2022 Weingut Von Winning, Riesling Trocken, Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad, VDP Erste Gewächs, Pfalz, Germany.
These Von Winning wines are some of the best dry wines in Germany and their 2022s are next level, especially the cru Riesling bottlings and in particular this gorgeous Reiterpfad Erste Gewächs (Premier Cru), which again is stunningly impressive and an incredible value in this lineup of stars. This aromatic and beautifully mineral driven crisply dry Riesling is pulsating and electric on the palate, but still vinos and generous with a well rounded medium bodied feel, highlighting the depth of this vintage, this wine is every bit a GG in presence and underlying structure. I was thrilled to try this wine with winemaker Stephan Attmann recently in San Francisco at their west coast importer, Skurnik, tour event, and even though it was up against the top GGs, this Reiterpfad 1er Cru really shined and should continue to develop over the next 5 to 10 years! AS per normal, this steely Reiterpfad was fermented with native yeast in wood casks, as feels, as it usually does, like a Premier Cru Chablis, but with pure Riesling varietal character, delivering lime blossom, tangerine, green apple, quince, lemony marmalade, stone fruits, leaning on tangy apricot, along with lip smacking saline, wet rock, bitter almond, rosewater and chamomile notes. The pale gold Reiterspfad saw a spontaneous fermentation or Sponti in used 500L barrels and was left on the gross lees for a full 12 months. Everything is heightened in this vintage and I would certainly suggest stocking up on these very distinctive, powerful and crystalline Von Winning wines!
The Reiterspfad name came about, according to legend, from when the ancient Roman legions and their cavalry passed through this area, with “Reiter” = rider and “Pfad” = path and is located at the foot of the Haardt in Ruppertsberg, it is one of von Winning’s best premier crus. As mentioned in my last review of this wine, the Ruppertsberg Reiterpfad Vineyard is a VDP Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) site, but this Reiterpfad is labelled as Erste Lage, and it is set on sandy loam, red sandstone, limestone soils, making it a gateway wine to the mighty Grosses Gewächs in the Weingut Von Winning collection and it is an exceptional value. Von Winning’s Stephan Attmann, who was very influenced by Burgundy, treats his Riesling in rather the same way as the French do in the Côte d’Or and uses a minimalist approach in the cellar and gentle vinifications, employing stainless steel for the village bottlings, while the Premier and Grand Crus see natural fermentation and lees aging in oak, with the top wines seeing 500L French barrels, as this Reiterpfad saw. Von Winning’s lineup, all of which I recommend, has thrills from top to bottom, but the two wines that bargain hunters and Riesling enthusiasts should chase down are this one and the Paradiesgarten Trocken. Back to the Reiterspfad Erste Gewächs, as it opens, it becomes even more striking and familiar too, with subtle exotic tropical essence in the background there and that terroir chalkiness from the Pfalz soils, as well as its delicate white flower perfume, making for a sublime Riesling that is all about class and majesty in the glass even now. I’ve been a serious follower of Von Winning for more than decade now, and was originally turned on to them by Terry Theise who introduced me to their amazing dry Rieslings, and later to their mind-blowing Sauvignon Blancs as well, if you’ve not tried these wines, you best do so soon, they should not be missed.
($38 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive