German Wine

Our Professional Review 

Rand Sieger 67Wine.com | This is the lemonade of wine.  A super fresh and juicy summer quaffer to have with all your lighter summer foods. The first aromas that come up from the glass are crushed lilies of the valley and white pepper, followed
by citrus and fresh pineapple.  Dry, lean, fresh and juicy on the palate.

Winemaker Description 

A liter of the raciest, most energetic and appealingly mineralische Riesling imaginable. Alc: 12% Residual sugar: 7,5 g/ltr Acidity: 7,6 g/ltr Must weight: 88° Oechsle Harvest on 26th of September 2019, Temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel. On the fine yeast until bottling in stainless steel tanks (26th of February 2021) Bright yellow colour with green highlights; in the nose aromas of apple, yellow stone fruits and freshness; on the palate very harmonic, totally dry and refreshing.

Deidesheimer Herrgottsacker is a single vineyard site with a size of 121 hectares. 10% of the vineyard site is steep, 20% hilly and 70% are flat. The soil varies between sandy loam and loamy sand, mixed with limestone rocks and red sandstone. The name “Herrgottsacker” is probably derived from the word “Gottesacker” (which is a former word for cementery) andThis interpretation from Kimich, a small, traditional, 8th generation estate, is an absurd value in the liter bottle (33% more wine)! 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

James Suckling 93 Points | A stunning, entry-level dry riesling with an impressive depth of stone fruit and a touch of flint that gives it energy on the medium-bodied palate. Long, compact, salty finish. A cuvee of wines that are 40% from Ruppertsberg and 60% from Wachenheim, mostly from young vineyards. From biodynamically grown grapes. Vegan.

The Wine Advocate 90 Points | The 2023 Riesling Trocken is still closed and reductive in its pretty spicy and phenolic, initially rather grassy nose that opens up in the glass to deliver ripe lemon aromas intertwined with notes of broken sandstones. Round and lush on the palate, this is a juicy, elegant and quite intense or even extract-rich Riesling with ripe acidity and good, phenolic grip. 12% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure.

Winemaker Description 

Crisp and vibrant with notes of green apple, citrus zest, and wet stone. This dry Riesling from the Honigsack vineyard showcases precision, minerality, and refreshing acidity — a classic example of Pfalz elegance.

Perfect with: Light seafood dishes, sushi, or fresh goat cheese.

Our Professional Review 

Rand Sieger, 67Wine Buyer: Just off-dry with delightful green apple aromas and edgy minerality.  Ends in a long, delicious apple core finish. Great value and complexity at its price point.

Winemaker Description 

Lively fruit and minerality on a zesty palate. Slightly sweet, with a dry finish. Unfined, unfiltered.

Founded in 1891, the Brand winery has been producing wine in the Pfalz for five generations. Their vineyards are located on limestone-rich soils around the village of Bockenheim, in the northern part of the region, along the border of the Rheinhessen. Daniel and Jonas' father, Jürgen, always farmed their vines responsibly, but when his children took over, they immediately transitioned to organic viticulture, gaining certification in 2017. The Brothers Brand also utilize biodynamic treatments, always experimenting to discover which practices work best in their vines. All of their wines are made with little, if any, added sulfites. 

Wonderfully aromatic with lively fruit and minerality and a lovely zest and charge on the palate, perfectly balanced by the residual sugar. The Feinherb Riesling has a slight sweetness on the attack, though the sugar melds perfectly into the body, finishing dry and crisp. No fining or filtration and minimal use of sulfur.

Our Professional Review

Rand Sieger from 67Wine.com writes | 'Alte Reben' is German for 'Old Vines.'  This estate grown and bottled Riesling comes from a small family winery in the lower Mosel in the tiny village Thörnich.  Discover the beautiful balance and energy of this dry riesling that drinks way above its price point. 

Winemaker Description 

Von Winning Riesling Brut light-bodied with notes of lemon zest, yellow pears, soft bubbles, and integrated minerality on the finish.

White fruit flavors, crisp, crunchy fleshy fruit aromas, fully ripe. With air the wine gains complexity, leaning towards nectarine and crisp cox-orange apple with a nice dose of salinity in the long finish.

Winemaker Description 

This is Lauer’s Platonic ideal of what a Saar Riesling should be. If we were in Burgundy this would be the equivalent of a Bourgogne Blanc.

As an appellation-level wine, it is sourced from multiple vineyards in three different villages of the Saar. This is always a thrilling off-dry and a silly value.

