2023 Weingut Wittmann Westhofener Riesling Aus Ersten Lagen BIO
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Body: medium-bodied. Fuller than most white wines from ; 12.5% alcohol.
Acidity: high. from the warm climate of .
Aromas: flowers, stone fruit and tropical fruit, typical of
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Log inThe demand for the wines of this top producer from Rheinhessen is increasing, partly due to the many positive reviews. It would have been easy to profit from this success, buy some more vineyards and let them surf on the positive wave. As a purist in search of absolute quality at the highest possible level, Philipp chooses the opposite path: by reducing yields and selecting fruit, he produces fewer bottles labelled below the highest level and the overall quality of the 'Estate' wines continues to increase. The most important change is the introduction of three wines 'Aus Ersten Lagen', namely the Gundersheimer, the Westhogener and the Niersteiner. These wines bear the name of their municipality, but come from one or more vineyards with the label 'Erste Lage'. These wines are released on the market 1 year after harvest, the moment that the Grosses Gewächse were previously launched. These last top wines are now released six months later.
The Westhofener is a typical Riesling that lives up to its character. Beautifully concentrated power, complex and mineral. Biodynamically produced by the very high-quality winery Weingut Wittmann from the Rheinhessen region. The Wittmann Westhofener comes from various vineyards around Morstein and Brunnenhäusen that are classified as Erste Lage. This wine has a more opulent aromatic profile, a full body balanced by a fine minerality. The Westhofener Riesling "Aus Ersten Lagen" is pure and intense, with a dusty layer of chalk and intense fruity orange and lemon juice aromas, which opens with a beautifully distinguished bouquet with remarkable depth and complexity. Intensely juicy and fresh on the palate, this is a pure premier cru with citrus flavours, silky texture and mouth-filling (since this year it is labelled as "1G" such as "Erstes Gewächs" or "VDP. Aus Erste Lagen") with a long and complex finish.
FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.
Weingut Wittmann is located in Westhofen in the Rheinhessen wine region and 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 from more than 15 generations is of great importance in the priceless heritage of the family. Time and peace 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, while they mature in 80 wooden barrels. The oldest of these barrels dates from 1890 and has already housed many great vintages. Each barrel contains the harvest from a single vineyard plot.
Character
The wine
- 100%
Origin
Bottle
Wine features
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 93
Reviewed by:
Stephan Reinhardt
Release Price:
NA
Drink Date:
2025 - 2045
From vines surrounding the central part of the Morstein grand cru, the 2023 Westhofener Riesling 1G opens with a deep, pure and intense, limestone-driven bouquet with burnt chalk and lemon juice aromas. Very elegant and with a fine, silky texture on the palate, this is a savory, lemony and lively Riesling with fine grip and a long, intense finish. Wonderfully pure and salivating, this is a promising Riesling with style and finesse. 12% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in October 2024.
It rarely happened that I did not taste the new vintage at Wittmann's winery in Westhofen. In fact, I had believed during the summer that I had already tasted the 2023s on site in the spring, but, as the astonished Wittmann assured me during a vertical of his Morstein Riesling, that was already more than a year ago.
I therefore tasted some of Wittmann's excellent 2023s in Wiesbaden at the advance premiere of the Grosses Gewächs at the end of August, some in my home office in October and, as far as Morstein is concerned, during a 10-year vertical at the winery the day before the Wiesbaden marathon. It's not ideal, but that's the way it is.
Wittmann has been cultivating his 35 hectares of vines in Westhofen, Gundersheim and Nierstein, 75% of which are Riesling and 25% Pinots and Chardonnay, biodynamically since 2004. In any case, the land has been cultivated organically for 30 years.
But let us turn to Morstein, as it is the focus of this entry and has been one of Germany's great Rieslings for at least 100 years, and a single vineyard documented since 1282. The pure south-facing slope rises at a gradient of 20% to 25% up to 280 meters, but only the center in the middle section (180 to 240 meters above sea level) has been classified as a Grosse Lage by the VDP, still 24 hectares. Wittmann owns six hectares here, three of which are in the 180- to 200-meter-high core piece, 1.54 hectares are located higher and the rest of his parcels are in satellite locations.
