2018 Weingut Korrell Johanneshof, Riesling Estate Trocken, Nahe, Germany -photo grapelive

2018 Weingut Korrell Johanneshof, Riesling Estate Trocken, Nahe, Germany.
Based in the Bad Kreuznach-Bosenheim area of the Nahe River Valley, Korrell is one of the breakout stars to just hit the American wine scene and the latest set of wines are gorgeous terroir driven efforts, including this village level dry Riesling which is exceptionally pure, perfumed and exciting. This 2018 is quite impressive for an entry level, making it a fantastic value, it really drinks above its price class with an exotic bouquet of rosewater, orange blossom and verbena and a crystalline and crisp medium bodied palate that shows a cascade of ripe and expressive fruits that are balanced superbly with a steely mineral focus, zesty acidity and a mouth watering saline element that recharges the senses. Martin Korrell, winegrower at this ambitious and innovative estate, and the Nahe has a diverse set of soils to work with from volcanic to slate as well as quartz and gravel to chose from, plus Korrell has their prized single vineyard monopole Paradies cru set on mineral intense clay and fossilized limestone, which is his family’s flagship site that produces Riesling that rival Burgundy for textural richness and greatness of dry impact and concentration! The Korrell family, which as Spanish roots, has been practicing viticulture for the better part of 250 years, and the estate in the Nahe has been around since 1832, with Wilfried Korrell in 1967 converting it to all wine focus, and now run by Martin and Britta Korrell, who are the sixth generation and are the ones that have raised it to the level it is now. They built a new press house and modern winery in 2011 and farm 26 hectares of vines that include Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Silvaner, Muskateller and Scheurebe as well as the red grapes, Pinot Noir, Frühburgunder, Portugieser and Dornfelder.

Each wine from Korrell seems like a personal expression, and Martin joins a long list of stellar producers here from superstars like Schlossgut Diel to Donnhoff, as well as Gut Hermannsberg, Kruger-Rumpf and Schäfer-Fröhlich in making some of the Nahe’s best examples of Riesling. While under the radar until recently, Korrell like Harald Hexamer, also in the Nahe, have taken a while to get discovered in America, but the wines speak for themselves and now are getting well deserved attention. Of what is imported now, be sure to explore the signature Paradies Riesling, the Von Den Grossen Lagen (a special cuvee of dry Riesling lots from all VDP Grosse Lage sites) and this Estate Trocken that is a fabulous starting wine to get an insight into the quality here, plus there is a tiny bit of Eiswein and an award winning Sparkling Sekt to be found. This 2018 Trocken, which saw fermentation in steel tanks, is hard to resist with its clear and precise layers of mix of stone fruit and citrus leaning on brisk apricot, white cherry, melon, tangerine and mango along with a touch of bitter herb, wet rock, a dusting of spice and hint of creamy lees. Refreshing and bright, this is style that goes great with mildly spicy food, cured meats and lighter fare and at 12.5% natural alcohol it has plenty of extract and substance to chew on, like a baby GG. This vintage is one where the regional or village basic wines really excelled and there are a ton of cheap thrills to be had, these are serious quality for reasonable prices, so stock up, with this Korrell Trocken being a good target.
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive

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