanier Nieder-Flörsheim Frauenberg Riesling GG 2015
Rheinhessen, Germany
Subtle honey and spice complement the herb-tinged lemony fruit.
This is intense and complex with some creaminess hiding under the
intense lemony acidity. Great concentration and intensity here.
92/100
Battenfeld-Spanier Hohen-Sülzen Kirchenstück Riesling GG 2015
Rheinhessen, Germany
Wax, herbs and minerals here. So lively and bright with
concentrated lemony fruit. There's a touch of spiciness, too.
Intense, vivid, vital and nervy, this is impressive.
93/100
Winter
Dittelsheim Leckerberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Waxy and pithy with concentrated melon, pear and grapefruit
characters. Lovely detail to this wine, which is trying to be broad
but stays lean and focused. Very appealing with some herbal hints.
92/100
Winter Dittelsheim Geyersberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Spicy, complex citrus and pear fruit dominate here. Great
concentration with good acidity supporting the fruit. Detailed and
crystalline with lovely balance.
94/100
Winter Dittelsheim Kloppberg Riesling GG 2015 Rheinhessen, Germany
Fresh, juicy and intense with nice balanced linear citrus
fruits. Fine spicy notes, lovely open lemon fruit, and nice detail.
Dry and elegant with nice poise. 93/100
Wines
tasted 08/16
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