German Grosses Gewächs: Top 2021 whites and 2020 reds

It is 20 years since the Grosse Gewächs (GG) made its first public appearance. In September 2002, the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) presented its new wine category in Berlin: great dry wines from the best classified vineyards. That year, 78 wineries showed wines from around 100 sites.

With the Grosses Gewächs, the association’s approximately 200 members rejected the bureaucracy of the 1971 German wine law, which still evaluates a wine’s quality exclusively according to grape sugar content at harvest.

Scroll down for tasting notes & scores for the German Grosses Gewächs 2022 releases

The VDP, however, believes that the origin counts as well, not just ripeness. ‘Only a vine growing in harmony with its vineyard can produce grapes for truly great, distinctive wines that tangibly reflect their soil and climate,’ says Steffen Christmann, president of the association.

The new vintage has been released every 1 September since then, with the whites usually from the previous year and the reds at least two years old.

This September saw a total of 629 new Grosse Gewächse from 327 classified sites. The white wines, predominantly from the 2021 vintage, were almost a throwback to cooler times: with pronounced acidity and ravishing freshness. The 2020 reds, coming from a very warm vintage, showed just the opposite, expressed as high concentration and density.

2021 whites: a look back at cooler times

Sunny days were the exception in 2021, with warm and humid weather causing problems for winegrowers and promoting fungal diseases. Organic producers could only treat vines against downy mildew with copper and net sulphur, meaning they sometimes had to spray twice as often. Yet, says Frank Schönleber from Emrich-Schönleber (Nahe), he had to accept lower quantities. The subsequent harvest was precision work, with those who had already carefully pre-sorted in the vineyard being able to present brilliantly pure, classic wines, such as Schönleber’s ‘Auf der Ley’ Riesling.

Those sites that had suffered in the previous three warm vintages triumphed in 2021. The Rote Hang between Nierstein and Nackenheim in Rheinhessen had struggled with the recent hot temperatures due to its direct proximity to the Rhine; however, examples like Kühling-Gillot’s 2021 Pettenthal Riesling is showcasing delicacy and finesse. ‘Full ripeness with low sugar levels and crisp acidity,’ as owner Carolin Spanier described the year’s harvest.

Nahe producer Helmut Dönnhoff is also very pleased with their 2021 Rieslings. ‘In recent years, the grapes’ sugar had increased faster than physiological ripeness, while this time, sugar ripening was much slower.’ At Dönnhoff, the harvest lasted into November. Those able to balance the acidity in their wines with density and concentration, like brothers Oliver Haag (Fritz Haag Winery) and Thomas Haag (Schloss Lieser) in the Mosel, were the winners.

The region also produced many thin, tart examples in this vintage. Yet, the Mosel has a locational advantage for residual sugar and 2021 was an ideal year for the increasingly rare Kabinett wines – a style usually features about 8.5 percent abv and 35-50 grams of residual sugar.

In a difficult vintage like 2021, you can usually rely on familiar names. Among the Pinot Gris, the Henkenberg from Salwey (Baden) shone as usual. The Chardonnays from Baden winery Huber are always unbeatable, while Dr. Heger’s Pinot Blanc ‘Hinter Winklen Gras im Ofen’ (Baden) counts among the best.

2020 reds: rethinking viticulture

In contrast to 2021, 2020 was very warm and characterised by drought. This meant rethinking vineyard work; shading the grapes instead of defoliation and rolling the greenery rather than mowing it, thus helping preserve moisture in the soil.

Rheinhessen winemaker Klaus-Peter Keller says his vineyards sometimes resembled ‘a jungle’, ‘we let the wall of foliage grow until the canes bent over and covered the fruiting zone like a curtain.’

In vinification, whole clusters and open vat fermentation helped lower the alcohol levels slightly. Thus, his Morstein Felix Pinot Noir shows two faces: one highly concentrated and the other of dancing lightness.

Sebastian Fürst from the Rudolf Fürst winery in Centgrafenberg (Franconia / Franken) was equally successful. The Rings brothers (Palatinate / Pfalz) once again produced a convincing wine from the Saumagen site. And a discovery among the reds: Pfalz winemaker Steffen Christmann’s Pinot Noir from top vineyard Idig proves that he can also make great Pinot Noir, not just Riesling.

The unexpected

In Württemberg, the focus is almost always on Lemberger, but this time, Aldinger delivered the collection of the year. The Riesling and Pinot Blanc from the Gips Marienglas vineyard were just as impressive as the Pinot Noir and the, still reserved, Lemberger from the Lämmler.

A new name (and still a real bargain) appeared on my list of favourite GGs: the intense, modern-style Hundertgulden Riesling from Bischel. However, eternally beautiful classics, such as the reliable, serious, uninhibited great wines from Graf Neipperg (Württemberg) and Müller-Catoir (Pfalz), should not be overlooked either.

The 2021 Ahr flood washed away some vintners’ 2020 vintage barrels. Adeneuer was one of the few who could present a GG this year. Stodden, otherwise one of the front runners, had marked his GG barrels resting in the cellar with chalk. The flood erased the markings, but Alexander Stodden created the 2020 ‘Alexander Die Grossen’ from various barrels. It is not officially a GG but is nevertheless a great wine – a rarity and a record of contemporary history.

The results

2021 produced ‘retro’ Rieslings, whose fresh, striking acidity is reminiscent of the cool years of past decades. They thus have the potential to age.

The 2020 reds are hedonistic, powerful and expressive, already ripe for early consumption. Indeed, where is it written that red wines must always be made for the next generation to inherit?

Caro Maurer MW’s top white and red picks from the Grosses Gewächs 2022 releases

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In 2011 Caro Maurer MW became the first female Master of Wine from the German-speaking countries. She is a Regional Chair of Decanter World Wine Awards.

German Grosses Gewächs: Top 2021 whites and 2020 reds