2017 in Germany broke a few records – in some cases the smallest crop, earliest harvest and shortest vegetative cycle ever. Late frost and hail caused the dramatic reduction in yields, and then lovely late summer sun brought everything on at a fair lick.
The wines, meanwhile, will break a few hearts. They’re open, juicy wines of presence and detail. The results have been well received from a critical standpoint, and are devastatingly good to drink from the outset.
What follows is a compendium of great wines from Germany’s grand-cru designated sites, mostly from ’17 complemented by a smattering of recent vintages.
ANSGAR CLÜSSERATH – MOSEL
2016 Ansgar Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Trocken RRP $91
Don’t be deceived by the rather shy first impression. This still has some yeasty notes from the long, wild ferment. It also has great candied-citrus and dried-herb notes. At once richly textured, finely nuanced and light-footed on the palate, it builds up to a great crescendo on the very long, super-mineral finish. Drink or hold. 94 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
HEYMANN-LÖWENSTEIN – MOSEL
2017 Heymann-Löwenstein Kirchberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $89
The 2017 Riesling Kirchberg VDP Grosse Lage displays a golden-yellow color and a deep, intense and crystalline bouquet of perfectly ripe and concentrated fruits. This is a full-bodied, lush and fruity dry Riesling with an elegant, mouth-filling texture and a vibrating mineral tension and long-lasting salinity. This is firmly structured, with lovely bitters in the finish and grapefruit flavors in the aftertaste. Tasted during the preview of the GG wines in Wiesbaden in August 2018. 93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate August 2018
2016 Heymann-Löwenstein Kirchberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $75
A dramatic and complex dry Mosel Riesling even if it has done some malolactic fermentation (there’s a hint of butter which ought to integrate with bottle age). Lots of green chilli aroma alongside the ripe fruit, then the spicy finish kicks in and leaves you in no doubt. Better from 2018 through 2035. 93 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
2017 Heymann-Löwenstein Röttgen Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $108T
he 2017 Röttgen displays a white-golden color with a citrus-yellow shimmer. The nose is deep and flinty, with perfectly ripe, precise stone fruit intermixed with crunchy slate aromas. Highly elegant and beautifully balanced, this is an almost creamy-textured Röttgen with great finesse and elegance. The finish is lush and stimulatingly salty, provided with very fine tannins and a lovely grip with very fine bitters. Very long, intense and fresh. One of the classics of Hermann-Löwenstein. Tasted during the preview of the GG wines in Wiesbaden in August 2018. 94 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate August 2018
2016 Heymann-Löwenstein Röttgen Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $94
This makes me think of the first pineapples that reached Europe and were more highly-prized than any other fruits. Very concentrated and ripe, but not at all heavy this is a luscious dry Mosel Riesling that great energy and originality Drink through 2040. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
2017 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $124
Very concentrated, but the sleekest and most filigree of this producer’s trio of single-terroir wines from the Uhlen site. The blue slate of these terraces has given this a lemon and mint character, plus just a hint of peach. Very long finish that feels almost weightless. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certified. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2016 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $108
What a great combination of ripeness (and a hint of caramel) with racy freshness! This is another stunning dry wine from Heymann-Löwenstein that is at least as much shaped by the vineyard site as the house style of its maker. Drink through 2040. 94 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
2016 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Laubach Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $115
MAGNUM RRP $231
This very concentrated wine makes you feel that you are floating on the clouds that hang in the Mosel Valley before and during the harvest. There’s plenty of acidity in here, but you barely feel it directly, and once you sink into the depths of the finish it’s difficult to climb out again. Drink now and for some decades to come. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com December 2017
2016 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Roth Lay Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $140
MAGNUM RRP $280.50
DOUBLE MAGNUM RRP $577.50
Although this has great depth and power, it is less lush and more delicate than Heymann-Löwenstein’s other 2016 dry rieslings. Noble austerity at the very dry and super-mineral finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certified. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2014 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Roth Lay Grosses Gewächs RRP $140
MAGNUM RRP $297
DOUBLE MAGNUM RRP $561
Tasted from the barrel and still dusty in its ripe golden color, the 2015 Riesling Uhlen R ‘VDP Grosse Lage’ (which is always bottled late) combines super ripe, rich and intense tropical fruit aromas (pineapples) with the spicy flavors of red (iron-rich) slate. The palate, however, is stunningly pure and finessed, highly elegant and almost light whereas the finish is very long, full of salt, grip and tension. A great promise! 95-97 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate March 2017
DR LOOSEN – MOSEL
2016 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $74.25
