Albatross is excited to bring you four Rieslings from each of the most exciting wine regions along the banks of the Mosel and Rhine rivers of Germany; Mosel, Rheinghau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz.
In these regions, Riesling fights hard to grow. The area is cold, but well suited to the late-budding Riesling, which starts its growing season later to avoid the risk of spring frosts. Site selection in this area is instrumental; any little bit of advantage the grape grower can give the vines in capturing sunlight helps the grapes achieve ripeness. For example, heat-retaining soils that reradiate warmth over the cold nights, steep slopes that absorb the best angle of afternoon sun, or slopes along the river that capture reflected light off the water all help along a struggling Riesling grape. The battle is worth it; Germany produces Rieslings that are sky-high in acidity and truly show off the gorgeous floral notes (honeysuckle, jasmine, fruit blossom) characteristic of the varietal.
Mosel
First, Mosel. This area has some of the most northerly vineyards in the world, and the Rieslings tend to be the most delicate, with a tarter fruit character, like fresh green apple. My pick: Prüm’s Riesling. The estate is historic; the family has a long history of viticulture in Mosel dating back to the 12th century, and Prüm appointed its first female winemaker in 2017! This wine is a GG (Grosses Gewächs), a designation given to the finest dry, single-varietal wines from Grosse Lage (the German equivalent of Grand Cru) vineyards. For this wine, the grapes sit on the skins pre-fermentation to boost the aromatics, and age on the lees for a year to round out the texture. This is a delicious, age-worthy Riesling representative of the Mosel style.
My Pick: Prüm’s Riesling
Rheinghau
The Rheinghau region is south of Mosel, and thus slightly warmer. The Rieslings here tend to achieve ripeness more consistently than the Rieslings of Mosel, and thus have a richer, denser fruit character (think stone fruits like peach and apricot). My pick: the J.B. Becker. This old-vine Riesling is structured and juicy, and is an interesting foil to the Mosel Rieslings.
My pick: J.B. Becker
Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen is even further south, and is the largest wine region in Germany, containing some of the most prized vineyard land for Riesling. My pick: Juian Haart. The “Rote Erden” (red earth) name references the unique red sandstone soils of Rheinhesssen. Interestingly, Haart began managing this vineyard in 2018 when he swapped one of his Mosel vineyards with Keller for this property. Along with sweet floral notes, this wine has a rich, satiny mouthfeel.
My pick: Juian Haart
Pfalz
Last but not least, the Pfalz is even further South, across the border from Alsace. This region tends to produce a riper style of German Riesling, with tropical fruit notes of pineapple and passion fruit, but my pick, the Lukas Hammelmann Klostergarten, comes from the slate soils of Zeiskam and is driven by notes of citrus and minerality. This single-vineyard Riesling has notes of lime zest and stone, and the high acidity makes this wine food-friendly, and a particularly good choice for pairing with lighter meats.
My pick: Lukas Hammelmann Klostergarten
