About This Wine
There are very few German Estates that can produce an entry level Riesling of this quality. It is cropped at an incredibly low 35hl/ha in order to mitigate its younger-vine age and is made entirely from hand-harvested, Estate fruit grown in the loamy gravels and stony sands around Neustadt an der Weinstraße (just outside Haardt). A terrifically succulent and vibrant Riesling, it has Catoir's trademark purity and finesse. There is plenty of sweet citrus, lemon-barley, talc and lime zest deliciousness all woven through with intense chalky, minerality. Deep, tightly wound and precise, it's model wine for the genre.
| Type | White Wine |
|---|---|
| Varietal(s) | Riesling |
| Country | Germany |
| Region | Pfalz |
| Brand | Müller-Catoir |
| Vintage | 2017 |
About German Wines
Germany is the world’s northernmost fine wine producing region and thus requires its vines to endure some of the coldest temperatures. Fortunately, the country’s start variety, Riesling, does well in cooler climates and can survive even these freezing winters.
Germany Riesling is classified by ripeness at harvest which is also used to indicate the wine’s level of residual sugar. Picking earlier means the grapes have less time to ripen and the corresponding wines will be on the drier side; while picking later gives the grapes the opportunity full ripen and produce a lusciously sweet Riesling. The classifications from driest to sweetest: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein (ice wine). While not as common to age white wines outside of Chardonnay, top tier German Rieslings can be aged for decades.
Other notable white grape varieties produced in Germany include Müller-Thurgau (a cross between Riesling and Madelaine Royale in the search for varieties that could withstand the extreme temperatures), Grauburguner (Pinot Gris) and Weissburguner (Pinot Blanc). The cooler German climate leads to earlier harvesting in general and gives German wines a distinctive character of higher acidity.
Historically red wine has always been harder to produce in the German climate. However, Pinot Noir grown in slightly warmer pockets of the country, has been highly successful in recent times. Going by the German name, Spätburgunder, German Pinot Noir can be elegant, structured and have vibrant acidity.