The 2016 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG Alte Reben offers a clear, refined and delicately flinty bouquet of ripe white fruits and crushed minerals with lovely purity. Round and lush, this is a full-bodied, intense and elegant Sonnenuhr with a powerful finish. Fine tannins here and good texture. The acidity is salty-piquant and perfectly integrated. This GG is clearly characterized by its long aging on the lees, which adds texture and finesse. Long and salty in the finish. A lovely wine — lush and vital and always piquant. 94 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2018
2016 Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $181.50
The 2016 Erdener Prälat Riesling GG Alte Reben displays a deep and flinty-scented bouquet of crushed stones. Pretty coolish even though the vineyard is located straight down in the Mosel Valley, near the river. This has great purity and very delicate yeasty flavors. Terribly lush and salty-piquant on the palate, this is a round and elegant, highly complex and persistent Riesling with very fine tannins and melting salt from up to 130-year-old vines. It is powerful and intense in the aftertaste but still finessed and pure—a great wine from a great terroir. Enormously long and complex. Only two fuders were made. 13% alcohol. Tasted February 2018. 96 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate February 2018
2015 Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $181.50
The 2015 Erdener Prälat Riesling Alte Reben GG is very clear and intense on the nose, where tropical fruit flavors intertwine with smoky red slate, herbal and lemon aromas. This Riesling is full-bodied, rich and lush, but fresh and highly finessed on the palate. This is a very complex and tightly woven, pure and salty, but nevertheless aromatic Riesling; it has concentrated yellow plum and stone fruit aromas. The finish is gorgeous for intellectual wine lovers, as well as for hedonists. The Prälat, though located straight under Loosen’s old vines Treppchen plot and closer to the Mosel river, seems even purer and finer than the Treppchen GG, which is more lush and creamy, showing more tannins. This is an amazing Riesling and the finest dry Prälat I have probably ever tasted. It is ready to drink, but folks, don’t be foolish! Keep it for years and drink it as many times as possible. Just one fuder produced, so less than 1,000 litres. 96 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2017
2014 Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $181.50
Grown beneath Loosen’s Treppchen Grosse Lage plot, the 2014 Erdener Prälat Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben displays a deep, rich and intense, yet also subtle bouquet with herbal, nutty and slate-like flavors. Very elegant and round on the palate, with lots of salt and minerals in the finish, this is another big and very expressive Riesling grand cru with an impressively long and complex finish. As always, the Prälat is richer and more creamy textured than the Treppchen GG, and its fruit is a bit more tropical; but it is the lingering salinity and the ripe acidity that makes this an extraordinary Riesling. 94 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate August 2015
2016 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $92
The 2016 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG Alte Reben is clear, deep and flinty on the nose, with herbal and mineral aromas as well as great purity and precision and a touch of tropical fruit aromas. Salty-piquant and enormously lush but also salty, this is a gorgeous Riesling with very fine tannins, stimulating crystallinity and mineral freshness. This is another highlight of the Loosen crus in 2016. This has great finesse and elegance and is enormously mouthwatering in the finish. Impressive. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2018
2015 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $92
From 80 to 100-year-old vines (mainly in the Urglück parcel), the 2015 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Alte Reben GG has a deep, pure, clear, intense and fascinatingly aromatic bouquet of small and spicy, thick-skinned yellow plums and peaches; there are also some smoky and flinty aromas from the red volcanic Würzgarten soils. On the palate, this is a super clear, vital and elegant Riesling in perfect balance. Tasting almost like a Nahe (Felsenberg) Riesling, its refined acidity and overall finesse is clearly Mosel. The finish is long, fresh, clear and aromatic, and reveals stimulating grip and tension. This is another great and age-worthy, dry Mosel cru that Riesling lovers should not miss. 93+ points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2017
2014 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $92
The 2014 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben shows a lovely purity and flintiness on the deep nose, which displays notes of crushed stones, lemon juice and also ripe fruit pips. Rich, ripe and piquant on the palate, this full-bodied Würzgarten is very mineral, but also has a certain sweetness and juiciness that is almost rounder than round, and results in a big and more opulent Riesling. 93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate March 2016
2013 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $92
Stunningly clear, pure and spicy on the nose, where tropical fruit aromas are displayed but cool, slate flavors are kept and are not covered by buckets of fruits, the 2013 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben is still pure and precise and very delicate and elegant on the nose. Delicate and juicy, balanced and piquant, in a very subtle way, this is a filigreed structured and persistently salty wine with the delicacy and purity of a great dry Mosel Riesling. 92 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate February 2015
2012 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs Reserve RRP $206
Only vineyard in Mosel on red volcanic soil. The vines are still on own roots. The vine age is around 100 years old. Ernie Loosen’s grandfather hated sweet wines, it turns out. The great grandfather kept the wines in barrel for two years on lees, so this is an homage, in traditional 1000 litre barrel. A remarkable wine. Pot pourri, talc scents, lemon/lime, very aromatic and floral in perfume. Intense. Lots of stone fruit, ripe citrus, slick-textured and very fresh feeling with elegance, finesse and a filigree of fine, chalky acidity. It’s a textbook, complex riesling. 96 points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front July 2016
GEORG BREUER – RHEINGAU
2016 Georg Breuer Riesling Schlossberg RRP $163
MAGNUM RRP $326
The 2016 Rheingau Riesling Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg has a very clear, deep, pure and flinty bouquet of bright fruit and crushed stone aromas. This is absolutely fascinating in its purity, finesse and complex elegance. Round and terribly lush on the palate, with very fine tannins and ripe, crystalline acidity, this is a highly elegant, delicate and complex Riesling that is enormously filigreed yet tensioned and long. A goddess of the greatest finesse and elegance. The sweetness, body and minerality are in perfect balance. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate December 2017
DÖNNHOFF – NAHE
2017 Dönnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $140
Lovely fresh-pineapple and yellow-grapefruit notes with hints of smoke and flint. The palate is concentrated, cool and dry with a very long, mineral finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Dönnhoff Dellchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $140
MAGNUM RRP $305
An enormous spectrum of fruit aromas, from peaches through grapefruit to wild strawberries and pineapple. However, that doesn’t prepare you for the mind-blowing concentration and brilliance on the palate. Extremely filigree finish, in spite of the profound minerality. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. Limited production. 100 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $149
MAGNUM RRP $322
This defines high elegance. Everything you look for in a dry white wine with very fine aromas of white and yellow peaches, but also a thousand wild herbs and flowers. Enormous delicacy at the very long finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. 98 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese RRP $89
So light and filigree with such a delicate white-peach note. Yet, behind the almost weightless exterior is enormous depth and an almost savage mineral freshness at the finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 375ml RRP $89
Hold on to your hat! This is so concentrated and so filigree. Somewhere in this tightly coiled maelstrom of flavors is a bunch of sweetness. Yet, every time you think you’ve got it, it slips away. Breathtakingly long and fresh finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. Very limited production. 98 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2016 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 375ml RRP $168
This very concentrated Auslese demands a lot of patience if you want to experience all its thousand nuances. Has the crystalline purity of a great Spätlese rather than the honey of a luscious Auslese, but is way too big to be the former. Made from organic grapes and Fair’n Green certified. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com December 2017
GUNDERLOCH – RHEINHESSEN
2017 Gunderloch Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs Riesling RRP $107
Still closed, though there’s plenty of smoke and fresh parsley on the nose. This sleek beauty has wonderful elegance on the palate and a long, racy finish with a ton of herbs and wild berries. Try in 2019. Screw cap. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2016 Gunderloch Pettenthal Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $96
Still rather closed this is a very concentrated wine with a beautiful balance that makes it taste less powerful than it really is. Major minerality at the very long, powerful finish. And all this at just 12.5% alcohol. Better from 2018. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
2013 Gunderloch Pettenthal Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $74
The 2013 Pettenthal Riesling GG was picked 24 October with 94° Oechsle and fermented to 12.38 % of alcohol with 6.5 g/l of residual sugar. The citrus/straw yellow wine has a greenish shimmer and displays a deep, rich, ripe, precise and complex nose with well concentrated lime and white peach aromas along with subtle, spicy/mineral and herbal flavors on the transparent and very elegant nose. Full-bodied and elegant, this salty and multi-layered wine is very well concentrated and quite powerful but very well balanced. Still too young and somewhat austerely piquant it needs to have another three or more years of bottle aging. 93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate October 2014
2017 Gunderloch Rothenberg Grosses Gewächs Riesling RRP $117
MAGNUM RRP $305
Deep and complex with plenty of smoke and hot, dry-stone character. The mineral energy of this wine is enormous and there isn’t a hint of opulence to stand in its way. Super-long and firm finish. This is as original as it gets. Try in 2019. Screw cap. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2016 Gunderloch Rothenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $107
MAGNUM RRP $177
A super-elegant and filigree wine that is both deep and finely-etched with a very long pure finish that’s as straight as a laser beam! Best from 2018. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
2014 Gunderloch Rothenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $96
Pistachio extract, smoked meat, kumquat and orange mingle in an impressively intense nose, leading to a piquantly nutty, citrus zesty palate impression that happily also displays plenty of bright primary juiciness and admirable transparency to nuanced mineral and carnal notes. The finish is mouthwatering and energetically lingering. This fermented to near-absolute dryness yet is neither at all alcoholically freighted nor austere. It should age impressively, but there’s no reason not to enjoy some now. 92 points. David Schildknecht, Vinous Media May 2016
2017 Gunderloch Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese RRP $74
