Gimmeldinger Meerspinne Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2022

A Riesling of the cool style: multi-layered fruit, compact minerality, a moderate 12.0% vol. Steffen Christmann describes his ideal as the "primaballerino among Rieslings" – powerful yet elegant. It is precisely this balance that carries the wine.

The Meerspinne already appears in 1456 as "Mersbin" in the tithe register of the monks of Weissenburg Abbey in Alsace, and is still regarded today as Gimmeldingen's finest vineyard. Until the 2014 vintage the label bore the name Mandelgarten; since 2015 the historic name has been used again. The foothill slopes southeast towards the Rhine; the subsoil is massive limestone, overlaid further down the slope by eroded variegated sandstone scree and wind-blown calcareous loess. The nightly cold air flow from the Palatinate Forest creates large day-night temperature swings, resulting in refined acidity.

Pure Riesling, 100% selective hand-harvesting into small crates, spontaneous fermentation in a large wooden foudre.

Pale golden yellow with delicate green reflections. On the nose, citrus, quince, apple and orange zest; once decanted, alongside the stony notes, herbs and a touch of ginger and coriander emerge. It moves across the palate both delicate and dense, with a saline note, vibrant acidity and fine bitterness.

Rock crab tartare with caviar, red mullet on fennel-orange vegetables, or vegetarian sushi with nori seaweed, soy sauce and fresh ginger. Salty and piquant vegetable dishes also work well.

Christmann has worked biodynamically since 2003, certified under respekt-BIODYN and EU organic standards. When tasted young, the wine should be decanted, served not too cold, and poured into a sufficiently large glass.