Emrich-SchönleberRiesling “Niederberg” Trocken 2022 (750ml)

This is one of my favorite wines in the lineup – dense with green citrus, green herbs and minerals. It is more coating and expansive, broader and fierce. It undeniably speaks of a cool place, even though there is a certain generosity, a mouth-watering quality to the stone and citrus fruit that gives it so much energy; that makes it such a joy to drink. To me, this is the perfect expression of the premier cru or 1G level – a bit more rustic than the grandiose GGs but very serious and thrilling.

The higher and flatter exposition of the Niederberg suggests that it may be one of the cooler sites, benefitting perhaps from the warming climate. The Niederberg is a tightly wound spring of a wine, precise and cutting. There is more citrus here compared to Halenberg; the wine feels more immediately vivid and articulate in its youth. Texturally this is just screaming for food, it has the kind of edges that grip onto whatever you are eating and won’t let go. This wine is stately and king-like in its combination of gentle silky body with commanding power in the engagingly tightening spicy finish.