Expert Review - Vintage 2023 

James Suckling 93 Points | This Mosel Kabinett is very sleek and racy, with striking aromas of lime zest and cassis, Light-bodied with acidity that feels as if sparks are jumping around inside your mouth, pushing the touch of grape sweetness way into the background. I love this originality, but some may find it a bit challenging. From a unique site with quartzitic soil. Drink or hold.

Winemaker Description 

Back to the fantastic Vintage 2023, this time from the Mosel, where we find our next top wine from the classic producer Maximum Ferdinand Richter, who have owned their vineyards for more than 300 years. Ownership of the Veldenzer Elisenberg vineyard began in 1813 when Richter ancestor Franz Ludwig Niessen learned of Napoleon Bonaparte's plan to demolish the cherished Veldenz vineyard. Niessen arranged a personal payment to the General to stop the destruction. The whole slope of Veldenzer Elisenberg was given to him by the municipality as a token of appreciation, and has stayed in the family ever since. The quartz soils of the Veldenz produce Rieslings that exhibit flavors of red currant, raspberry, and blueberry… an unusual quality to find in Riesling, but also a trait that makes this wine oh-so-charming, memorable and utterly delicious. 

Our Professional Review 

Rand of 67Wine.com writes | A dry-styled Riesling that is at once rustic and approachable. Rockstar wine maker Christopher Loewen raises this wine in large fuder casks, using spontaneous fermentation.  This gives the wine a beautiful complexity and mouth filling texture.  A mix of yellow stone fruit, pear, and spiced citrus is underscored by a pleasingly savory salinity.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The 2021 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett is deep and flinty but bright and clear on the refined and elegant nose with beautiful crushed slate aromas. On the palate, this is a rich, round and generous, incredibly lush and supple but crystalline and even pure Sonnenuhr with a highly stimulating, mouth-watering finish. This 2021 shows the great terroir of the cru, in particular in cool vintages due to its exposition that collects the sun's rays in the morning. 

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | This shows very little sweetness, but is harmonious and well integrated despite the firm acidity that fuels it. Stone- and orchard-fruit notes are flecked by chrysanthemum and cardamom to create the full-spectrum. The finish is long and persistent.

Winemaker Description 

Cassis and lime zest aromas with tart, salty and slate notes.

Try with yellow curry or spring rolls.

Winemaker Description 

Light, crisp and refreshing. Honeyed peach, apples and honeydew melon notes. Off dry, with lots of stone fruit on the palate. Light in body and medium, crisp acidity.

Perfect with Asian food.

Warehouse stored item - please allow one to three business days to fulfill.

The Riesling offers an elegant and classical scent with notes of tropical fruits such as pineapple and melon, complemented by green apples and citrus. It boasts an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity, making it versatile for any occasion—from an aperitif to after-dinner, and well-suited for spicy food, daily meals, or simply enjoying.

Warehouse stored item - please allow two to five business days to fulfill.

Exudes flavors and aromas of ripe apples, pears, peaches, and citrus, with floral aromas. Its slight sweetness makes it a perfect match with aged cheeses as well as chicken, fish and pasta in cream sauces.

Warehouse stored item - please allow two to five business days to fulfill.

Winemaker Description 

Mülheimer Sonnenlay Riesling Zeppelin has amaizing aromas of apple, citrus and slate stone with clean and pure structure. The wine has a mineral texture with rich mouth-filling flavours of orchard fruits and juicy layers.

Shows as well zesty and spicy refreshing style. Well balanced structure, animating and the elegant fruit acid finishes with great length.

The estate of Max Ferdinand Richter has been owned by the Richter family for more than 300 years. Today this enterprise, owned and run by winemaker Dirk Richter, is one of the leading producers of top Rieslings in the heart of the central Mosel area with total holdings of 43 acres and an annual production of about 10,500 cases. Richter produces fine wines that are well known throughout the world. They produce a wide variety of wines from estate-grown grapes that reflect the individual style of each single vineyard. The terroir of their steep vineyard sites is generally fresh weathering grey slate.

Schloss Lieser SL Feinherb Estate Riesling has herbal and minerally aroma, really flinty on the nose. Has aromas of fruit and slate that lead to a fresh and round palate with a salty finish.

Warehouse stored item - please allow one to three business days to fulfill.

The Wine Enthusiast 94 Points | Dusty slate and earth tones mingle into luscious guava and pink-grapefruit flavors in this decadently fruity kabinett. A sumptuous semi-dry Riesling, it's profoundly ripe and deeply concentrated but zippy and spry, finishing on a long, honeyed streak of lime and lemon acidity. Delicious young but should hold well through 2035.

