2022 Weingut Georg Breuer, Riesling Trocken, Pfaffenwies, Lorch, Rheingau, Germany.
Theresa Breuer’s all new Lorch project is getting off to a very successful start and her gorgeous ’22 Pfaffenwies cru Riesling is proof positive, this is divine dry Riesling with nuance and transparent terroir distinction, showing off a crisp/steely delicacy with bright fruit intensity, crystalline mineral focus and a sultry earthiness in a youthfully fresh medium bodied effort. The Pfaffenwies revolves around a core of white peach, citrusy lime, quince and tart green apple fruits, along with flinty stone, a mix of spices, verbena, subtle rosewater and lemon oil accents, making this slightly austere wine finely balanced and profound on the racy palate. The Lorcher Pfaffenwies vineyard, in the most western part of the Rheingau, is of Grosse Lage quality site set on Stony Hunsrück slate and Taunus quartzite soils with deep loess in the lower slopes, making unique and different from Breuer’s other terroirs. As noted before, the Breuer’s were some of the first to promote a dry style of Rheingau Rieslings and believed that the Rheingau was perfectly suited to producing very fine, elegant and flavorful dry Rieslings. Today’s generation, Theresa Breuer is a superstar in the region and works exclusively with organic methods, and she believes physiological and “aroma ripeness” are more important than must weight and the grapes are picked when Theresa and her team feel the fruit is perfect. She adds that botrytis is avoided, with a majority of the wine production being dry. Her fermentations are natural or started with pied de cuve from the vineyard sites, and élevage, as seen here, is done in large used barrels with some stainless percentage depending on the vintage, and she uses a mix of barrel and steel for the entry level Estate wines. Breuer does mainly Riesling, with the Rüdesheimer Berg Grand Crus being my favorites, which I also have had the privilege to hike through on a few occasions, especially their Schlossberg section overlooking the Rhein.

I have twice now spent time here, in Rüdesheim, back in 2009 and more recently at harvest time in 2016, and both visits included tasting with the Breuer’s (at the old cellars) in downtown Rüdesheim, unforgettable experiences, since I have long been a fan of this historic winery, which was originally founded back in 1880 and I admire the direction Theresa Breuer has taken the Georg Breuer label. Theresa has taken a more holistic approach in the vineyards and in the cellar, while continuing to be faithful to her late father’s vision. Bernhard Breuer, who, as the winery notes, was one of the key members of Charta, an organization formed to promote a drier style of Rheingau wine, sadly died way too young, but his legacy is alive and well with Theresa’s own talents honoring him. She has taken her dad’s ideas to heart (and next level) and has been raising the quality here with each vintage, through grit, hard work and natural practices in the vineyards and a gentle hand in the cellar. Bernhard was a huge proponent of this GG style of wine, and believed that the Rheingau was perfectly suited to producing very fine, single site, elegant and flavorful dry Reislings. The fermentation(s) as noted above, are old school and natural or started with pied de cuve, basket ferments in the individual vineyards, with fermentation and élevage being done in large used barrels for the top wines such as the Monopole Nonnenberg, Rottland, Roseneck, the outrageously good Schlossberg and this new GG quality bottling from Lorch. Again, as I’ve said before, there is a raw sex appeal and a compelling natural life force to Theresa’s wines and I seem to be more and more drawn to them when given the chance, I highly recommend these Georg Breuer wines. I was excited to try the latest collection recently in San Francisco, with an interesting selected for the US West Coast Skurnik tour stop, all of which were delicious, with Breuer’s Lorch offerings, which I had not tried before, being impressive standouts!
($100 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive

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