That tension, that tussle between sweetness and acidity is just so well fought here. Compelling. It’s viscous, juicy, explosive and ‘mineral’. Honey, smoke. pineapple, candied ginger, and a wee bit of savoury cheese stuff. It moves on glistening rails of sugar and acidity: barley sugar and green apple acidity, to be more prosaic. Finishes long, sweet, but etched with acidity and powdery texture. Outstanding. 95+ points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front November 2018
2016 Gunderloch Rothenberg Auslese Goldkapsel $375ml RRP $70
Lush and exotic in the nose, but oh so racy and brilliant on the palate, this is a stunning Auslese with a mineral finish that is filigree and intense. Best from 2018 through 2040. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2017
WITTMANN – RHEINESSEN
2017 Wittmann Aulerde Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $124
Lavish yellow fruit, including some almost overripe pineapple. This just avoids tipping into opulence; there’s healthy acidity and that lifts this monster dry riesling at the bold, herbal finish. From almost 70 year old vines. Biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Drink or hold. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Wittmann Kirchspiel Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $149
Very complex, herbal nose, the fruity notes way in the background. Really concentrated but also super-elegant with a fine-grained texture that’s unlike any other Wittmann GG. Exceptionally long finish with intense chalky character. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Great aging potential. Drink or hold. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 Wittmann Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $177
MAGNUM RRP $372
Anything but a fruit bomb, this has gigantic herbal intensity on the nose, then literally breathtaking concentration on the palate and a finish of crystalline purity – words more often used to describe the much sleeker wines from the Mosel. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Gigantic aging potential, but you can certainly drink it now. 98 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
A. CHRISTMANN – PFALZ
2017 A. Christmann Reiterpfad-Hofstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $140
A fabulous GG to drink now, thanks to an exotic-fruit character that’s totally ripe yet so delicate, the succulence not a jot too much. Great balance through the long, very polished finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Drink or hold. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2017 A. Christmann Idig Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $149
MAGNUM RRP $319
Welcome to the dry-riesling deep end. However, you’ll need some patience, if you want to experience 
this greatness to the full. Descriptors like mirabelle and apricot only hint at what this gentle giant has to offer. Enormously long, hyper-mineral finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Respekt certified. Better from 2019. 99 points. Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com September 2018
2016 A. Christmann Idig Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $149
The delicious paradox of this great dry riesling is the way it is built on an imposing scale, but is very pureand super straight without any hint of heaviness, even on the very long powerful finish. You’ll need to be patient for at least a couple of years if you want to experience all the subtle nuances, but the ripe mirabelle note is already delightful. At least thirty years of ageing potential. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, jamesuckling.com December 2017
KOEHLER –RUPRECHT – PFALZ
2016 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken RRP $114
This wine’s 12.5% alcohol (at analytically nearly complete dryness) reflects virtually the highest achievable must weights for Koehler-Ruprecht in this vintage – barely crossing the legal threshold for Auslese – and very little fruit reached that point. Alkaline and saline sea breeze, smoky marjoram, pungent lemon zest and corn shoots with high-toned evocations of sour mash, gentian distillate and mothball make for a head-turning aromatic display. The silken, almost custardy palate brims with bright fresh lemon, sweet corn and white peach while perpetuating haunting florality. But the overwhelming and striking palate impression is of a multifaceted mineral suffusion and protein-rich savour, featuring Chablis-like suggestions of sweat, oyster liquor, chicken stock, chalk dust, and invigorating piquancy of lemon seed. This shakes up your entire mouth and milks your salivary glands. Good luck resisting the next sip, or indeed cellaring and then trying to keep your corkscrew away from sufficient bottles to insure that you enjoy at least some of them in what is sure to be an even more glorious maturity. This bottling is set to go on sale in September 2018. It’s hardly a coincidence that few dry Pfalz Rieslings today quite measure up to either the best of those being rendered by Sona and Schmitt, or the minuscule quantities of Riesling from this same site being bottled by Sona’s former boss and Koehler-Ruprecht proprietor Bernd Philippi. 95 points. David Schildknecht, Vinous Media June 2018
2009 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken ‘R’ RRP $143
This bottling has been out for nearly two years but I have noticed some still on the market, and it is showing too impressively today not to advertise its virtues with an updated tasting note. A high-toned nose mingles corn shoot, sour mash, kirsch, mothball, fresh ginger and distilled floral essences. The silky palate displays a subtly sweet sense of sheer ripeness despite analytical dryness, with hauntingly floral inner-mouth perfume and forest floor undertones that act like a plush carpet of moss over which plays a kaleidoscopic display of floral, fruity, spicy, subtly peaty and otherwise multifacetedly mineral elements. Incidentally, the starting point here was not significantly higher in must weight than were the grapes for two dry 2009 Spätlesen, so the designation “Auslese” was chosen entirely based on the wine’s personality and its (correctly!) perceived aging potential. 95 points. David Schildknecht, Vinous Media May 2016
