letuffeau.com
(Link)
—
Gunderloch
A. Christmann
Hermann Donnhoff
—
“I am often asked: what wine region would you like to visit? My response is always: Germany.
— Germany? Which region though?
— All of them.
Germany possess a handful of Cote d’Ors. This is not an exaggeration. There are hundreds of exceptionally fine vineyards, ranging from fractional dimensions to tens of hectares, and planted to Riesling, to Pinot Noir … and a host of other grapes. Perhaps it is this vastness across every metric that confounds the consumer when it comes to German wine. Perhaps it is the ridiculous, history making and breaking Wine Law of 1971; then the added palimpsest of the VDP (Producers Association) and their own, proprietary ranking of vineyards that adds to the confusion.
Simply put: German wine may be dry or ‘sweet’ (possessing residual sugar); dry wines (Trocken) may be classified by VDP Members by their vineyard. The top rung, as all the wines below, is Grosses Gewachs (GG - Grand Cru).
for example
Donnhoff 2023 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling GG (Trocken)
Donnhoff — Producer
2023 — Vintage
Niederhauser — Village (Niederhausen)
Hermannshohle — Vineyard
GG — Rank (Grosses Gewachs - Grand Cru)
Trocken - Dry
Whatever the case, Germany produces some of the finest wines in the world. Indeed, to my palate, Riesling is the Terroir Grape. It has moved me to expressive heights in a way that cannot be matched by Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo; and may only be equalled by Pinot Noir.”
— David
“Two thousand twenty-three resulted in superb Rieslings … Selective hand harvest was key, and those who sorted have absolutely thrilling wines with immense verve and grace, with full fruit and bright acidity, still at moderate alcohol levels. As for non-top producers, the motto is caveat emptor.* An initially dry spring and summer with a good fruit set led to a relatively relaxed early growing period with low disease pressure. By summer, some feared the drought conditions, but later, the weather turned and brought much rain, sometimes reaching well into harvest. For some, this was just what was needed … ”
— Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
*not something we have to take to heart: Gunderloch, Christmann, and Donnhoff are all top producers!
~ please note : all orders by reply email ~
Weingut Gunderloch
Nackenheim, Rheinhessen
I
Gunderloch 2023 Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $169.00)
Offer Price: $149.00
“The 2023 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs offers creaminess, peppery lemon balm, ripe red apple crunchiness and intense iron-oxide and petrichor savor, all still wrapped in enticing reductive tones. The palate is smooth and streamlined, moving forward with grace, determination and emollience. Everything here is buffered, but at the core, bright citrus tanginess tingles, edged with mouthwatering saltiness. Beautifully coherent, seamless and flowing, this seems to sink deeper into its red stone nature, leaving a spicy, peppery aftertaste that's as much informed by fine acidity as by veil-like phenolics.”
95pts — Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
6 bottles available
II
Gunderloch 2023 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $185.00)
Offer Price: $162.00
“The 2023 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Grosses Gewächs still rings with the finest flinty reduction on the nose. Underneath comes a gorgeous streak of pink grapefruit peel, lifted, serene and almost heady with crushedlemongrass and lemon balm. The palate is buffered but shows a clear vein of agile fluidity and serene, sleek, dynamic movement. Leaving gorgeous traces of stony, irony, savory saltiness and unfolding with Seville orange and tangerine, it's layered, beautiful, soothing, refreshing and long. Citrus zest lingers on the finish.”
96pts — Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
5 bottles available
Weingut A. Christmann
Gimmeldingen, Pfalz
III
Christmann 2023 Neustadter Vogelsang Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $272.00)
Offer Price: $239.00
“The 2023 Vogelsang Neustadt Riesling VDP.Grosse Lage is from pure Muschelkalk soils and opens with a pure yet intense and mineral as well as sur lie-scented nose of very fine Riesling berries. Round and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, pure, saline and crunchy Riesling whose style is clearly aligned with the Pinot Noir. This is based on vines planted in the early 1980s and a very small part of very young vines from 2019.”
