Riesling Jungfer Grosses Gewächs 2022

A complex Grosses Gewächs that combines very light, floating notes with more grounded ones. In the glass, a medium straw yellow; on the nose, blossom, smoke and earth, followed by fresh apple juice, hay, a touch of fennel and anise, almonds and peach, plus a hint of crushed slate.

The estate's plot in the Hallgartener Jungfer lies directly above the Doosberg at around 220 metres above sea level, gently sloped to the southeast and correspondingly cool. The soil consists of erosion material from the Rheingau hills with a high quartzite content, mixed with loess loam. The estate in Oestrich-Winkel has existed since 1786 and is run in its twelfth generation by Peter Bernhard and Viktoria; on its 21 hectares, almost exclusively Riesling is planted.

Pure Riesling, dry, 11.5% ABV. In the cellar, restraint is the guiding principle: spontaneous fermentation, no fining, minimal use of sulphur. Ageing took place in a specially acquired Stockinger oak cask. Since the wine from the Hallgartener Jungfer rests in the same cask every year, the influence of the wood is barely noticeable anymore.

Pure and once again floating, anchored by a single note of stone. Everything feels fluid, delicate, lively and supple, fragrant yet full of energy and fine spice. The wine bridges a lime-lemon note, accompanied by fine sweetness, with a touch of salt and stone, finishing with a long, lingering close.

The vines are farmed according to Demeter guidelines; the estate has held the certification since 2009, and the Demeter logo appears on the label. When Peter Jakob Kühn switched to biodynamic farming in the early 2000s, it was considered eccentric in the Rheingau.