“The Morstein has heavy clay marl soils with limestone deposits in the upper layer, and the subsoil is dominated by water-bearing limestone layers that ensure an optimal supply of nutrients and minerals,” explains Wittmann. Despite its southern exposure, the Riesling ripens very late, always in October except for in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, when the grapes were picked in late September. This leads to cool aromas, often with notes of stone fruit and white pepper. Thanks to natural yeasts, the gently pressed must ferments only slowly in the large, cool vaulted cellar. The wine, vinified in large oak casks, retains its fine aromas thanks to this environment. Wittmann's Morstein Riesling is always fresh and complex, and, in addition to its chalky character, has a crystalline, salivating length. The wine reveals great potential even at a young age and I have never had a Wittmann Morstein that was not at least memorable. It is always a safe bet. The 2023 is great and so were, surprisingly for many, 2017 and 2016 in this tasting.
Published: Oct 31, 2024
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James Suckling
Score
95
Avg Price (ex-tax)
$ 29
Wittmann Riesling Rheinhessen Westhofener EL 2023
Wednesday, Aug 21, 2024
Color
White
Country
Germany
Region
Rheinhessen
Vintage
2023
This village wine is a masterpiece of elegance and originality. Deep and elegant on the extremely precise, medium-bodied palate. This has a joyful energy that’s impossible to resist (unless you don’t like dry white wine). Flows so gracefully over the palate, like a hero riding off into the sunset at the end of a great movie. A cuvee of about 75% Morstein and 25% Brunnenhauschen. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink or hold.
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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 wine growers in Westhofen since the 17th century. The experience of some 350 volumes of more than 15 generations is great in the priceless 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, while maturing in 80 wooden barrels. The oldest of these barrels is from the year 1890 and has already housed many great vintages. Each barrel contains the harvest of 1 single vineyard plot.
Star winemaker Philipp Wittmann (responsible for the cellar and export), together with father Günther (vineyards) and mother Elisabeth (sales), have built a fantastic wine company in Westhofen, Rheinhessen. Since 1990, work has been done biologically and later biologically dynamically. The starting point for the wines is therefore: terroir expression through healthy soil. A low yield per hectare, manual selection of the best grapes and a very slow vinification with natural yeasts without the addition of sulfite on large wooden feeds do the rest. The house is 'the standard' for Rheinhessen and now also a standard for German white in general. This is evident from the enormous flow of international valuations that the wines receive, both higher and lower. For example, Philipp has already twice been named the best white winemaker in Germany by the authoritative Eichelmann in 2003 and 2013. In 2014 he received the same title from Gault Millau. Philipp is married to Eva Clüsserath who owns her own wine estate in the Moselle. Philipp is said to hate August: he has to divide his Grosse Gewächse. This is especially annoying because the demand is increasing and the supply is small. So he actually has too little for everyone. Not surprising, given that his GGs earn up to 96 points from Parker, he was crowned Germany's best white winemaker twice by Eichelmann, winemaker of the year at Gault Millau in 2014, and at Schlemmer Atlas in 2015 and annually in Mainz during the GG tasting as one of the very best!
Wittmann has consistently opted for quality, which means that he only releases the finest fruit from his vineyards as GG. The rest goes in the Westhofener and even the Riesling Trocken is partly made with this noble fruit.
Fris, mineraal en concentrerend van smaak met helder citrusfruit (sinaasappel en citroen), een stoffige krijtigheid en een zijdezachte, mondvullende textuur die in een lange, complexe afdronk uitmondt. Door de levendige zuren en uitgesproken mineraliteit snijdt deze Riesling uitstekend door de rijkdom van gevogelte en schaaldieren, complimenteert de delicate umami van sushi en sashimi en geeft hij frisse salades met vinaigrette extra balans. Probeer hem bij licht gegrilde of in boter gebakken coquilles, dun gesneden soyacured sashimi of een geroosterde kip met citroen en kruiden; ook een salade met citrusdressing of een ceviche versterkt het beste in deze wijn.
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