The wineries Rebholz, Christmann, and Wittmann hold a ten-year exhibition of dry Great Growths from their respective top sites Kastanienbusch, Idig, and Morstein every five years. wein.plus was present at the memorable tasting.
This year, the tasting took place in ideal late summer weather at the Wittmann winery in Westhofen, which, despite its impressive size, had just enough space to accommodate merchants, journalists, and wine critics from around the world who wanted to participate in this memorable tasting.
Although the wineries presented their wines one after the other, meaning that the respective vintages could not be tasted side by side, most of them showed striking similarities in terms of their development state, current drinking maturity, and, despite all stylistic differences, their character.
The wines from the 2014 vintage are currently showing at their best. While they are rarely as profound and complex as in truly great vintages, their juiciness, liveliness, and invigorating play make them delightful to drink right now. The same goes for the 2016s, which also rarely reach the class of top years but are simply enjoyable now – and in the case of these three wines, truly excellent. The cool 2021s are also very inviting already. They are generally slimmer and lighter and are likely to develop faster than the best vintages, but they can be wonderfully enjoyed until they are fully matured. And who knows if it wasn't the last cool, slender vintage that lovers of this style will get to experience.
There are also certain similarities among the warm and rather dry years 2015, 2018, and 2020. Particularly 2018, and even more so 2020, exhibit the striking phenolics of a very dry weather pattern. In contrast, 2015 produced wines that, with their depth, warmth, inner calm, and sometimes massive mineral foundation, may not win over all hearts of hardcore Riesling enthusiasts fixated on acidity and fruity freshness.
However, they will probably still belong to the great wines of the world even when younger wines are long on the decline. But the 2018s, which are already very pleasing with their grip, firm structure, and complex, rather dark spice, are unlikely to throw in the towel anytime soon. The 2020s, on the other hand, seem to be closing up; it remains to be seen when and how they will reveal themselves.
2017 stands somewhat in between. Not only do the greatest qualitative differences between the wines show in this vintage, but they also fluctuate between warmth and coolness, tension and softness, sweetness and bitter elements. All show early, moderate signs of maturity.
The opposite is true for the 2019s, which are all quite closed. Sometimes they are so aloof that it is hard to tell what they will become, while others already show today what monuments they will be. One should definitely not touch any of them right now.
The 2022s will almost never become monuments. The vintage is one of the weakest of the past 20 years. Many wines lack the structure and tension for true greatness, and the fruit often comes across as soft and quite yellow, at least if not consciously harvested particularly early. In general, they are likely to develop rather quickly. But there are exceptions, and the 22s tasted here all count among them. Especially the Morstein has an inner strength, tension, and energy that one would not attribute to this vintage at all. No better wines were produced in 2022. The 2023 has similar key data as its predecessor regarding the weather pattern, only it did rain here in the summer. This additional water supply is evident in the wines, which are mostly significantly more tension-filled, complex, deeper, and at the same time finer than their one-year-older siblings.
Since such events inevitably cannot provide the conditions for a final evaluation, I will refrain from exact point ratings and instead use a rough classification by stars as follows:
Extremely firm, dense, deep, and complex, ripe-juicy, grippy, smoky, with plenty of dark minerality, a concentration that makes one almost believe one can chew it, full of energy, long, magnificent! Will be able to age for a very long time.
Still slightly smoky, with a tobacco note, yellower in fruit and spice than the 2023, not quite as concentrated, but bitter, firm, with bite, again darker, rockier minerality, phenolic grip, and a certain power. In the context of the vintage, really very good, but probably better to drink in this decade than in the next.
Firm, cool, and bitter, rather slender, alongside bright fruit also with green-vegetal tones, has plenty of acidity and pronounced phenolics that integrate well with warmth and air, gaining juiciness and depth, here too the typical dark, rocky minerality, fine plant bitterness, also cool and firm in the finish. Should also taste better in five years than in ten.
Powerful, grippy, and with much dried-vegetal to tobacco spice, minerality, and pronounced phenolics that assert themselves even more against the juicy fruit with air; seems to be closing up. Not a completely certain prognosis; only touch again in three years.
Completely closed, dense, bitter, phenolic, shows some warmth, but hardly any fruit, dark mineral background, certain acidity tension, hinted depth, in the finish bitter, mineral, and again phenolic. Any potential greatness here is only to be guessed; definitely wait.
Powerful, dense, and bitter-juicy, with some warmth, much phenolic grip and dried-vegetal to tobacco spice, earthy-stony on the palate, plenty of mineral energy, long with pressure. A splendid 2018; slowly starting to taste good and could turn out to be great in the end.
Shows first development, initially appears rather cool, but over time also gains warm elements, ripe-juicy, slightly sweet, with candy notes, yellow and tobacco spice, smoke, stony tones, and mineral energy. Improves further with air.
Slightly developed, rather slender, with floral and waxy tones, moderate melt, crumbly tannins, and stony-salty minerality, in the background a bit of tobacco and earth, but overall brighter than its predecessors, good length. Very nice to drink now and in the coming years.
Dense, bitter, and complex, with smoke, herbs, tobacco, and nuts, ripe, yet rather slender fruit, fine acidity marbling, depth, and enormous mineral foundation; ends long, albeit with a slight nut shell bitterness. I apparently underestimated it quite a bit in its youth, which unfortunately often happens to me with the 2015s.
Juicy, but cool, with herbal-ethereal spice, bite, stony minerality, very slightly roasted nuances, delicately sweet melt, depth, and inner strength, has a bit of yellow spice in the background and above all intense minerality, long. In ideal condition, even better than when young.
