The 30 top highlights from the new Grosses Gewächs releases

The proximity to the Rhine proved to be a major locational advantage in 2024. Pettenthal has exactly the momentum and curves that many others lack. There is beautifully ripe fruit – peach and nectarine with a hint of lemongrass – the acidity firm and dense, without a trace of bitterness. Everything fits together; everything flows into each other. If it were still politically correct, one might describe this wine as super-sexy.

The Hecklinger Schlossberg is, so to speak, entirely in Julian Huber's hands. The extremely steep slopes of this foothill of the Black Forest are based on limestone, which is virtually an ideal substrate for Chardonnay. Still very young, still beautifully reductive with buttery popcorn, but behind it all, there are already hints of great potential for the future with citrus notes, lemon peel and bergamot, plus the spice from ageing in oak: intense, long, powerful. The best Chardonnay from Germany.

It seems like an internal competition between Klaus-Peter Keller’s wines: Abts E (from the Abtserde vineyard) or Morstein. In 2024, the Riesling from Abts E is in the lead: the pickled vineyard peach shows sweet ripeness, lemongrass and elderflower emerge layer by layer, accompanied by a hint of iodine from the red soil. Deep, dense, compact, but not trapped within itself, it is already opening up to the encounter.

A Pinot Blanc from another dimension: clear, radiant, a study in beauty. The vines, over 40 years old, grow on shell-limestone soils. Rebholz deliberately avoids ageing in wooden barrels, allowing the aromas of ripe yellow apple and orange blossom, accompanied by a hint of lemon verbena, to unfold freely. With its elegance, concentration and penetrating power, this wine is a more accessible, heartier alternative to Chardonnay, without losing any of its depth.

If it were a matter of choosing the Winemaker of the Year, Konrad Salwey would certainly be a contender. All of his wines shone, benefiting from the fact that they came from the 2022 vintage. The Pinot Blanc dazzles with exotic fruit, kumquat and orange peel, its acidity perfectly balanced and underpinned by a subtle hint of phenols. The Kirchberg, so to speak Salwey’s home vineyard, sits on volcanic soil that can get very warm in summer, a warmth expressed in the wine’s density and impressive length.

The Idig does not tell you about the grape variety (Riesling) – it always tells you about its origin. The gently sloping site may not look spectacular, but it is protected from western weather influences by a nearby mountain range, and the soil is a mixture of limestone, clay and red sandstone gravel. In the wine, this expresses itself year after year through delicate candied fruit – especially lemon peel – and dried herbs. The acidity is powerful yet polished, leading to a strong finish.

A beneficiary of the 2024 vintage. Located directly on the Rhine front, in the Roter Hang, where the river acted like a radiator and at the same time reflected UV light into the vineyard. The wine is still a little shy, seeming to burn a match over fruit and spice – so smoky is the first impression, before notes of citrus peel, red-cheeked peach and verbena take over. Spontaneously fermented in large wooden barrels, the Rothenberg usually comes across as rather hedonistic, but this time it shows its pure, exciting side.

Philipp Kuhn seems to have succeeded in everything with the 2024 vintage – from red to white – but it’s his Riesling from Saumagen, a traditional vineyard in the northern part of the Pfalz, that truly shines. Protected from extreme weather by the Palatinate Forest, this wine has a firm structure but also softer sides. Impressions of wet stone and smokiness are complemented by ripe citrus and stone fruit, with the spice of white pepper. Everything is perfectly balanced; everything comes together in harmony and will relax even more over the years.

Pinot Gris may be everyone’s darling in its simplest form. Not this wine from Salwey, though. It is different, challenging and exciting. The hint of onion colour and phenolic grip suggests longer skin contact, and extended lees ageing explains the creaminess. The juicy fruit evokes apple, pear, grape, and mango, so dense that individual impressions can no longer be dissected. The black volcanic ash soil provides depth and a thrilling arc of tension that ends in a long finish. A really strong piece.

The advantage of a warmer vintage. In retrospect, 2023 is a classic vintage, characterised in Sankt Nikolaus by a firm acidity, but one that is embedded in sweet peach fruit and quince jelly, complemented by the spiciness of fresh herbs and ginger. The vineyard extends to within 150m of the Rhine, which acts as a heat reservoir and reflector of sunlight. The vines growing there are 60 years old. All of this combines to give Sankt Nikolaus a high concentration and an impressive length.

A monumental wine. It seems that the Morstein, with its calcareous soil, can balance out all the vagaries of the weather. Philipp Wittmann’s biodynamic cultivation certainly also contributes to its consistency. The acidity here shows a finesse rarely found in other Rieslings. The fruit plays with nuances from the peel: candied lemon and orange, accompanied by freshly cut herbs and a hint of saltiness. Above all, the sheer endless length is moving on and on.

It is essentially the second wine behind the Schlossberg, which is more hedonistic and complete. Here, the reduction is more pronounced, expressing itself through wet stone, incense and flint. The citrus fruit takes on a candied character. Overall, everything is stricter and more austere, with the acidity still quite brash. The toasty notes from ageing in small oak barrels (about 30% new) and the butteriness developed during two years on the fine lees still need time to come to terms with themselves.

Still so young, completely focused on the grape variety, with citrus notes, oyster shell and fresh herbs. Once again, the Gräfenberg, which stretches out protected directly behind the winery, proves that, with its warmer exposure, it has the potential to ensure sufficient ripeness even in cooler years. The acidity is powerful but is offset by an overwhelming concentration. Fermented spontaneously, partly in barrels and partly in steel tanks, it already builds a tension between freshness and balance in its youth. However, the wine will not reach its true greatness for at least 10 years.

The Frühlingsplätzchen (literally: ‘the right place for spring’) faces southwest to southeast and stretches out into the sun, so to speak – a locational advantage in 2024 that ensured the necessary ripeness. Typical of Frank Schönleber’s style: the Riesling is direct, clear, cool, somewhat reserved, but the citrus and peach fruit is finely balanced with herbal notes, giving it an elegant character. A delicate beauty.

Year after year, this Riesling ranks among the top wines in reviews. It has an unmistakable style that comes from the vineyard, located at an altitude of 310m, with its soil of slate, quartzite, and basalt scree, but also from the work of Tim Fröhlich. In its youth, it is always very reductive, with smoky notes and gunpowder. On the palate, the citrus fruit opens up crystal clear, a cool beauty of penetrating concentration that is just beginning to unfold.

The Dellchen vineyard was also not spared by the frost in April 2024. Dönnhoff lost 70% of its grapes. However, those that survived have produced a very fine Riesling: very compact, not yet fully accessible, but the candied lemon and slightly exotic fruit promise much for the future. The wine is delicate in stature, a Riesling that can only be produced in such cool years – it goes deep, not wide. An elegant wine.

Actually, the label should say Kühling-Gillot-Battenfeld-Spanier: two wineries owned by one married couple. While the Kühling-Gillot vineyards are located in eastern Rheinhessen, Schwarzer Herrgott borders the Pfalz (Palatinate) in the southwest. It is cooler there, which has given the body of the wine a kind of slimming cure in 2024. It is very fine, delicate, more salty than fruity, purist and classically beautiful. That suits it very well. Above all, its strong length in its youth testifies to what it has in it and what may still come.