Rosenkranz, Rheingau, Riesling Trocken, 2023

Stunning Riesling is always a treat, but when it comes as a surprise, from a producer that we've never heard of, that treat seems even sweeter - or, in this case, drier!

It is as fresh as a daisy but with real depth of flavour, complexity and balance - the food-matching possibilities are endless and throughout the year too: duck and game in the cooler months while seafood and salads in the summer. Green apple, pear, mango notes, ginger, spices and nuances of flint, cashew nuts and a salinity that makes your mouth water and tingle and keep you wanting more!

Made by up-and-coming star Clemens Rosenkranz in the historic Rheingau, this gorgeous Riesling is crisp and bright with complex flavours of apple, lime, uncooked nuts, herbs and smoke with a long, clean and mineral palate, that makes your mouth water with a surprisingly full texture. It is really excellent and makes you wonder why there are not more dry wines like this from the Rheingau! 

Germany has its fair share of excellent wine regions, but the Rheingau is rarely used for dry wines because of the cold climate and the likelihood of late harvests requiring higher sugar levels to balance the soaring levels of acidity. This is one of the new wave of Rieslings made in the Rheingau that benefit from the increasing temperatures brought about by changing climate, allowing for more consistently ripe vintages that make dry winemaking far easier. This is the benefit, too, of being in Hochheim, where the vineyards are planted on a Limestone ridge, providing heat and aromatic complexity.

The fermentation and maturation of the wine took place in traditional German Halbstücke (great big oval wooden barrels that have no flavour impact) and some smaller oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation also occurred. After 12 months of lees ageing the wine was blended and then left for a further six months in steel tanks.

Try it - this is a style that is familiar to lovers of Riesling, but with extra zing, freshness and complexity. This is simultaneously progressive as well as, paradoxically, nostalgic!