Warehouse stored item - please allow one to three business days to fulfill.

James Suckling 95 Points | A great riesling Spatlese that makes it clear why this category has not disappeared in spite of the rise of dry German riesling. Concentrated peachy fruit is married to excellent structure and the balance of the touch of natural grape sweetness with wet stone minerality and crisp acidity is dazzling. Very long and vibrant finish. Drink or hold.

Thursday August 7, 2025 - Melissa Clark made our dinner perfect with her Grilled Za’atar Chicken With Garlic Yogurt and Cilantro This has to be one of the easiest, yet most delicious, recipes you can make.  We don’t have a grill but used our oven, and, presto, perfect!  Since this was our friend Paulo’s birthday, a great wine was called for.  And WOW, what a perfectly delicious example of Riesling from the steep hills of Graach on the Mosel River.  The bouquet comes out of the glass as flowers and classic petrol.  The mouth is explosive with perfectly balanced acidity and lush fruit.  Your mouth is filled with this delicious and cleansing flavor.  This is "old style” classic Mosel from a tippy top producer.  If you are a gourmand like us, it is worth keeping a bottle for that special occasion.  - Bernie & Dorothy -  Follow The Drinker®

Expert Review

Stephan Reinhardt writes:  The 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is very clear and delicate on the elegant and refined nose that intermingles very fine slate with floral aromas and bright, very elegant and refined Riesling fruit. Savory and saline on the palate, this is a round and lush, filigreed and crystalline Himmelreich with a long, salivating, saline and irresistible finish. 8% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 25 23 in January 2025.  Drinking 2025 to 2065.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 97

Winemaker Description 

The scent has tangerine and peppery slate notes, still very young. In the mouth the wine has tension, crisp acidity, juiciness, a slim concentration, a dense, substantial core makes the finish compact and taut. Middle Rhine minerals with Rheingau finesse. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

JamesSuckling.com by Stuart Pigott writes 94 Points | With its aromas of nutty, old-fashioned apple varieties and ripe quince, this striking dry riesling is an unspectacular beauty. It’s medium-bodied with a wonderful harmony of silky acidity, a hauntingly subtle minerality and a very long, stony finish that somehow manages to be very gentle. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. 

Winemaker Description 

The nose here is just a shade riper, with tart citrus flirting with barely ripe apricot, heading toward the peach register though highlighted by lemon curd and lemon zest, pretty citrus elements to brighten it up, even the riper twang of a lime. This has more density, for sure, more richness, though it has plenty of definition. Thinking of these wines in the context of the Rheingau is just crazy; my teeth are aching. The whole collection has acids – I should get the numbers here, if Eva hasn’t already sent them [note to reader: I never got any numbers on the acids b/c I'm just too buried in work right now]. There is a limey quality to this, sticky but fresh, gripping, that I really like. These are very damn good. 

Hans-Josef Becker’s grandfather (J.B.) founded this winery in 1893, and it is home to some truly astounding wines. The Spätlese Trocken is somehow both very serious and firmly structured, yet remains bright and affable. The old vines show incredible concentration - this wine is just a baby and could be cellared for decades. On the other hand, the 2022 vintage displays plenty of juicy, expressive fruit with crushing acidity and a bold mouthfeel. These wines have achieved cult-status for good reason.

Expert Ratings

James Suckling 97 Points | This very concentrated and super-elegant riesling Auslese is still tightly-wound. However, it already has a very wide spectrum of subtle yellow fruit and wild flower aromas. Terrific structure behind the rich, but still medium-bodied palate. Incredibly long, slatey finish with staggering freshness that pulls you back for more of this Mosel masterpiece. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Decanter 95 Points | Tangs of cut stone and lime zest are peppered with gunpowder and smoke, but there's a powerful core of ripe lemon, lime and yellow cherry flavours too. While light on its feet, it's an unctuous, supple wine with a pert tangerine sweetness. Quite a bit more expressive in youth than the 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, it's already hedonistic with a brief decant but certainly ageworthy as well. 

Wine Spectator 94 Points | Delivering power and concentration, this is densely packed in a compact frame. Opens up to reveal impressively fresh flavors of dried thyme and apricot. This white's acidity shows a crunchy texture, and a wet slate note brings a cooling feel to the finish. This is one for the cellar. Best from 2026 through 2046.

