2014 Weingut von Winning, Riesling, Langenmorgen, Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz, Germany.
The von Winning Grand Crus are some of the finest and most exotic white wines in the world, and while 2014 isn’t the greatest vintage, it shows the strength and talent in grape growing and winemaking, these barrel samples are showing amazing delicacy and finesse, not the usual tour de force and give more elegance, a feature of the 2014 vintage. The 2014 Langenmorgen Grosses Gewachs Trocken starts with graceful detail and light perfume, white flowers and yellow roses lead the way with soft brioche, toast and vivid citrus in this pale Riesling, being a cask sample, it still is a bit shy, but with a bit of coaxing the Langenmorgen opens are unveils it’s inner soul and complexity with vibrant lime, lemon peel, pineapple, pear and kumquat fruits, a hint of leesy richness and subtle wood smokiness. This wine is heaven, briskly focused and has a nice play of salty/brine, fruit and wet stones along with potential textural sensations in the future, I can’t wait to try this again in a few years time. There is plenty of acidity and charm here in this gorgeous wine by von Winning’s Stephan Attmann, he is probably one of the world’s best winemakers and his work on the 2011, 2012, 2013 and even these 2014’s show why, the man is a gifted talent, inspired by the greats in Burgundy he has transformed what can be achieved with dry Riesling! The von Winning lineup is strong throughout, especially great are the Sauvignon Blancs, the basic dry and off dry Rieslings, their Pinot Noir and of course the Grosses Gewachs from Deidesheim in Germany’s Pfalz region. The Langenmorgen really stood out in the samples of the Grand Crus, though I expect the others to develop into fantastic wines as well with more time, these glorious expressions of dry Rieslings highlight the sandstone, loam and limestone soils, that again are more in tune with Burgundy then the slate of the Mosel, Rheingau or the Nahe. I highly recommend searching out the 2012’s which are still out there, especially to drink sooner, and let the 2013 and 2014 wines have a bit more time to grow and fill out, though if you like Grand Cru Chablis or nervy Meursault or Puligny, you should secure some of these 2014 von Winning Grosses Gewachs, with less obvious oak and with more steely/mineral elements these wines look to be thrilling in another few years. The Langenmorgen GG most likely will be released in the new year, so make note, and it should be a quick sell out, as these wines gain notoriety, drink the 2014 from 2016 to 2028, it is a ways from being it’s best, but it is certainly a very impressive and special Riesling of class and refinement.
($72 Est.) 93+ Points, grapelive
