Julien RenardRiesling “Gött’che” 2021 (750ml)
Country:
Germany
Unit Type:
750ml
Estimated Price:
$65
Find a Bottle Near You
Find a Bottle
This is deep and essential Riesling. If there are any precedents, they would have to be the rapier-like wines of Stefan Vetter or Jonas Dostert. Though neither of these two growers focuses on Riesling, and perhaps this makes all the difference. Truth be told, these are among the most boundary-pushing Moselles – or German wines for that matter – I’ve ever had, a surreal combination of extreme mineral, precision, clarity, luminosity, acidity, energy.
This is the only “lieu-dit” wine that Renard produces every year. Originally named Göttchesberg, this is a .3ha parcel on the lower side of Winninger Domgarten with pebblestones and sandy topsoil, and of course, slate bedrock. Macerated overnight and pressed in a vertical basket press before 20 months is a 500L barrel on full lees. Interestingly Julien harvests this site in four passes, pressing and fermenting each pass seperately. Every year the wine is a selection of the best barrels and in 2021 this is a single barrel selection.
These are not “typical” fruity Moselle Rieslings. While much of the language here is similar – profound citrus, complex herbal and palate-staining mineral notes – these wines speak a language that is different… it is a new language of the Moselle that is being explored. It’s too early to tell, really, but I think these might be *profound* wines and may prove to be legends of the new Moselle, whatever that new Moselle might be.
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Unit Type | 750ml |
| Alcohol | 10.5% |
| Wine Class | Still White |
| Pack Size | 12 |
| Address | Mosel |
| Estimated Price | $65 |
| Mosel Fine Wines | The 2020er Gött’che (the reference to the name is, as usual for this Estate, only provided on the back label) with lot number 20G is a bone-dry Riesling picked in this prime west-facing Lieu-Dit in the Winninger Domgarten situated on a unique terroir of sand and pebble as well as slate. It was fermented and aged on its gross and fine lees in a mix of tank and oak without any intervention for 20 months before being bottled unfiltered and with minimal SO2 added (total SO2 is below 27 mg/l). Yellow-golden in color, this exhibits a superbly animating and pure nose of intense minty herbs, lemon peel, grilled grapefruit, yuzu, anise, wheat and bakery elements, fresh almond, and candied tangerine, all wrapped into subtle elements of volatile acidity. The wine initially proves broad and intense on the palate (and this despite only having 11.5% alcohol!) yet is quick to show a superbly herbal and above all pure zesty side in the fierce and sharp finish. The after-taste is all about spices, zest, and salty elements. What a gorgeous natural and intense yet pure Riesling! | No. 64 Dec 2022 |