News — Riesling

Stein "Ohne" Library Releases

There are two key differences in the bottlings. The regular "Ohne" is picked earlier and aged in old Fuder. The "Ohne" Heinrich is picked later, representing the top selections, and is aged in smaller barrels.

Overnoy and the Mosel:
Stein's Amazing Ohne Sekt Reserve

This is a wildly complex sparkling Riesling, profoundly deep and layered. It has notes of candied ginger, apple skins, brioche, almond skins, and savory herbal, soil, and mineral notes.

Lauer GG:
The Saar in Technicolor

For the collector new to dry Riesling, these are both simply benchmark wines. For the purist, there is almost nothing these wines don’t have. For reasons that are honestly unclear to most savvy buyers in the know, Lauer's Grand Crus can be had at prices that are more than reasonable.

"Spätlese does not get better than this"
2021 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Spätlese

Müller crafts the most consistently magical Rieslings on the planet.

“Who would have known that such a hot and dry vintage could lead to such beautifully ethereal and balanced wines?"
2022 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett

Like many of the best 2022 Germans, Schaefer's collection defies expectations. In this warm year, Schaefer's wines are nimble and brilliant. 

The Grand Sequel
2022 Lauer Schonfels Kabinett

It's a deadly steep, cliff-vineyard with 100-year-old ungrafted vines (some of the oldest in this famous valley) battered by cold winds.

Egon Müller:
From QbA to TBA

Müller takes Riesling to an undeniably world-class level.

Reassessing Alsace:
2021 La Rogerie Alsace Riesling Villages

Their 2021 Riesling Villages is gorgeous. It offers up a really fascinating agility backed by driving, textural, and almost chalky minerality. There's a pristine presentation of stone fruits and floral tones that adds a vapor-like quality.

2019 Keller Abtserde Grosses Gewächs

The 2019 Abtserde GG boasts a mind-boggling combination of concentration and laser-like focus and cut. There are few wines around that cover such a range, and even fewer that do so with a comparable grace and harmony. 

Watershed Vintage
2021 Schäfer-Fröhlich Felsenberg Grosses Gewächs

Tim Fröhlich makes some of Germany's best dry wines.

The Inexplicable Deal of the Auctions
2021 Lauer Kabinett Auction

Lauer's absolutely fierce Auction Kabinett - always one of our favorites and very much an insider's wine - was one of the few to trade at a very reasonable price.

"The potential is huge"
2019 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Grosse Lage

The 2019 Himmelreich Grosse Lage is absolutely gorgeous. It boasts outrageous clarity with an intense yet ultra-fine expression 

Wine of the Year #1 - Joe's Pick
2020 Stein Riesling Palmberg Kabinett Trocken

There's no way to adequately capture the importance of Ulli's wines. In a world where striving for greatness seems most important, these wines work on an entirely different and more humble wavelength. When Ulli hits the mark, there's something beautifully and quietly persuasive about the wines. The 2020 Palmberg Kabinett Trocken is an excellent example of this.

Baby "Grand Cru"
2020 Keller Riesling QbA Von Der Fels Trocken

Utter Brilliance:
2020 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Spätlese

It's hard not to be in awe of Egon Müller. From his Scharzhofberg vineyard, Müller crafts the most consistently magical Rieslings on the planet.

Hitting the Bulls-Eye:
2018 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spätlese #5

They are a historic benchmark and loved by every Riesling fan that we've met. However, in recent vintages, the quality has really shown just what a world-class estate this is. 

"Baby" Grand Cru Steal:
2019 Emrich-Schönleber "Mineral" Trocken

Along with bottlings like Keller's "von der Fels" or Lauer's "Senior," it's a wine with an undeniable Grand Cru pedigree. It is, by all standards, simply a declassified Grand Cru.

The Godfather of Dry
2018 J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Auslese Trocken

Since 1971, Hans-Josef Becker has been crafting incisive, dry Rieslings with an uncompromising, at times almost ruthless, presentation of citrus and mineral.

"No stone should be left unturned... "
2019 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spätlese #10

Schaefer's 2019s seem destined to join the best vintages that this great estate produced over the past few decades.

Ultra Cool Climate:
2019 Lauer Riesling "Fass 4"

Lauer is most famous for his wines sourced from the Grand Cru "Kupp" Vineyard, a site equal to any in the Saar or Mosel. Yet, tucked behind Lauer's village of Ayl are two cooler sites, the Scheidterberg and the Rauberg. These are sites that shape wines of shocking electricity.

2019 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Kabinett

Ellergrub is Weiser-Künstler's top site.

"Truly remarkable wine"
2019 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spätlese #5

This is simply a don't miss vintage for Schaefer. Even judged by their superlative track record over many decades, the 2019s are stunning.

"A stunning expression of airy dry Mosel Riesling"
2018 Willi Schaefer Himmelreich Grosses Gewächs

Schaefer's 2018s are absolutely stunning. They leap out as among the best examples of the vintage. The Himmelreich GG has blazing minerality with a pristine expression. 

Indescribable Magic:
2017 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Auslese Half-Bottles & 750s

Line up the top wines of the world, toss an Egon Müller into the mix and watch people's eyes light up when the Müller comes around the table.