German Grosses Gewächs 2020 releases: the top wines

Social distancing was ensured, masks were de rigueur, temperatures were taken and tasters were spaced on individual tables over three large rooms at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden for this year’s VDP GG Release tasting.

477 Grosse Gewächse, or grands crus, could be tasted: most of them are whites from the 2019 vintage and reds from 2018. Since the annual VDP Weinbörse event, usually taking place in April, had been cancelled, this was the first opportunity to properly assess the 2019 vintage via the top-end, dry wines from single, classified sites.

This release tasting was also perhaps the first proper international wine event to take place since lockdown. It was a joy to be able to taste and the organisation, as every year, was flawless. Spaces were strictly limited but attendance was high, even if tasters from the US and Asia were missing. Europe was there in full force. The verdict: the wines are spectacular. 2019 whites benefited from a cooler harvest and have firm, ripe freshness, the 2018 reds show uncommon elegance and defy the heat of the vintage.

Scroll down to see the top 20 Grosses Gewächs recommendations

See the top 40 wines tasted here

2019 whites: The test of resilience

It is fair to say that Germany has not had such climatic conditions since the Medieval Warm Period. The heat and dryness of 2018 as well as the heat and heterogenous weather events of 2019 posed challenges all of their own.

Dry stress and sunburn foremost among them – it is clear that those estates that learned how to deal with the changing climate in their vineyards have made more complete wines than ever before.

‘2019 is a great, precise vintage,’ said Robert Haller of Bürgerspital in Franken.

‘The only downside was the low yield. Ripeness was optimal and we learned quite some time ago to go on freshness rather than alcoholic strength. There are super Silvaners and it was another fine year for Riesling – so harmonious with a very long life ahead of it.’

Dr Carl von Schubert of Maximin Grünhaus in the Ruwer Valley agreed and cited 2019 as ‘a year with much roundness. There are few vintages that are as much fun in their youth as this one. The wines have a silky consistency and beautiful acidity.’

He also noted a ‘real sense of joy, length, depth and fruity presence.’

Late spring frosts in some regions, several days of temperatures above 40°C in July and rainy days during harvest in September and October had all taken their toll on the yields.

But von Schubert – who has seen every kind of vintage since he took over in 1981 – praised Riesling as ‘the most ingenious grape variety and the most ingenious weed in the world, which brings great results even under difficult circumstances.’

Mark Barth of Weingut Barth in the Rheingau credited the lower temperatures at harvest with the freshness of the Rieslings, ‘The acid is precise and aligned to good volume. The GGs are a rather fine composition of body, acid and fruit.’

After the heatwave in 2018 that used up groundwater reserves, everyone said that 2019 would depend on water levels being replenished over winter. This did not happen, so the resilience of the vines was tested.

Old vines with deep roots coped surprisingly well, regardless of soils, even though they did make a difference. Haller noted that his limestone soils with their capacity for water retention were easier to deal with than well-drained sandstone soils, for instance. But he noted that soil management and humus content mattered more than ever – as well as climate-adapted viticulture.

2018 reds: Managing the heat

Regarding the 2018 reds, Rainer Schnaitmann from Württemberg said: ‘We learned in 2003 already that heat had to be handled. We really paid attention to freshness which may even be too much for some. But we captured great elegance despite the power – you sense the warmth of the vintage without fatness or plumpness. The 2018 reds will be great.’

Schnaitmann, as many of his more progressive colleagues across Germany, uses whole-bunch fermentation to lend backbone and firmness, rather than extraction or oak. With the super-healthy fruit of 2018 this produced gorgeously expressive wines of real purity.

‘Paying attention to pH levels was key,’ added Franz Wehrheim of Weingut Dr Wehrheim in the Pfalz. 

The result

The result is that 2019 Mosel Riesling shines with utter fruit, Saar and Nahe are deliciously hair-raising and exacting, Rheinhessen is on a special path, especially along the Red Slope.

Rieslings from Franken, Württemberg and Baden are new hunting grounds for exceptional styles and quality. The Rheingau has its handful of world stars but also some complacent estates.

Where Spätburgunder is concerned, there no longer is any doubt that Germany’s Pinot Noirs are world class – across different soils and sites. Today they show more personality and finesse than ever.

Elegant Pinot Blancs, savoury Silvaners and spicy Lembergers are the sleepers the international wine world still needs to wake up to.

While the GGs are not cheap, they probably represent the greatest value in wine today – especially considering the steepness of the slopes and the back-breaking work these precipitous, stony vineyards demand.

Riesling, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc & Blaufränkisch: Anne’s 20 top Grosses Gewächs picks

See also: 

Understanding Grosses Gewächs Riesling and wines to look for

The revival of Sekt, Germany’s signature sparkling wine