Category: Germany

2020 Riesling trocken of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf is a dry white wine from the Palatinate, Germany. The Gault Millau guide dubbed the Dr. Bürklin-Wolf winery the “king of dry Riesling”, because this is truly their specialty. They excel in this category. A traditional winery in Wachenheim, with Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze at the helm. She introduced biodynamic principles many years ago, and was one of the very first German wineries to do so. It also was the first winery to become a member of the French association Biodyvin. The estate has around 80 hectares, with several vineyards being classified as Erste Lage or Grosse Lage by the VDP. Wines from these parcels could certainly be sold as Premier Cru or Grand Cru wines, if they wanted to. But they take pride in only using the very best grapes of the classified parcels for the Premier Cru or Grand Cru, whereas they use the remainder to make wines at the village (Ortswein) or Gutswein level. This 2020 Riesling trocken is the “business card” of the winery, their basic Riesling. Thus, a Gutswein which truly shows the excellence of the winery. And that with a very reasonable price tag. Available in Brazil at Primeur Vinhos.

The colour is light straw. In the nose, you have notes of citric fruit, green apple, pear and quince. There is a slight mineral touch. On the palate, the wine is dry, fresh, mineral, and the fruit showing a true Riesling. Highly recommended.

TBM 90 points.

The 2020 Ungeheuer GG Von Winning is a Riesling at the GG (Grosses Gewächs, Grand Cru) level within the VDP classification. Forst is the village in the Palatinate with the highest density of “Grosse Lage” vineyards, and the Forster Ungeheuer comprises undoubtedly some of the best German vineyards for Riesling. Some of its most famous winelovers include Otto von Bismarck and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (who said that “life is too short to drink bad wine”). In a play of words, Bismarck once said that the “Ungeheuer ist ungeheur gut” (the “Monster is unbelievably good”). Tasted at the Gerstl fall tasting in Sempach.

The wine presents itself in straw colour. In the nose, Riesling aromas prevail – yellow fruit, citrus aromas, some flowery notes and herbs. The wine is dry (though not “bone dry”, it has 6.4 gr/l residual sugar) with medium acidity (7.2 gr/l), nice minerality, and gives a great mouthfeel and a long finish. This wine has great potential, it is still young and should be left developing for a few years.

TBM 89 points.

The 2021 WinWin Riesling Von Winning is a very nice wine from the basic “Gutswein” level (in the VDP classification), from the region of Palatinate, Germany. The team of Stefan Altmann follows traditional winemaking styles, fermentation in large wooden barrels without cooling. The WinWin is fermented partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in barrels. The grapes come from vineyards in Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg. Tasted at the Gerstl tasting in Sempach.

This wine shows a straw colour. In the nose, some typical Riesling aromas – apple and citrus fruit dominating. No petrol notes yet, as the wine is very young. On the palate, the wine has a bit of residual sugar (8,7 gr/l) which is nicely balanced by the acidity (8,3 gr/l) of the wine. Due the interaction between acidity and residual sugar makes the wine appear almost dry. This wine gives a pleasant, round mouthfeel and has a long finish. Beautiful young Riesling.

TBM 88 points