Slender yet highly concentrated, with exceedingly noble fruit, fine complex spice, enormous depth, and intense, bright minerality; stunning in its presence and this rare blend of inner strength and lightness. Must and will age magnificently.
Unusually cool and bright for the year, with elegance, a certain melt, ripe juice, and moderate yellow spice of sesame and anise, behind it the typical chalky and slightly salty minerality. Like most 2022s, likely to be drinkable sooner rather than later.
Currently reluctant to speak, and when it does, it does so in a still smoky-reductive tone, while being taut, bitter-juicy, and full of tension. One knows that more is to come when one has tried it very young, but at the moment, one must search for it. Wait.
2020 is a bit stronger than 2021, yet slender and still quite closed. Smoky, dense, grippy, and cool, it appears very firm, with tension and depth, but the fruit is hardly showing at the moment, as the noticeable 2020 phenolics are currently taking the lead. Must continue to age.
A monument! Bitter, extremely concentrated, smoky, somewhat fatty, with complex spice, enormous minerality, power, and tension, it has for the first time those popcorn-like tones that we will encounter here more often. It leaves one speechless, but must absolutely still age a bit and could develop for a long time. One of the outstanding wines of the tasting.
Again very firm and concentrated, but with a bit more warmth, melt, and phenolic grip, a bit of yellow spice and tobacco on the palate, popcorn, much minerality, length. Will become even tighter and more tension-filled with air. Drinkable now, but still has potential for improvement.
On the one hand firm and bitter, but also with slightly buttery and caramel notes, plus smoke and fat, popcorn, herbal spice, and ethereal notes, the typical bright minerality and more melt than is usual for younger vintages. I have experienced it stronger before, perhaps just in a certain transitional phase. Wait another year or two.
The wine is excellent, but far from as great as I experienced it when young. Did I misjudge it, or is it just not in good form right now? The 2016 has plenty of juice, fine yellow and herbal spice, a bit of candy and melt, yet a firm structure, healthy acidity, and length. Only the minerality seems not to be as intense as expected, and delicate lacquer tones and a hinted bitterness are somewhat unsettling. I will probably have to delve into my cellar soon to clarify this with more time.
Here, I feel exactly the opposite: the wine is significantly stronger than I remember it. The aroma is just as I know it from back then: smoky, tobacco-like, slightly earthy, with hops and soup herbs, caramel, a bit of yellow spice, light exoticism, and a hint of butter. But the wine is so deeply mineral, radiating authority and inner calm, a self-evidence in its rather warm character that was not so impressive when young.
Cool and surprisingly fresh, dense, juicy, herbal, and slightly floral, with life and depth, partly yellow spice and pronounced minerality, perfectly balanced and long. Not the most complex wine of the series, but simply wonderful now.
Cool, very firm, deep, and bright, brilliant, pure-toned, multi-layered, vibrating with tension, enormously mineral – but currently still completely closed.
One of the few great 2022s: firm and fine at the same time, fresh, still slightly reductive, with ripe juice, yellow, but also peppery spice, power, depth, plenty of mineral energy, and length. One need not worry about the future.
Also, 2021 has turned out very strong here: cool, clear, and bright, with very fine, noble fruit, fresh herbs, plenty of tension, and mineral energy. The wine is not quite as deep as the top vintages at Wittmann, but still great.
Dense, firm, and grippy, with enormous, pronounced chalky minerality, smoky notes, fine vegetal and sautéed mushroom-like aromas, noble juice, a certain ethereality, the typical, here only not drying phenolic grip of the vintage, inner strength, enormous depth, and length. Still rather closed and not quite as strong as in its youth, but already hinting at its greatness.
The 2019 was already sinewy, bitter, and tension-filled when young, but still hardly wanted to engage, and it is still the same today. However, it opens up a bit with air, becoming juicier, deeper, and more complex; the minerality is as intense as ever, perhaps stronger than originally assumed, but it does not want to prove it at any cost.
Despite its smoky and flinty notes, it appears almost cool with herbal to vegetal and nutty tones, dense, ripe juice, and a lot of ripe, grippy phenolics, vibrating with mineral energy on the palate, has depth and length. Stunning, even stronger than when young.
A very unique but very captivating aroma with notes of crayfish or lobster, tarragon, and some smoke alongside citrus fillets and peels and apricot tones, appears taut and possesses freshness, bite, salt, and chalk, length. It was already a borderline case between excellent and great when young, and it still is.
The 2016 is also a borderline case. In the cool, bitter nose, as in its youth, it has more mineral and finely vegetal aromas than fruit, but on the palate, it even has some exotic notes reminiscent of mango, a lot of juice, certain warmth and creaminess, good depth, firm structure, bright minerality, and good length, with a bit of wax coming through as is now the case with so many 2016s.
Like all the other 2015s, I probably underestimated this one from Wittmann back then. It has hardly any fruit on the nose, appears deep, firm, rather dark with smoke and chalky-earthy minerality, then on the palate has a bit more warmth than in its youth, power, and a certain melt, but at the same time life and fine bite, plus tobacco, a bit of caramel, fine, fresh plant sharpness reminiscent of spring onions, depth, plenty of minerality, and presence.
Taut, cool, slender, and bitter, with fine juice, herbs, astonishing freshness, tension, plenty of salt, finesse, and length. Extremely inviting and still good for years of aging, even if it no longer necessarily needs it.