On 6 September, we held our En Primeur tasting for the newest vintage of German Grosses Gewächs, Red, and Auction wines. Over 85 wines were available for tasting, many of which, were absolute knockouts.
Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum was also a featured highlight, showcasing the 2022 vintage of Kabinett, Spätlese, and Auslese wines. These wines are seductive, forward and fresh, seemingly light, but actually full of intensity and tensile strength, as good as any vintage from the last ten years.
Jancis Robinson came to the event on 6 September, and published the following Monday her much anticipated review. Here are a few snippets of what she had to say:
‘….it cannot be stressed enough that German wine offers great value compared with other top-quality wines.’
Referring to the Chardonnays: ‘I especially enjoyed the distinctive style of those from Knewitz, Koch and, particularly, Schäfer-Fröhlich in the cooler Nahe.’
Referring to the Silvaners: ‘These are wildly underappreciated dry whites.’
Referring to the reds: ‘Jülg, right on the border with Alsace, produced a couple of very winning 2021s.’
Here are some of the highlights that are definitely worth a try:
2021 Chardonnay [08 23] – Weingut Knewitz – £99 per 6 bottles in bond
A lively, rich and round wine, full of bright lemony acidity, a creamy middle and a fresh finish. The new wood – around 30% – is nicely integrated. Drink 2022 – 2028
2022 Himmelspfad Silvaner GG [14 23] – Weingut Rudolf May – £228 per 6 bottles in bond
60-year-old vines give smaller berries, and the wine is more concentrated as a result. It is bright and juicy, but has a touch of opulent richness in the relaxed middle, before firming up on the salty stony finish. A very complex vino da meditazione. Drink 2025 – 2032
2022 Höllberg GG [16 23] – Weingut Wagner-Stempel – £144 per 6 bottles in bond
The Höllberg has the same volcanic soil composition as the Heerkretz, but warmer microclimate and a less reliable water supply. It is richer and more powerful, riper and more fruit driven, but there is also a pronounced juicy stony minerality to give balance and freshness. Drink 2024-2035
2022 Felsenberg GG [20 23] – Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich – £252 per 6 bottles in bond
The Felsenberg gets more sun than the Kupfergrube, but has fewer rocks around it, and is cooler site as a result, so picking in good time to avoid over ripeness is crucial. Tim has got it right again this year: it is a rich spicy wine, generous and juicy, with a pronounced smoky flint character and a long fresh stony saline finish. Drink 2027-2040
2021 Sankt Nikolaus GG [07 22] – Weingut Peter-Jakob Kuhn – £258 per 6 bottles in bond
Sankt Nikolaus’s proximity to the Rhine makes it a little warmer, and the vineyard excels in cooler years. In 2021 it is perfectly charming, showing delicate pure citrus fruit with a hint of pith. The minerality takes a while to appear, and when it does, it starts gently, with a hint of fine stone, building gradually but always elegantly to a quiet, deep crescendo. It’s quite a journey, and pure pleasure! Drink 2024 – 2035
2021 Spätburgunder vom Löss [05 23] – Weingut Peter Wagner – £78 per 6 bottles in bond
A lean pure wine, with complex fruit – morello cherry, blackcurrant and a dash of raspberry, plus a cool spice note and smooth fine tannins. Longer than a regional wine has any right to be. Drink 2024 – 2028
2021 Schweigen Spätburgunder [19 23] – Weingut Jülg – £117 per 6 bottles in bond
A more intense, complex version of the basic Spätburgunder, showing very floral ripe red cherry fruit with a hint of iodine and a rich, Gevrey-like bloodiness. There is a soft, elegant charm to it, rich fine tannins and a long, silky finish. Drink 2024-2030.
2022 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett [07 23] – Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm – £147 per 6 bottles in bond
Racy grapefruit and lemon sherbet flavours mingle with a pithy slaty minerality in this focussed wine, full of herbal freshness and driving to a long fine finish.
2022 Wehlner Sonnenuhr Spätlese [11 23] – Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm – £186 per 6 bottles in bond
This Spätlese encapsulates all that is best about the Mosel in 2022: it seems light and playful at first, with a charming airy beauty that suggests immediate – and perhaps fleeting – pleasure. It soon becomes plain, however, that this is a serious wine, with power and intensity that promise many years of interesting life. It is forward and charming, full of very perfumed fruit and florals, primarily roses, with a strong smooth herbal note and also peach and other orchard fruit. The balance comes from the typical smoky slaty character of the Sonnenuhr, finely wrought and silky, and it finishes on the prolonged, fresh saline note.
