Winemaker Notes
Melange, as the name implies, is a blend of Rieslings from various vineyard sites around Kiedrich, Eltville and Hattenheim, The vineyard soil types are also a melange: sandy loess / loam with quartzite as well as riverbed sediments with pebbles. Spontaneous fermentation followed by ten months on the lees. 100% stainless steel tank. Notes of peach, apricot and mirabelle, with a crystalline, dry finish.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Deep, cool and delicately earthy, this is a very concentrated dry riesling for the 2020 vintage, and is a very classic example of the central section of the region. At once creamy and highly structured, it has fantastic balance on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Vegan. Drink or hold.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Rheingau Riesling Trocken Mélange blends the fruit from the Eltviller Langenstück and Kalbspflicht and opens with intense, perfectly ripe and juicy fruit aromas intertwined with delicate slate and lemon aromas. Silky, lush and persistently salty on the palate, this is a full-bodied, lush and intense, very complex and sustainably structured Riesling with persistent salinity and mineral length. This is a great wine to be served from a big glass when young. Aeration will help to dive deeper into the layered dimensions of the 2020 Mélange. 13% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted from AP 9 21 in November 2021.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Practically one long and bucolic hillside along the northern bank of the Rhein River, the Rheingau stretches the entirety of the river’s east to west spread from Hocheim to Rüdesheim.
Variations in elevation, soil types, and proximity to the Rhine cause great diversity in Rheingau Riesling. Some of the better Rieslings in warmer years come from the cooler and breezier sites at higher elevations. In cooler years, sites closer to the river may perform better.
In the village of Rüdesheim, slopes are steep and soils are stony slate with quartzite; Rieslings are rich and spicy, intense in stone fruit and show depth and character with age. World class Rieslings come from farther east on the river through Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and past Erbach as well, where soils of loess, sand, and marl alternate. Long-living, floral-driven and mineral-rich Rieslings come from the best of these sites.
Rheingau growers became early activists in promoting the dry style of Riesling, low yields and the classification of top vineyards, or Erstes Gewächs (first growths). Proximity to the metropolitan markets of Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt keeps Rheingau in high reputation. While dry wines are the style here, Rheingau isn’t short of some amazing Auslesen, Beerenauslesen, and Trockenbeerenauslesen.
Rheingau doesn’t mess with many other grapes—in fact 79% of its total area is dedicated to Riesling. But it produces some fine Pinot noir, especially concentrated in Assmannshausen, a bit farther west from Rüdesheim.