Insider tip for top wines from the best German sites

2023 vintage  

“2023 is a vintage entirely in line with our expectations,” says Gut Hermannsberg Managing Director Jasper Reidel. This refers to the expressive fresh component of the vintage, which runs through all sites and quality levels. Even though 2023 was a challenging year between periods of heavy rain and drought, the turbulence contributed to the incredibly complex, dense wines with energetic tension and outstanding freshness. It's a good thing that wine drinkers don't have to wait for the Grosses Gewächs to be released to enjoy this pleasure:  

2023 7 Terroirs  

For this Riesling cuvée, winemaker Karsten Peter selects predominantly younger vines from all seven of the Grosse Lage sites. He cultivates the sites separately, spontaneously ferments them, before allowing the wines to mature on the fine lees for several months and then creates the cuvée. Complexity is thus pre-programmed. The palate is a dance of power and lightness with smoky, mineral notes, deep herbal flavours and citrus and stone fruit components.  

‘Vom Schiefer' and ‘Vom Vulkan’ are the so-called “second wines” from the top Hermannsberg and Kupfergrube sites. All the grapes are sourced entirely from those respective vineyards. Their advantage lies in the fact that they are accessible earlier than the Grosses Gewächs wines, while still clearly conveying the terroir of the two exceptional sites. Both Rieslings are spontaneously fermented and vinified dry. They show maximum precision and minerality:  

2023 Vom Schiefer 

Typical of Hermannsberg: the clay-slate soil with a loess layer is the source of the unmistakable Hermannsberg minerality. A bouquet of citrus fruit, green apple and flint, carried by lightness and freshness.  

2023 Vom Vulkan 

Typical of Kupfergrube: The Rieslings from the Kupfergrube always show intense grapefruit flavours as well as herbal, spicy and smoky aromas. Enormously fresh with great tension and animation on the palate with the unmistakable dense minerality of volcanic rock.