German Wine

A delightfully light white with ripe grapes and flowers to the fore – great lunchtime treat at only 10% alcohol

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

The Estate Riesling comes mainly from vineyards around Kues, on the left bank of the Mosel. This hits the ground running – and does so while exuding that soft-shelled Mosel loveliness and clipped lemony precision. You can sense the warm 2018 summer here, in the ripe, ample apricot fruit. Drink this as soon as you get your hands on it. Although it will mellow and meld with bottle age - why wait when it is so good now

Soft-shelled Mosel loveliness and clipped lemony precision, opening onto ample apricot fruit. This will mellow and meld with age but frankly, why wait when it’s this good now?!

Something of a “no-brainer”, pure Riesling fruit and elegance in a glass. This Takes a very much “come hither” stance, with an evocative nose, bristling with freshness. Shades of honeyed peach dominate the nose and palate which reveal hints of spice, herbs and stony minerals. Mellow and refined, this is low in alcohol and high on impact – a delight

Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Spatlese Schloss Schonborn 2017

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.

Flinty, sherbeted and with a dry-earth minerality on the nose. The palate has ingratiatingly soft white peach fruit, sherbet, orange blossom and a fine line of taut acidity. This finishes wonderfully precise and upbeat.

Rudesheim Berg Schlossberg Riesling Trocken Erstes Gewachs Schloss Schonborn 2009

The Thanisch estate provides hallmark freshness, purity and distinctive minerality. Here, late harvested grapes present added richness

Lime cordial and lemon zest on the nose, grippingly bright, the most expressive of the three Kabinetts by far. This has a more westerly aspect, giving more afternoon sun exposure. The palate has a deft ripeness, just-so white peach and apricot, with a wet-stone minerality and a gently insistent weight on the finish.

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.

A ‘village’ wine made from two ‘premier cru’ sites. Chiselled and citric, with dry mineral tension and an impressively honed shape.

Ripe stone-fruit and crystallised citrus on the nose, with a line of dry-earth minerality. Highly expressive white flower perfume, with a luscious and delectable palate.

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Joh Jos Prum 2018

The celebrated Doctor vineyard produces wines which are richer than its Kabinett siblings yet with a more pronounced bite of acidic tension and a salty tang on the finish, which works brilliantly with the slaty minerality. The precise finish is rounded out by a lovely fleshy fruit residue coating the palate. Textbook high quality Kabinett, seriously good.

Badstube is a huge vineyard, running north to Graacher Himmelreich. The Thanisch holdings are all at the Bernkastel end however. Nervy and tightly packed when tasted, this has an explosive drive, matched blowfor-blow by its impressive volume of pear fruit, tinned peach and herbs - wonderfully precise

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

Zesty and brightly citrus-fruited on the nose, this is immediately enticing, with flashes of wet-stone minerality. The palate is brilliantly defined, the laser-cut acidity further enhanced by fine mineral tension. I wish I could fast-forward five years, as I suspect this will come out of its shell quite gloriously.

Taut and citric on the nose – lemon and lime zest – this keeps its cards close to its chest. All becomes clearer on the palate, which has a fabulous sense of stony minerality, anchoring you to the soil rather spectacularly. This is only just starting out on its life and although it is all in impressive harmony, it is one to put away for the foreseeable.

Bernkasteler Graben lies next-door to the Doctor vineyard. A brightly-fruited nose of green apple, lime and herbs, leading into a precise, taut palate which is steely and sternly impressive. This finishes with admirable focus and clipped precision. Give it a year or two in bottle to flesh out.

Bernkasteler Graben lies next door to the Doctor vineyard. A beautifully inviting nose of green citrus, apricot and white flowers emerges coyly from its shell but once out, revels in its loveliness. The palate has a marked sense of dry extract, slaty minerality and a brooding power which is just biding its time. There is intensity borne of an unusually warm season

This has a standout nose, of flinty minerality and hints of kerosene. The palate is wonderfully nuanced, lime zest and apricot mingling with slaty mineral notes and pretty white flowers. Stunning, ageworthy and approachable!

Katherina Prum describes 2017 as a very classical vintage, with fine Auslesen wines, attractive acidity balancing very generous ripeness. It is also a vintage where the individual sites show their personality

Wet-stone mineral aromas, with both volume and structure on the shapely, taut palate, then a long, focused finish. This combines precision and power quite brilliantly

Gimmeldinger Kapellenberg Riesling Erste Lage Trocken Weingut A Christmann 2015

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. This, as Sofia was quick to point out, is balanced by an intricate delicacy of acidic bone structure and mineral tension. Hits all the right notes, stunning.