WEINWISSER, GIUSEPPE LAURIA

Top Winemakers: In a League of Their Own
The finest 2023 wines are true to the vintage, showcasing dense structure with substance, refined fruit, coolness, elegance, tension, and freshness. Among our top contenders are remarkable wines from the usual suspects, who have long been playing in a league of their own. In Rheinhessen, this includes Hans Oliver Spanier, with his two wineries in the Wonnegau and Roter Hang regions.

The Winning Wines of the Vintage
This year’s vintage champions include three wines from Hans Oliver Spanier. From his signature limestone terroir, he has crafted two moving wines: the Frauenberg (19+/20) and the Rothenberg (19.5/20), the latter rooted in the red clay slate terroir of the Roter Hang. These wines left me in awe with their effortless elegance. The Rothenberg, in particular, is a thrilling, mineral-driven, and terroir-focused Riesling from the Roter Hang. It demonstrates the world-class potential of this site when the vines are adequately watered, despite the challenges of dryness.

Additionally, there is the magnificent Kreuzberg, grown in the Zellertal on the border of Rheinhessen but officially part of the Pfalz. This wine is another great, terroir-driven Riesling of impressive precision, joined by Kühling-Gillot’s outstanding Pettenthal.

Best-of-Tabelle Riesling Pfalz:

2023 Kreuzberg VDP.Grosses Gewächs 19+/20 

Best of Rheinhessen:

2023 Rothenberg wurzelecht VDP.Grosses Gewächs 19.5/20 

2023 Pettenthal VDP.Grosses Gewächs 19+/20

2023 Riesling «C.O.» Steinlinden Liquid Earth 19+/20

2023 Frauenberg VDP.Grosses Gewächs 19+/20