Riesling Basalt 2023

A Riesling with weight: warm, rich, carried by a distinctive residual sweetness and still shaped by its youth. Those who meet it now should give it air in a carafe or serve it in a large glass, or the fermentation imprint will overshadow the fruit.

The monopole vineyard Wachenheimer Odinstal lies at around 350 metres, in a hollow enclosed by mixed forest above Wachenheim in the Palatinate (Pfalz). The vines for this wine stand on pure basalt rock, laid down here by the faults of the Rhine rift alongside shell limestone, keuper and variegated sandstone; the basalt originates from the nearby Pechsteinkopf. At this altitude, the grapes ripen around 20 days later than in the valley. Estate manager Andreas Schumann has farmed biodynamically since 2006, and the VDP estate has been Demeter-certified since 2013.

100% Riesling from vines planted in 1983. Harvested on 3 and 4 October 2023, spontaneously fermented in stainless steel tank, with subsequent malolactic fermentation and around five percent whole-cluster inclusion, aged on full lees until July 2025. Analysis: 12.32% vol alcohol, 10.6 g/l residual sugar, 7.6 g/l total acidity, 40 mg/l total sulphur.

On the nose, reductive notes at first, then malt, a touch of hops, long-steeped herbal tea and acacia and linden blossom honey. Above that, stewed yellow apples and dried pears, with a smoky trace and cereal-like hints of cornflakes and cracked wheat. On the palate, ripe fruit between banana bread, dried mango and candied fruit, spiced with mace and clove. The residual sweetness lends a creamy richness, aromatic tannins underpin the wine's generous character.

1,832 bottles of 0.75 litres, plus magnum and double-magnum formats. In the cellar, the principle of non-intervention applies: spontaneous fermentation without temperature control, extended lees ageing, minimal sulphur use. The label carries the Demeter logo.