Vinous 92 Points | The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is rather shy. The palate tingles with tangerine, ripe, rounded, aromatic, and full of tangy, zesty, sweet, ripe citrus. Wonderfully expressive on the mid-palate and with a subtle finish, full of those vivid aromatics. (Sweet).

Expert Ratings - Vintage 2022 

James Suckling 97 Points | This very concentrated and super-elegant riesling Auslese is still tightly-wound. However, it already has a very wide spectrum of subtle yellow fruit and wild flower aromas. Terrific structure behind the rich, but still medium-bodied palate. Incredibly long, slatey finish with staggering freshness that pulls you back for more of this Mosel masterpiece. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. (2022). 

Decanter 95 Points | Tangs of cut stone and lime zest are peppered with gunpowder and smoke, but there's a powerful core of ripe lemon, lime and yellow cherry flavours too. While light on its feet, it's an unctuous, supple wine with a pert tangerine sweetness. Quite a bit more expressive in youth than the 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, it's already hedonistic with a brief decant but certainly ageworthy as well. (2022). 

Wine Spectator 94 Points | Delivering power and concentration, this is densely packed in a compact frame. Opens up to reveal impressively fresh flavors of dried thyme and apricot. This white's acidity shows a crunchy texture, and a wet slate note brings a cooling feel to the finish. This is one for the cellar. Best from 2026 through 2046. (2022). 

Vinous 92 Points | The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is rather shy. The palate tingles with tangerine, ripe, rounded, aromatic, and full of tangy, zesty, sweet, ripe citrus. Wonderfully expressive on the mid-palate and with a subtle finish, full of those vivid aromatics. (Sweet).(2022). 

Winemaker Description

This Riesling is rich in taste with a fresh, fruity delicate flavor.

Serve slightly chilled.

Expert Reviews 

James Suckling 96 Points | Here is a great Mosel Kabinett that needs a bit more time to show what it is really made of. Still very young with a pronounced yeasty character that slowly recedes with aeration, but the white peach and honeysuckle aromas that emerge are stunning. Extremely vibrant and precise, the slatey acidity making this fabulously graceful. As pure as an Alpine stream running with glacier water.

Wine Spectator 92 Points | This elegant version starts off closed before opening to reveal flavors of jasmine, sweet green apple and Asian pear. Shows impressive purity and inner density, with accents of fresh-cut chive and wet slate. Bitter, pithy acidity moves through, making for the shimmering, razor-edge finish, which lingers. Drink now through 2040. 300 cases imported.

Winemaker Description

J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese is a very pale yellow with pristine expression of fruit. Immediately showing great balance of sweetness and acidity, a bit creamier than the Kabinett, lovely stone fruit, very elegant with that kick from the well known Graacher acidity. Good length with a bright and mouthwatering finish.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 96 Points Striking nose of garden herbs with just a hint wet earth underlining the delicate white tree fruit aromas. Stunning concentration and energy on the super-straight medium-bodied palate. Very long, almost perfectly balanced finish that is surprising for this category at this early stage in the wine’s development. Great slate expression. Drink or hold. (2022). 

Decanter 96 Points | This powerfully concentrated yet fresh-fruited sip is a touch more inviting young than the more nervous Wehlener Sonnenuhr this vintage. Flavours of white grapefruit and green apples are intensely ripe but pure and pristine, etched by strikes of lime and salt. A delightfully fruity, off-dry wine with a kiss of tangerine sweetness on the finish. Ready now but will improve further. (2022). 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | A plush, alluring style, with apricot, guava and creamed pear flavors backed by a layer of finely crushed mineral notes. The texture is creamy and chalky, offering a stream of fruit punctuated by dried herb accents and a dusting of fleur de sel. Radiant, pure and long, with energy in reserve. Drink now through 2040. 250 cases imported. (2022). 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 95 Points | All the ripeness of this very warm vintage, married to wonderful freshness that gives this the light-footedness of a great dancer. Mostly white fruit, but just a hint of fresh pineapple. Long, silky finish. Drink or hold. (2018). 

Robert Parker 93+ Points | The 2018 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is discreet yet deep and complex on the elegant and spicy nose that exhibits very fine stone fruit aromas. Round, lush and piquant on the palate, this is a crystalline, piquant, persistently salty and stimulating Himmelreich with fine tannins on the finish that add grip and a very light, food-friendly astringency that moderates away the sweetness. Still young, this is a Spätlese to serve with food in 10-15 years. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This has all of the elements of a great spätlese, with pronounced acidity supporting the ripe peach, yellow apple, mango and spruce flavors, while hints of vanilla and piecrust add to the complexity. Still a bit intense, but this should develop beautifully with age, allowing the minerality to become more prominent. Best from 2022 through 2038. (2018).

