2020 | Schloss Johannisberg | Grunlack Riesling Spatlese

Very cool and reserved at the front, but this is an enormously deep and complex wine that has staggering mineral intensity. The lime and oolong-tea freshness effortlessly swallows up the unfermented grape sweetness, as if it didn’t really exist. Some will criticize, saying that this is too radical, but that’s what creates the great excitement! The herbal freshness at the finish is really astounding.

Producer Information

Weinbau-Domane Schloss Johannisberg is a historic estate in the Rheingau region of Germany. It has exclusively grown Riesling grapes since 1720, and is thought to be the first estate in the world to have done so. The Johannisberg estate has a history of viticulture that spans approximately 1200 years. The vineyards were first documented by Louis the Pious in 817AD, and a Benedictine monastery was established in 1100. Prince Abbot Konstantin von Buttlar acquired the estate in 1716, and built the grand palace on the site of the original monastery. In 1775, Schloss Johannisberg became the first to deliberately cultivate Spätlese grapes. In 1816 the estate fell under the possession of the Emperor of Austria, and today ten percent of the grape harvest is given to the House of Habsburg (or its legal successors). The estate was ruined during World War II, but was rebuilt and restored to its former glory in 1965. Schloss Johannisberg became a designated wine appellation under German law in 1971. Schloss Johannisberg sits on one of three quartzite hills southeast of the Taunus mountain range. The soils here are quartzite rich, which is well-suited to the Riesling that occupies the vineyards. Wines are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, as well as large oak casks made from oak sourced from the nearby Schloss Johannisberger forest. During the aging process, the wines spend a significant time on their lees, in order to increase complexity. The Weinbau-Domane Schloss Johannisberg cellar is referred to as the "Bibliotheca subterranea", or underground library, as it contains centuries-old wines including the oldest bottle of Schloss Johannisberger Riesling.

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