Germany's Greatest Wines: 50 Exceptional German Wines - Falstaff/ Ulrich Sauter

Picture: Annette Schiller and Egon Müller in New York City. See: The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA

Falstaff, a leading German wine and food journal, issued a list of 50 exceptional German wines. The list was put togather by Ulrich Sauter, who is in charge of wines at Falstaff. He took into account a number of factors, but at the end of the day it is a personal list of somebody who really knows German wine,

01 Scharzhofberger Trockenbeerenauslese, Egon Müller-Scharzhof

Already in terms of auction proceeds a world record: At the auction of the Großer Ring in 2015 buyers paid Euro 12,000 plus surcharge for a 0.75-liter bottle. And also otherwise this is a wine of extreme: It brings the highest possible grape maturity from the coolest possible top vineyard in the glass. And: Anyone who puts such a bottle in the cellar still does good to his or her grandchildren and great-grandchildren - these wines are still fresh after 80 years.

Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller with Egon Müller, Weingut Egon Müller, at the Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA, see: The 11 Winemakers: Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA

02 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, J. J. Prüm

If you want to understand classic Mosel wine at its core and enjoy it in its pointed form, you can not ignore this label. Of course, typically Dr. Manfred Prüm and his daughter Dr. Katharina climb up the predicate ladder much higher than the "normal" Auslese. But this wine marks a maximum of its own kind: more drinking pleasure with such a combination of longevity and minerality is hard to imagine.

Picture: Annette Schiller and Manfred Prüm

Picture: Christian Schiller with Katharina Pruem at Wegmans in Virginia. See also: JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans

Pictures: Tasting at the Legendary Weingut J.J. Prüm with Amei Prüm – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

03 Niederhausen Hermannshöhle Riesling GG, Dönnhoff

Far beyond the borders of the Nahe Region - and especially internationally - the Hermannshöhle is the epitome of a dry German sinlge vineyard Riesling with depth and ripeness: What Helmut Dönnhoff has created in three decades in terms of profile and reputation, but above all in terms of qualitative reliability, is now being continued by his son Cornelius.

Picture: Cornelius Dönnhoff, David Schildknecht and Annette Schiller in New York. See: Rieslingfeier 2018 in New York City: Gränd Tasting and Gala Dinner

Pictures: With Helmut Dönnhoff, Weingut Dönnhoff (Nahe), at the 2019 Weinbörse in Mainz. See: Attending the 2019 VDP.Weinbörse - Vintage 2018 - in Mainz - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Pictures: An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

Pictures: Tasting with Anne Dönnhoff. See: Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

04 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Robert Weil
05 Erden Prälat Riesling Auslese, Weingut Dr. Loosen
06 Rüdesheim Schlossberg Riesling (trocken), Weingut Georg Breuer
07 Zeltingen Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*** Goldene Kapsel, Weingut Markus Molitor
08 Geisenheim Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingüter Wegeler – Gutshaus Rheingau
09 Oestrich Lenchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn
10 Scharzhofberger Pergentsknopp Riesling GG, Weingut van Volxem
11 Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Gunderloch
12 Brauneberg Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel, Weingut Fritz Haag
13 G-Max Riesling trocken, Weingut Klaus Peter Keller
14 Würzburg Stein-Harfe, Silvaner GG, Bürgerspital zum Hl. Geist
15 Rothenberg Riesling Alte Reben GG, Weingut Kühling-Gillot
16 Bürgstadt Centgrafenberg Hunsrück Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Rudolf Fürst
17 Erbach Marcobrunn Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern
18 Steinberg Riesling aus dem Cabinetkeller, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
19 Lump Silvaner Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Horst Sauer
20 Assmannshausen Höllenberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut August Kesseler
21 Pünderich Marienburg Raffes GG, Weingut Clemens Busch
22 Walporzheimer Kräuterberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Meyer-Näkel
23 Forst Kirchenstück GG Riesling, Weingut von Winning
24 Winningen Uhlen, Roth Lay Riesling GG, Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein
25 Dorsheim Burgberg Riesling GG, Schlossgut Diel
26 »Heydenreich« Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Friedrich Becker
27 Forst Kirchenstück Riesling GG, Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
28 Bernkastel Doctor Riesling Spätlese, Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch – Erben Müller-Burggraef
29 Kallstadt Saumagen Riesling Auslese trocken RR, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht
30 Oberrotweil Kirchberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Salwey
31 Homburg Kallmuth Silvaner GG Asphodill, Weingut Fürst Löwenstein
32 Forst Kirchenstück Riesling GG, Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl
33 Spätburgunder »Juwel«trocken, Weingut Krone Assmannshausen
34 Spätburgunder Alte Reben trocken, Weingut Jean Stodden
35 Fellbach Lämmler Lemberger GG, Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann
36 Kallstadt Saumagen Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Rings
37 Hochheim Hölle Riesling GG, Weingut Künstler
38 Iphofen Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG, Weingut Hans Wirsching
39 Spätburgunder Rhini trocken, Weingut Hanspeter Ziereisen
40 Neipperg Schlossberg Lemberger GG, Weingut Graf Neipperg
41 Cuvée X trocken, Weingut Knipser
42 Silberlack Riesling GG, Domäne Schloss Johannisberg
43 Würzburg Stein Silvaner GG, Weingut Juliusspital
44 Ruländer »R« trocken, Weingut Reinhold und Cornelia Schneider
45 Bacharach Hahn »Im Hahnen« Riesling GG, Weingut Toni Jost – Hahnenhof
46 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese, Maximin Grünhaus – Schlosskellerei C. von Schubert
47 Fellbach Lämmler Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Aldinger
48 Kirrweiler Mandelberg Weißburgunder GG, Weingut Bergdolt
49 Achkarren Schlossberg Grauburgunder GG, Weingut Dr. Heger
50 »Granat« trocken, Weingut Albrecht Schwegler

Pictures: Christian and Annette Schiller with Wilhelm Weil at Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich

Pictures: Kiedrich: Visit of the Basilica of Saint Valentine and of Weingut Robert Weil - Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)

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Touring the Vineyards of Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Armelle Rion, Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

Picture: Touring the Vineyards of Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Armelle Rion, Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

We visited Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits.The visit consisted of two parts.

First, Armelle Rion joined us in the bus and took us on a tour of the vineyards of Vosne-Romanée.

Seond, we returned to the domaine, where we did a cellar tour and sat down for a tasting with Armelle Rion.

This posting covers the vineyard tour. A second posting will cover the cellar visit and tasting.

Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion is a family affair and we also met Bernhard Rion as well as Melissa and Alice Rion and Alice's husband Louis Rion. With the latter two we recently enjoyed a winemaker dinner at the French Embassy in Washington DC, USA. Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion is well represented in the Washington DC area via Elite Wines.

Pictures: Winemaker Dinner with Alice Rion and Louis Hamman, Domaine Rion, Vosne ­Romanée, Bourgogne, at the French Embassy/ Restaurant Le Café Descartes in Washington DC
he French Embassy in Washington DC

Domaine Rion was founded in 1880 by Pierre Rion. His son Louis substantially enlarged the domaine. Forth generation Bernard Rion now manages the Domaine Rion with his wife Armelle and his daughter Alice. Wine production is very traditional with a high respect for nature. Vineyard management methods rely on natural or very specific products. 'Pheronomes' are diffused around the vineyards to provoke sexual confusion in certain insects eliminating the need to use insecticides. The average vines are over 50 years old and their roots draw nutrition from deep down in the ground.

