Winemaker Notes
The age-worthy Riesling wines from this prime section of the Haardt Bürgergarten are characterized by the optimal balance between a concentrated Riesling fruit, lingering minerality, a delicate elegance and an elaborately interwoven, long finish - Riesling to perfection.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Still extremely youthful, this 2021 riesling GG is going to take a while to come out of its shell. However, the combination of concentrated citrusy fruit and fresh herb finesse is already very apparent. Bone dry, but beautifully balanced and polished at the very long finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2024.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Catoir's Haardter Riesling 2021 Bürgergarten "Im Breumel" GG VDP. Grosse Lage opens with a deep, clear and aromatic yet also elegant, pure, refined and complex bouquet of ripe and juicy fruits intermingled with iodine and even some flinty notes. Juicy, round and savory on the palate, with animating saline and grippy minerality, this is a dense, tight and structured dry Breumel Riesling that shouldn't be on sale at this early stage since the very best is still to come here. The wine was still very young at the GG tasting in Wiesbaden in August when it showed a good yet still robust finish, but it was only slightly more open and refined in December this year. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork stopper. Rating: 94+
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.
This sunny and relatively dry region served for many years as a German tourist mecca and was associated with low cost, cheerful wines. But since the 1980s, it has gained a reputation as one of Germany’s more innovative regions, which has led to increased international demand.