2017 Weingut Von Winning, Riesling Trocken, Forst Pechstein, VDP Grosses Gewächs, Pfalz, Germany.
I was curiously surprised by the evolution and very mature form of this Pechstein GG by Von Winning, with its amber/gold hue in the glass, but the palate was gorgeous and silken, though still lively and mineral toned with classic Von Winning depth, showing off loads of peach, honeydew melon, lemon curd, mango and apple butter, along with wet stone, saline, chamomile, dry honeycomb and rose oil accents. Leesy and lush on the medium/full palate this 2017 has some commonality with serious Grand Cru white Burgundy wines with the oak framing and almost creamy mouth feel, without losing its Riesling character, it makes for an interesting study in style, for a GG, with the maturity so present and the luxuriousness of the stage it is in. I think the vintage is making for this early evolution here and I would definitely suggest those that have this wine to drink them sooner versus later. The Pfalz’s Pechstein Grand Cru (Grosse Lage), with its rolling slopes and ripe southern exposure, is set on a series of complex soils including sandy clay, löss, loam, over limestone, basalt, and sandstone all of which add to the wine’s glorious density, palate impact and regal presence. The winery explains that back in the 1800s, basalt from the nearby quarry was brought into the vineyard and then it was plowed into the soil to as way to improve it, resulting in a very distinctive vineyard.
The Weingut Von Winning, as I’ve mentioned here in my many reviews of their fabulous wines, was founded in 1849, by Leopold Von Winning, but saw its most important evolution under Dr. Andreas Deinhard, with his commitment to excellence, the Deinhard’s were also a founding members of the VDP, which focused on single cru sites, like those in Von Winning’s holdings in Ruppertsberg, Deidesheim, and Forst, where Pechstein is. Cellar master Stephan Attmann’s approach to wine growing and winemaking have helped revolutionize the wines here, taking his inspiration for the Côte d’Or, with Attmann adopting the single cane trellising system, as his importer Skurnik Wines notes, is prevalent in Burgundy. The Von Winning Grosses Gewächs Rieslings are fermented and lees aged for close to 24 months in 500L French oak, which leads to the texture and depth in these stunning wines. To achieve this stunning level of quality and concentration the Von Winning estate practices organic and sustainable viticulture in all of their parcels of vines and they employ a minimalist approach in the cellar with Sponti or natural yeast fermentations and the wine is only moved with gravity flow, with only gentle handing of the grapes and wines. The Von Winning wines all deliver purity, complexity and tension when young and opulent richness, sensuality and elegance with age, as seen here. Again, I’m grateful to my friend Alex Lallos, of No Limit Fine Wines, for digging around in his cellar and coming up with this one, by one of my favorite producers, it is always a huge treat to drink these Grosses Gewächs.
($99 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive