Two things stand out when you look at the results of the 70 or so Lembergers we tasted over the last few months.
First, the high average quality: only a good handful of wines are not at least very good, we did not even have a really weak
Lemberger in the sample last year. Even against the background that we concentrate on the more demanding wineries when inviting them to tastings, this is extremely good news.
German Wine Institute (DWI)
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But a second finding is also interesting: the nominal top wines are by no means always better than the basic or mid-range versions. It is true that at the top of our list are indeed the flagship wines of the best producers, but behind them the hierarchy of claim and price dissolves relatively quickly.
There are two reasons for this. On the one hand, Lemberger can give considerable pleasure even in simpler versions thanks to crisp fruit, freshness and bite, if the winemaker has the right touch. On the other hand, the ambition of many producers to create a particularly impressive wine leads time and again to Lembergers that, while boasting power and substance, lack freshness, juiciness and above all the necessary finesse that distinguishes a very good wine from a first-class one. This is all the more true as the alcohol content rises. Even though Lemberger is generally more robust than, say, Pinot Noir, 14% and more is too much in most cases.
As always, we present the best results here and as PDF presented. Links to all wines with detailed descriptions as well as to their producers can be found by clicking on the vintage headings.
- 88WP Lassak
- 88WP Häder, Haidle
- 87WP Fellbach "Old Vines", Aldinger
- 92WP Mönchberg Gehrnhalde GG, Karl Haidle
- 92WP Herrenberg GG "Spermen R", Seeger
- 91WP Mönchberg Berge GG, Karl Haidle
- 90WP Lämmler GG, Aldinger
- 90WP Lämmler GG, Heid
- 90WP Michaelsberg GG, Ernst Dautel
- 90WP Ruthe GG, Count Neipperg
- 90WP Lämmler GG, Rainer Schnaitmann
- 90WP Altenberg, Knauß
- 89WP Berg GG, Jürgen Ellwanger
- 88WP Herzogenberg GG, Wöhrwag
- 88WP Goldberg, Heid
- 88WP Bönnigheim "Gipskeuper", Ernst Dautel
- 88WP Mönchberg GG, Duke of Württemberg
- 88WP Heller Berg "G", Roth
- 87+WP Lassak
- 87WP Berg, Aldinger
- 87WP Nierstein, St. Antony
- 87WP Herzogenberg, Wöhrwag
- 87WP Verrenberg GG, Prince Hohenlohe-Öhringen
- 87WP Stein "R", Bürgerspital
- 87WP Pfaffenhofen "Felix", Wachtstetter
- 90WP Roter Berg, Count von Bentzel-Sturmfeder
- 89WP Lionheart, G.A. Heinrich
- 89WP Spitzenberg GG, Wachtstetter
- 89WP Altenberg, Knauß
- 88WP Wartberg GG "Sonnenstrahl", Kistenmacher-Hengerer
- 88WP Lämmler GG, Fellbacher Weingärtner
- 88WP Lämmler "Edition P", Fellbacher Weingärtner
- 88WP Stein "R", Bürgerspital
- 88WP Kiliansberg, Patrician Court - Grebner
- 88WP Hohenberg "Ernst Combé", Wachtstetter
- 88WP Oberer Berg GG "The Black Lion", Count Adelmann
- 87WP Schlosswengert GG, Hohenbeilstein Castle Estate
- 87WP Goldberg "Edition P", Fellbacher Weingärtner
- 87WP Wachtkopf **, Steinbachhof
- 87WP Verrenberg, Prince Hohenlohe-Öhringen
- 87WP Eilfingerber GG, Duke of Württemberg
- 87WP Stiftsberg, Kistenmacher-Hengerer
- 87WP Stiftsberg "G.A.", G.A. Heinrich
- 87WP Held, Fork
- 87WP Wachtkopf ***, Steinbachhof
- 87WP Neipperg, Count Neipperg