2020 Weingut Wittmann Niersteiner Riesling Aus Ersten Lagen BIO

The demand for the wines of this top producer from Rheinhessen is increasing, partly due to the many favorable reviews. It would have been easy to take advantage of this success, buy some more vineyards and ride the positive wave. As a purist looking for absolute quality at the highest achievable level, Philipp chooses the opposite route: by reducing yields and selecting fruit, he makes fewer bottles labeled below the highest level and the overall quality of the 'Estate' wines further improves. The most important change is the introduction of three wines 'Aus Ersten Lagen', namely the Gundersheimer, the Westhoger and Niersteiner. These wines bear the name of their municipality, but come from one or more vineyards with the label 'Erste Lage'. These wines are put on the market 1 year after harvest, when the Grosses Gewächse were previously launched. These last top wines are now appearing six months later.

After two fantastic years, 2020 completed the hat-trick of warm and good vintages, relatively easy for a winemaker. The drought of previous years did not affect this year and there was also no question of excessive heat. There was plenty of rain, but not at the wrong times. This means that Philipp has been able to harvest perfectly ripe and healthy grapes. The resulting wines have the aromatic expression of 2018 with the mineral sharpness of 2019. A harvest that they themselves are very proud of!

The Niersteiner is a beautiful Riesling that lives up to its character. Nicely concentrated power, complex and mineral. Biodynamically produced by the very high quality winery Weingut Wittmann from the Rheinhessen region . The intense straw yellow colored Niersteiner Riesling "Aus Ersten Lagen" is pure yet intensely aromatic on the almost chalky nose (although this comes from a Rotliegend terroir). Round and silky on the palate, this is a fine and pure yet charmingly elegant and aromatic dry Riesling with delicate acidity and a long, fresh and elegant finish. There are lemon aromas on the pure and finely grippy finish. Niersteiner is located about 20 kilometers north of Westhofen, has a different climate and is located directly on the Rhine. The grapes for this wine come from the famous 'Roter Hang' and give a full and creamy wine with fresh acidity and a lot of tension.

94/100 Suckling

Located in Westhofen in the Rheinhessen wine region, Weingut Wittmann produces biodynamic wines with terroir expression and extreme precision. The Wittmanns and their ancestors have been winegrowers in Westhofen since the 17th century. The experience of some 350 vintages spanning more than 15 generations is of great importance in the invaluable heritage of the family. Time and rest are essential ingredients for making a good wine. And this is exactly what the wines get in abundance in the vaulted cellar, built in 1829. Winemaker Philipp Wittmann watches over his wines, under constant temperature and humidity conditions, as they mature in 80 wooden barrels. The oldest of these barrels is from the year 1890 and has already housed many large vintages. Each barrel contains the harvest of 1 single vineyard plot.