WTN: 2024 German Riesling (mostly Kab)

A small group met at Brad’s Wednesday for a look at 2024 German Riesling. We ordered some Cantonese and Sichuan food- spare ribs, dumplings, green beans with bamboo, pork with leeks and chili oil, orange beef, triple delight, Singapore noodles, tea smoked duck, and more

2024 Max. Ferd. Richter Valdenzer Elisenberg Kabinett
I think I liked more than group. Apple, mineral, tangy and fresh, I think too light for some. B+

2024 Max. Ferd. Richter, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett
Reduced, stony, a bit dull compared to other Richter kabinetts. B/B-

2024 Max. Ferd. Richter, Braunenberger Juffer Kabinett
LIke the Elisenberg but dialed up a notch. Full, vibrant, slatey minerality. B+/A-

2024 Weiser-Kunstler Enkircher Ellergrub Kabinett
Corked, alas.

2024 Keller Limestone Kabinett
I expected a weight step up from Mosel, but actually this is quite light. Tasty if a little simple. B/B+

2024 Max Kilburg Treppchen Vom Berg Kabinett
New producer to me, I liked especially after a lot of air. Granny Smith, tangy candied orange peel, good finish. B+

2024 Carl Loewen Herrenberg Kabinett
Herbs and peach, didn’t appeal to me. I think couple others liked more. B/B-

2024 Willi Schaefer, Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett
Elegant, citrus and nectarine, wet rocks, delicious and fun. A-/B+

2024 Willi Schafer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett
Loved this, though could use time, elegant complex and balanced. A-

2024 Vollenweider Goldgrube "Wurzelecht" Kabinett
Larger framed, tight but opens up, white cherry and mint, refreshing. B+

2024 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshole Spatlese
Big ripe and tropical, but good acids keep it fresh and balanced. B+

2024 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Klaus Spatlese
Powerful and ripe, tangy, good length and stony mineral finish. B+/A-

2024 Max. Ferd. Richter Valdenzer Elisenberg Auslese
A bit soft, rich peach and apricot, not really drawing me. B-

2024 Max. Ferd. Richter Braunenberger Juffer Auslese
Orange Creamsicle, a little botrytis note, good acids B

2023 Max. Ferd. Richter Pinot Noir
German PN is getting better and better, but this one didn’t do it for me. A bit green on the nose,a little better on palate but with bitterness on the finish. I know hard to follow wines with RS but for me C+


Really fun night, overall I quite liked the 2024s.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Really fun night, overall I quite liked the 2024s..

Yes, will be interesting to see how they develop. I had a tough time with the 2024s at the Von Boden tasting in November, because they were all pretty young and fierce. (And of course the Vom Boden producers lean angular anyway) But all very promising for my palate. I guess the pradikat wines will be a bit more generous, offsetting the lean year, but I suspect there will still be plenty of lovely racy dry wines...

[David M. Bueker]

Brauneberger Juffer is my favorite of all the sites from Richter’s portfolio - across all pradikat.


No shock that Schaefer showed so well!

Brauneberger Juffer is my favorite of all the sites from Richter’s portfolio...

Enjoy the current label while it lasts: https://substack.com/@weinwunder/note/c-219945502

Wow, that's crazy. Do you know in which town Richter's plot is? I wonder if some producers have crossover, would need to bottle 2 separate.

[David M. Bueker]

Brauneberger Juffer is my favorite of all the sites from Richter’s portfolio...

Enjoy the current label while it lasts: https://substack.com/@weinwunder/note/c-219945502

As Terry Theise once said about German Wine Law: "Well I still have a bullet in the gun, and one good foot left, so..."

Brauneberger Juffer is my favorite of all the sites from Richter’s portfolio...

Enjoy the current label while it lasts: https://substack.com/@weinwunder/note/c-219945502

As Terry Theise once said about German Wine Law: "Well I still have a bullet in the gun, and one good foot left, so..."

Yup, to the German authorities no system is so convoluted that it cannot be made more so. It keeps demand low in the US, but I'm not sure that's the intended consequence...

I do think there were issues with the 1971 expansion and there is an argument that labeling could get more precise to honor the original/better terroir.

But, the big concern there is that lesser terroir gets a free ride/higher prices based on the prestige of the name. And of course the big issue in Germany is probably more skewed in the other direction, i.e. prices lower than they should be (generally speaking).

So, this 'solution' seems sub-optimal...

Was the Juffer expanded in 1971? Are the Maring-Noviander parts considered substandard? Usually the only Brauneberger Juffer (or BJS) wines I run across are Richter and F. Haag.
Certainly in cases like Crozes-Hermitage there was dramatic expansion of the AC, which was probably a loss for the original plots from a reputational standpoint. But here it seems like they are drawing lines across existing (probably contiguous) vineyards. I like that in Burgundy wine from Santenots can be labeled Volnay if red and Meursault if white, never thought I was being deceived

I also apparently liked the Falkenstein more than others, in a post-tasting round of emails I listed the Schaefers, the Richter BJ K, and Falkenstein as my faves. Others all responded saying they agreed but would replace Falkenstein with X (I think Kilburg, Donnhoff, and BJ Auslese were mentioned).

[David M. Bueker]

I suspect that there is something more to this than just enforcing village boundaries.

fun lineup, sorry I couldn't join you guys but glad for the notes (and Brad's impressions that he posted on FB).

big fan of the Richter wines, particularly the Elisenberg and Juffer, but I've also liked his kabinett and spats the most. like you I've also found some of his Auslese a bit creamy/lower acid at times, without the focus and brightness of the lower pradikats.

I've become more excited by a lot of German PN the last year or so - really liking Furst in particular, and generally impressed by a lot of the Franken/Baden wines. But I'm still a bit skeptical about the Mosel PNs, and the Richter doesn't sound appealing at all.

fun lineup, sorry I couldn't join you guys but glad for the notes (and Brad's impressions that he posted on FB).

big fan of the Richter wines, particularly the Elisenberg and Juffer, but I've also liked his kabinett and spats the most. like you I've also found some of his Auslese a bit creamy/lower acid at times, without the focus and brightness of the lower pradikats.

I've become more excited by a lot of German PN the last year or so - really liking Furst in particular, and generally impressed by a lot of the Franken/Baden wines. But I'm still a bit skeptical about the Mosel PNs, and the Richter doesn't sound appealing at all.

Spätburgunder is certainly having its moment. Most of my experience has been with Baden PN (E&M, Knauss, Koch, Möbitz) but other producers like Keller have generated plenty of buzz, too.

I've become more excited by a lot of German PN the last year or so - really liking Furst in particular, and generally impressed by a lot of the Franken/Baden wines. But I'm still a bit skeptical about the Mosel PNs...

Fürst is one of the very best, so once that becomes the benchmark, it's hard to compare with others. But, I agree that there is more and more high-quality Spätburgunder, for all kinds of reasons.

Interested to hear about the Mosel skepticism. Climate reasons? The warm weather definitely helps them get ripe, although 2024 is not going to be that year. The Mosel slate soil is another issue, always going to show a different crisper profile compared to the limestone regions in the south. But in the global warming era, the Mosel may have a unique place for Spätburgunder, especially as the winemakers perfect their craft.