German Wine

A very pale, watery-lemon colour. Pure and crystalline aromas of green citrus and apple blossom. The off-dry palate has supple pear and apple fruit, a core of lemony acidity sustaining it through to a focused finish.

Pretty pale ruby. A joyful, immediately expressive red with peppery red fruits and just a hint of clove in there too. Pleasing sweet red berry flavours with soft tannins and a real crunch to the finish.

The Marcobrunn site produces full-bodied wines which somehow lose their weight on tasting, giving way to a fresh, upbeat style. A combination of tropical, citrus and orchard fruits dance across the palate , their ripeness complemented by bright acidity – beautifully balanced

An honest, accessible, articulate translation of Riesling. Consumers have become a little puritanical in our approach to ripeness but sometimes, that little extra fruit accentuates and releases the minerality so that feinherb – “off-dry” achieves a lovely balance and a better reflection of fresh acidity. Here we have a plethora of orchard and exotic fruit, apples, pears and melon complemented by delightful floral notes –lovely definition and focus.

This has a spicy, stony-mineral nose, opening onto a similarly chiselled palate, which slowly reveals quince, tea-leaf spice and yellow flowers. The back-palate is very delicate, with an impressive weight of fruit and extract behind. Hedonists might prefer the straightforward Kabinett, those who appreciate fine bone structure should go for this. It really is a matter of taste. Both are good food wines

With an exceptionally warm growing season, this is richer than usual but with a pronounced bite of acidic tension and a salty tang on the finish, which works brilliantly with the slaty minerality – beautifully balanced.. The precise finish is rounded out by a lovely fleshy fruit residue coating the mouth. Textbook high quality Kabinett, seriously good

Alte reben means old vines (circa 40 years old). A slaty mineral nose leads into an upbeat, lively palate combining just enough rounded flesh with well-defined, crisp acidity.

Berncasteler Kues Riesling Alte Reben Dr H. Thanisch (Thanisch) 2020

Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Dr H Thanisch (Thanisch) 2020

Pale gold in colour, this shows some texture in the glass. The nose expresses honeyed orchard fruit and flowers, very pretty end enticing. The palate provides an attractive mineral component, underpinning melon and stone fruit notes, zesty and focused

Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Trocken Erstes Gewachs Schloss Schonborn 2011

2018 was Sophie Christmann’s second vintage fully in charge of the Pinot Noir. Sophie, who started working here three years ago, represents the 8th generation. Based on her experience in France and Baden, Germany, Sophie introduced some winemaking changes including larger fermentation tanks and a greater reliance on pumping over rather than punching down, as well as shorter post-fermentation maceration and less new oak. Or to put it another way, she modernised the estate’s winemaking, prioritising delicacy of fruit and aroma. Over 16 years of biodynamic cultivation clearly helps greatly here, although in Sophie’s opinion, it is the calcareous marl soils, similar to those found in Burgundy, which allow her Pinot Noir to shine. This comes from vineyards around Gimmeldingen. 15% whole-bunch fermentation, with one year in barrel.

Later picked grapes in this Spätlese add intensity at all levels and characte. This is balanced by an intricate delicacy of acidic bone structure and mineral tension. A beautifully complete nose, of fine crushed earth minerality, ripe lime, gooseberry and apricot fruit. The palate is powerful from the off, drivingly intense and with an unabashed potency which is really rather exciting.

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Joh Jos Prum 2018

This is benchmark stuff. It presents a smoky, flinty, mineral nose progressing towards a plump, rather luscious attack, honeyed orchard and stone fruit and hints of flowers. Luxuriant and seductive on the palate – the grapes are late-picked here bunch by bunch to secure optimal ripeness- there is nonetheless a seam of refreshing acidity which continues throughout a long, layered, poised finish