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Pfalz, Germany
Hand-picked and organically cultivated grapes only, from the Haardter Bürgergarten vineyard which faces south east. It's rated as Grosses Gewächs (or Grand Cru) The wine was naturally fermented and raised in a mixture of steel tanks and five-year-old 600-litre Halbstück ovals (25%) for 10 months. Franzen finds this combination—allied with extended lees aging—results in more expressive, less reductive wines that are more approachable on release. Aromas of orange blossom, coconut, passion fruit and white peach. Juicy fruit in the mouth, highlighted with an exceptional freshness. Creamy, dense and fine. Elegant acid structure surrounded by gorgeous silky fruitiness with a touch of salinity on the exceptionally long finish. Pair with a rocket, prosciutto and apple salad or a prawn risotto.
Hand-picked and organically cultivated grapes only, from the Haardter Bürgergarten vineyard which faces south east. It's rated as Grosses Gewächs (or Grand Cru) The wine was naturally fermented and raised in a mixture of steel tanks and five-year-old 600-litre Halbstück ovals (25%) for 10 months. Franzen finds this combination—allied with extended lees aging—results in more expressive, less reductive wines that are more approachable on release. Aromas of orange blossom, coconut, passion fruit and white peach. Juicy fruit in the mouth, highlighted with an exceptional freshness. Creamy, dense and fine. Elegant acid structure surrounded by gorgeous silky fruitiness with a touch of salinity on the exceptionally long finish.
Pair with a rocket, prosciutto and apple salad or a prawn risotto.
Varietal / Blend: Riesling
Decant: Not necessary
Closure: Cork
Farming Practices: Organic
Alcohol: 13.0%
There are several reasons this producer remains under the radar for many Riesling lovers. Firstly, at 20 hectares, this is a small estate by regional standards and one whose discreet owners have been happy to keep out of the limelight. There’s never been a strong emphasis on export, and its star vigneron, Martin Franzen, is never more comfortable than when cloistered within his vineyards. Franzen may be one of Germany’s more progressive winegrowers, though one could imagine him thinking that ‘Marketing’ is a small town in rural Austria.
Then there are the wines themselves. Under the Mosel-born Franzen, this historic Estate has become known for producing some of Pfalz’s most ethereal and fine-boned wines: tightly packed, unshowy Riesling that can take years to uncoil. A far cry then from Pfalz’s upfront, stand and deliver norm. That said, without dialling down Catoir’s traditional styel, the wines here have been gently evolving towards a more expressive, textural and intense style.
