Of course, weather data and new climatic patterns due to global warming are one thing and wine in the glass is another. Over the last couple of months as I tasted my way through Rheinhessen I was struck again and again by how well the leading winemakers have adapted to the new conditions. Nowhere was this more striking than at the husband and wife double act of Battenfeld-Spanier (he being H.O. Spanier) & Kühling-Gillot (she being Carolin Gillot). This year they celebrated their 20th anniversary of winemaking together with an amazing range of Riesling GGs. Here you have the opportunity to compare wines from the Wonnegau (Battenfeld-Spanier) and the Nierstein-Nackenheim area (Kühling-Gillot) made by the same team in the same cellar with the same unwavering commitment to top quality. It offers cast iron proof that nowhere on Planet Wine is there a single Holy Terroir that's inherently superior to all the rest, rather each important vineyard location has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The art is to master the latter, and this double act has done that for all their top sites.
2025 Rothenberg wurzelecht VDP.Grosses Gewächs 99/100
Don’t waver. Turn the corner and enter a new dimension that has nothing to do with size or weight, and everything to do with purity and tension. The wetness of the stone and the stoniness of water combine to create a weightless wonder with enveloping saltiness.
2025 Kreuzberg VDP.Grosses Gewächs 99/100
Welcome to Arakis, the spice planet in the Dune novels and movies! A spiritual giant stands on a physical giant’s back to create a mind-expanding experience. Huge finish, but there’s a wonderful freshness that keeps everything diamond-bright.
2025 Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott VDP.Grosses Gewächs 98/100
A giant dry Riesling that makes the earth move. Huge structure and stature, but this is no monolith that towers over us like a massive limestone cliff. Exciting kafir lime freshness electrifies the creamy finish, propelling it forward with great energy.
2025 Pettenthal VDP.Grosses Gewächs 98/100
What a ravishingly elegant wine that has such overwhelming finesse and near-perfect balance. The aromas hover on the borderline between northerly notes like rose hip, white tree fruits and tropical ones like passion fruit and mangosteen. Then, an incredible herbal freshness builds at the super-refined finish.