Winemaker Notes
The Westhofener Riesling bears the new VDP Rheinhessen designation, “Aus Ersten Lagen,” which simply means “from premier cru vineyards.” This is analogous to the Burgundian use of “Premier Cru,” without vineyard designation, when the wine is a blend of two or more climats. These wines may also contain declassified fruit from grand cru sites, however, which is exactly the case with the Westhofener. This wine was selected from maturing parcels (15 years or older) in the Morstein and Brunnenhäuschen vineyards, both of which are classified as Grosse Lage.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Serious concentration of impeccably ripe peachy fruit, plus great finesse make this a standout in this category. Rolls over the palate with great mineral drive, yet remains impeccably balanced. A starburst of chalky minerality at the very long finish. Mostly from the Morstein GG site with a small amount of wine from the Brunnenhauschen GG site. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Vegan. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of Morstein satellites and younger vines (six plots), as well as Brunnenhäuschen and Aulerde (one plot each), the 2021 Westhofener Riesling "1G" offers a dense and intense, saline and flinty bouquet of ripe Riesling fruit with notes of crushed rocks and Amalfi lemons. Silky, lush and savory on the palate, with lingering lemon juice notes, this is a compact and tensioned, very elegant, pure and saline Riesling that can easily compete with so many Grosses Gewächs Rieslings in Germany this year. It is a stunning wine with salinity, lovely grip and tension, but it's already accessible. A Must Have.
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Wine Spectator
A great example of the dry style, with impressive richness, this brims with savory and ripe fruit power in perfect union, featuring persimmon and apple punctuated by smoke, wet slate and dried herbs. Creamy on the concentrated palate, with earthy undertones and white mocha notes adding richness, while citrusy acidity drives length. Beautiful.
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.
