Schloss Johannisberg, Bronzelack Riesling Trocken, Rheingau

First bottle from a three bottle lot purchased at the estate in 2017. A characteristic Silberlack, but this bottle does feel a bit low on definition and energy. Mature, waxy, not a huge amount of fruit expression, quite short and light on the finish. Retaste. No score for the moment.

This wine shows what you can expect from a Riesling of the region: fine notes of citric fruit, notes of petrol, a dry and fresh wine. This is not the best Riesling I have had, but it is a really good example. Schloss Johannisberg pretends being the oldest producer of Riesling. They have been in existence for several centuries, they know how to make good Riesling - but today, there are several producers that make even better Riesling than they …

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Medium gold colour. Medium (+) and developing nose with peach, apricot, yellow plum, honey melon, acacia, bread dough, candied lemon and autumn leaves. Medium (+) taste of green apples, lemon, autumn leaves and roasted hazelnuts. Long and dry finish. High acidity. Medium body. A very good Riesling GG with good complexity. Part of my WSET3 exam prep. Drink now or over the next five to ten years. Goes well with fish or shellfish.

Notes later.

Strågul, gylden. Lett tropisk, frisk, syrlige epler og sitron. Noe urtete. Moden frukt, noe tropisk frukt, god fylde, oljete preg, syren kommer men dempes av fedme i frukten. Sitron i bakkant. Lang, med noe bitter utgang. God til innbakt svin og frityrstekt scampi med sursøt saus.

Showing well today, classic Rheingau profile on the nose, lovely tension between freshness and ripe fruit on the palate, middle-weight flavours, gentle bitters, floral lift on the finish, good length. Lovely now and over the next five years.

Aus der Magnum. Voll da, benötigt keine weitere Zeit. Ausgeglichen, angenehm, jedoch auch recht simpel bzw. eindimensional für ein GG. 88-90 Punkte. Ein guter Riesling. Jedoch für einen Ab Hof Preis von 44 € für eine Normalflasche kein Schnäppchen. Bis 2025?

During a Germany/Austria tasting dinner with a few French friends. Unlike in a recent Napa Cabernet evening where we walked away disappointed with the expensive but unimpressive, sweetish wines, this evening was a big revelation. The Rieslings showed very well as expected but the big surprise was the high quality of the German Pinots. TN: Lovely, fresh with good fruit and acidity but after all a relatively straight forward wine for a GG. May be it will develop more complexity …

Canberra International Riesling Challenge (Albert Hall, Canberra) : The appearance is clear and pale lemon in colour. Tears are visible. The nose is clean. The aromas have a medium(-) intensity and show generic citrus fruit (lime?). The wine appears youthful. On the palate, the wine is dry (~6g/L RS) with medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol, and medium(-) body. The flavours have a medium intensity and show notes of citrus fruit (lime, subtle lemon) and autolytic characters (cheese rind). The finish has …

19th Canberra International Riesling Challenge (Albert Hall, Canberra) : All spice over stone fruit and apple. Juicy, fleshy, peachy with apples backing. Lovely

In October 2017 I opined that this wine would need two years to develop its potential, but it is actually in a pretty good place right now. It retains the firm, masculine, minerally and earthy character which the producer is looking for in this wine, especially on the nose, but on the palate the fruit is expressing itself nicely, there is a lovely freshness and balance, and a floral topnote to the flavours. Good length with a touch of orange. …

Once again a great Riesling from Schloss Johannisberg. As well as the 2015 vintage, this has the herbaceous notes and floarality. But more fruity aromas like, white fruit, peach, pear, nectarine and lemon. Medium + acidity and light body. Crispy acidity and great flavours

Canberra International Riesling Challenge (Focus on Alsace and Germany) (Albert Hall, Canberra) : Clear. Pale lemon with tears. Clean, youthful nose with a medium(-) intensity. There is a well-defined aroma of red apple. There are no indications of oak. The wine is dry with medium acidity, light body, and medium alcohol. The red apple flavours have a medium intensity. The finish has a medium length. There is no evidence that oak was used. This wine is of a good quality. …

New in the line-up in 2016, and intended to represent the classic Rheingau style. It is certainly quite a masculine and energetic wine, textural and structured, spicy and minerally rather than fruity or floral, good tension and ripeness; slightly hard and youthful finish, good length. Needs two years. An impressive debut. Drink 2019-2026+. On the terrace at the Schlossschänke auf dem Johannisberg.