Expert Review - Vintage 2021 

James Suckling 94 Points | A prototypical riesling Kabinett for the Ruwer tributary of the Mosel with the sleek, almost dry and racy personality we associate with this special terroir. The effusive aromas of yellow apple, white peach, rhubarb and garden herbs are married to a firm core of wet stone minerality on the light-bodied yet compact palate. 

Winemaker Description 

The spicy spontaneous nose still dominates, but then the first fruity notes (juicy peach, grapefruit, white currant) and the slate literally pushes itself out of the glass. Very juicy and densely woven on the palate, a lot of melting, sweetness well integrated and countered by the invigorating acidity. A cabinet that will continue to reveal new facets over the next two decades. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review - Vintage 2016

92 Points Wine Enthusiast | Hints of crushed mineral and fresh herb persist from nose to finish in this intriguingly earthy yet elegant dry wine. The palate is vibrantly citrusy, offering shards of lemon and lime accented by dried-orange peel and spice. Medium bodied but silky in texture, it's freshened by pert lime acidity.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2018 

95 Points James Suckling | At once delicately spicy, but well-structured with so many subtle nuances, this is a very sophisticated Spatlese with only a hint of sweetness. Very long, spicy and smoky finish, and just beginning to open up. Drink or hold. (2018).

94+ Points Robert Parker | The 2018 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese is precise and remarkably refined on the subtle yet complex, terroir-driven and slightly flinty nose. Rich and piquant on the palate, with a vital acidity exposition and crunchy grip, this is a serious and sustainably structured Spätlese from "the other" Sonnenuhr. The finish is so mineral that it tastes almost dry and if not now in 10 or 20 years. This is a great ZSU to be served in a decade or two. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.

Winemaker Description 

On the nose, juicy scents and earthy spices fill up the glass. On the palate, a refreshing mineral character. Pair this Riesling with spicy Asian cuisine, poultry, or fish dishes. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Reviews- Vintage 2020 

95+ Points Wine Advocate |  Entirely vinified in large, partly renewed oak, the 2020 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken GG opens deep, pure, refined but also very intense and complex on the highly attractive nose that is full, generous and aromatic and reveals more oak aromas than the premiers crus Klosterberg and Turmberg. On the palate, this is a very elegant, refined and balanced Riesling with a sweeter or rounder taste than the Turmberg (although it's analytically less sweet), but it reveals a similar saline vibrancy. The richer and rounder sensation might be due to the loess-loam components of the Gräfenberg phyllite terroir compared to the shallower terroir of the Turmberg, but richness and power are the nature of the Gräfenberg, which is still fresh and refined enough to represent its coolish terroir character as well. Since the 2020 will be released only in September 2022 (so 12 months later than former vintages), I assume it will become brighter, finer and purer over the next 12 months.

Wine Spectator 90 Points | A flinty, compact version, evoking apple, lemon, white pepper and stone flavors. Bracing on the finish, where the lemon and stone elements persist. Drink now through 2032. 3,000 cases made.

Winemaker Description

Delicate, micro-production & precise øø wines from Baden, Germany, rapturously referred to as the hot-bed of classic Burgundy-indebted Pinot Noir. (and, of course, Riesling)

Philipp Reiß is currently in the process of converting his family estate from grape growers to wine producers, and these are the first, errr - fruits of that labor to make it stateside. 

A profound expression of Riesling that, despite having zero additives, sure calls for a decant and some hours for it to truly unfurl its majestic crystalline reach.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Vinous 93 Points | The 2022 Riesling Wiltinger Braune Kupp Spätlese opens with a ripe green-red apple flesh note with overtones of candied angelica and earth after summer rain. The palate almost has an iron-oxide edge framing that juicy ripe red apple fruit soon verging into greengage compote. Ripe lemon pervades all and illuminates a fine smooth texture reminiscent of very fine earth saturated with all that lovely fruit emanating from it. (Sweet) (Drink between 2025-2060)

Winemaker Description 

Orange and tangelo, overripe peach and bergamot; juicy and firm, solid yet voluptuous, vaporous and long, plump yet muscular (how many ways can I say it?); a rococo opulent wine yet also seriously devout in its terroir, even as it blushes and giggles. SOS: 2 (8-27 years).