96pts — Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate
3 bottles available
IV
Christmann 2023 Konigsbacher Idig Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $272.00)
Offer Price: $239.00
“Intensely flinty and expressive on the nose like a young Chablis Grand Cru, this great Pfalz dry Riesling very slowly unwinds on the palate. Gigantic power and energy are pressed into a sleek silhouette, with an Amalfi lemon freshness that’s off the scale. How can you not be moved by the almost endless finish of this great masterpiece of minerality? From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.”
99pts — Stuart Piggott, jamessuckling.com
“The 2023 Idig Königsbach Riesling VDP.Grosse Lage is deep, ripe, pure and intense on the nose that reveals concentrated fruit intermingled with saline notes. Full-bodied, intense and dense in its texture, this is a compact, saline and very mineral, still tight and crunchy yet stimulating Idig with fine tannins and a long, intense and sustainable finish.”
96pts — Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
3 bottles available
Weingut Hermann Donnhoff
Oberhausen, Nahe
V
Donnhoff 2023 Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling GG 'Felsenturmchen'
(Shelf Price: $205.00)
Offer Price: $182.00
“The 2023 Riesling Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Felsentürmchen Grosses Gewächs is picked in the fully south-facing site of porphyry and melaphyr. Cornelius Dönnhoff says this is the most challenging site to work, simply because the stones are so hard and unforgiving, retaining almost no water. Thus, a year like 2023 was brilliant for this site. It is always the first GG site to be harvested because the rock retains heat from the day. Tender reduction still casts a flinty spell on the nose. Lovely savor implies crushed citrus foliage merged into iron oxide on the nose. The palate is taut, citric, bright with immense linearity, moving with absolute ease and direction, with energy and punch, towards a zesty, cool finish, long, sustained, all with savor and saltiness. The 2023 is a total joy of clarity, direction and stony poise. This is so elegant, so slender, so powerful, and no, this is not a contradiction.”
96-98pts — Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
6 bottles available
VI
Donnhoff 2023 Norheimer Dellchen Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $242.00)
Offer Price: $215.00
“This dry Riesling has a hypnotic beauty that leaves no doubt how this wine redefines what peachy means in the context of this grape variety. As it aerates, a wealth of wild berry and flower nuances develop and expand. Given the mind-bending concentration of this wine, it is staggeringly fresh and absolutely precise. Then comes the finish, which is like a prima ballerina dancing on pointe off into the distance.”
100pts — Stuart Piggott, jamessuckling.com
“The 2023 Riesling Norheimer Dellchen Grosses Gewächs is grown on porphyry with a shale cover. The vines are sheltered and have underground aquifers. A tender lemon zest note holds traces of white summer blossom, wet stone and a touch of chervil—beautifully tender. The slender palate, likewise, is lemon-dominated, bright, sunny and friendly in its citric smile. The 2023 is agile, tingling and slender with a subtle stoniness. This is as wonderfully pervasive, tart and palate-cleansing as lemon sorbet.”
95-97pts — Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
3 bottles available
VII
Donnhoff 2023 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling GG
(Shelf Price: $260.00)
Offer Price: $230.00
“Incredibly refined and precise, yet with Grand Canyon-like depths and layers, this incredible dry Riesling has a horizon-to-horizon spectrum of stone fruit, citrus and wild berry aromas, plus a touch of dusty hot soil as rain starts to fall on it. On the compact, medium-bodied palate, this side of the wine builds and builds to a giant crescendo in the almost endless finish.”
100pts — Stuart Piggott, jamessuckling.com
“The 2023 Riesling Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Grosses Gewächs, from a south-facing shale site with just a few calcareous veins, is golden in color. The vines were planted in 1949, and they now bring just small yields of tiny berries with a different pulp/skin ratio. A gorgeous lift tells of citrus zest, with an ethereal touch of crushed citrus leaf and spicier herb. The palate is crystalline. It's a clear-cut, taut, pure vision of stone and citrus. This is a pure, poised, precise and concentrated wine. Time and again, it is astonishing that so much flavor, stone and energy can be captured in a wine of such taut proportions at 12.5% alcohol. What an experience! There is no reliance on power, volume or fat, just slenderness, elegance and essence.”
96-98pts — Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
1 bottle available
If you would like any of the above, would like to come by for a private appointment, or just have some questions — please let us know.