Winemaker Notes
One of the three grand cru Rieslings made at Gunderloch (Hipping, Pettenthal, Rothenberg). The Pettenthal site has sandier soils and smaller rocks than Rothenberg with a deep topsoil. The wine is 100% aged in 600L neutral barrels, a welcome trend at this estate in the last few years. Indeed, this wine is a prime example of the new and exciting direction in which Johannes is taking this estate--more work in the vineyard and less in the cellar, natural fermentations, more relaxed character in the wines, lighter structures and more transparency overall.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Riesling trocken Pettenthal GG opens with a generous and intense yet pure, flinty, terroir-driven nose of ripe fruit that is still cool and Riesling-ish. Round and intense on the palate, this is a dense, juicy, well-structured and linear dry Riesling with serious grip and mineral freshness. It has an intense and persistently salty finish. Ascetic style. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted in May 2020.
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Wine Spectator
A lean, graceful and savory style, with notes of tarragon and sea salt framing the core of subtle quince, peach and lime flavors. Electric and precise, this emphasizes the silky texture and minerality. Needs a few years. Best from 2023 through 2032.
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.