Pictures: Touring the Vineyards of Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Armelle Rion, Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion

Vosne-Romanee Wine (wine searcher)

wine searcher: Vosne-Romanée is a small commune in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits district, known mainly for its red wine from the Pinot Noir grape. Originally named just Vosne, the village took the suffix Romanée in 1866 in honor of its most prized vineyard, La Romanée. It is often grouped together with the neighboring commune of Flagey-Echézeaux; while the villages are entirely separate, their finest vineyards are clustered together immediately north of Vosne-Romanée.

The classic Vosne-Romanée wine is considered by many to have the perfect balance of weight, structure, elegance and longevity. Tasting notes often refer to a combination of tart red fruits (particularly cherries and raspberries) and darker elements of undergrowth, licorice and smoke.

The village has been a known source of quality wines for more than a thousand years, since the arrival of the monks of the Saint-Vivant monastery. Today, it makes wine almost exclusively from Pinot Noir, although up to 15 percent of the local white varieties are permitted, to allow for natural planting variations and mutations. The wines are made under the Vosne-Romanée communal appellation (with about one-third coming from premier cru sites) and six grand cru appellations, each pertaining to a specific vineyard.

The entire surface area of Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru vineyards is only 27 hectares (67 acres – about half the size of the single Clos de Vougeot climat just across the commune boundary). This is divided between six individual sites: La Grand Rue, La Tâche, Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and the most famous, Romanée-Conti. Despite this small surface area, Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru red wines are some of the most respected (and most expensive) in the world.

Vosne-Romanée's best vineyards lie just above the village, on the mid-slopes of the Côte d'Or; this is where the grand cru sites are located. Around these prestigious sites are dotted the Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards and some entirely unclassified land. The difference between a grand cru vine and one deemed worthy only of the regional Bourgogne appellation is sometimes a matter of a few feet.

Below this mid-slope section the slopes are too shallow to offer any degree of elevation or increased exposure to the sun. On the higher slopes, as the ground rises towards the spine of the Côte d'Or, the mesoclimate cools slightly, reducing the likelihood of the grapes attaining optimum ripeness and complexity.

Pictures: Touring the Vineyards of Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Armelle Rion, Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion

Vosne-Romanée (Clive Coats)

Clive Coats: Nowhere is wine more noble than in Vosne-Romanée. Between the Nuits-Saint-Georges premier cru of Boudots to the south and the walls of the Clos de Vougeot at the northern end lie the 240 hectares of Vosne-Romanée vineyard: the most valuable piece of vinous real estate in the world.

Appellation Romanée Conti Grand Cru: The Romanée-Conti vineyard dominates the village, with its wines among the most expensive in the world. It is a monopole of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Around 600 cases are made each year from the vineyard's 1.8 ha.

Appellation La Romanée Grand Cru: La Romanée is a monopole of the Château de Vosne-Romanée. Only 300 cases are made each year from this plot of 0.84 ha.

Appellation La Tâche Grand Cru: La Tâche is Domaine de la Romanée Conti's other monopole, and its 6 ha consist of the vineyards of La Tâche and Les Gaudichots.

Appellation Richebourg Grand Cru: The 8 ha of the Richebourg cru are divided between 10 growers, including Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanée Conti.

Appellation La Grande Rue Grand Cru: The least-renowned of the six grands crus is a monopole of Domaine François Lamarche, and was only promoted from premier cru recently. Its 1.4 hectares lie between La Tâche and Romanée-Conti.

Appellation Romanée Saint Viviant Grand Cru: Domaine de la Romanée Conti owns over half of the area's 9.5 ha.

Although unable to command the same prices as their grand cru neighbors, the village is home to many excellent premier cru wines. Fifty-eight hectares of this is premier cru, and there are 11 of these. Five of them lie just above the grands crus, six on the same altitude or a little further down the slope.

Back at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits

The tour of the vineyards of Vosne-Romanée ended at the domaine, where we did a cellar tour and sat down for a tasting with Armelle Rion. This will be covered in a separate posting.

Pictures: Back at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits

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Vineyard tour, cellar tour and tasting at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Armelle Rion

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