First introduced in 2013, this village-level Riesling aims to reflect the village of Forst in general. Depending on the vintage, the wine is based on declassified fruit from one or more of the estate's Grosse Lage (Great Growth) vineyards. This year, the blend is made up of fruit from Ungeheuer, Pechstein and Jesuitengarten. All great vineyards! The basalt-rich soils and the low yields of these sites have generated a cuvée with far more structure, texture and mineral intensity than the popular entry-level Riesling QbA. Fermented in large dopplestücks (wooden casks) and stainless steel, with seven months on full lees, the quality here showcases the wine's GG vineyard origins with incredible finesse and class. Expect a textural Riesling tsunami of citrus pith, chamomile and saline notes and a long, vibrant and mineral close.
Sourced from across the Grosses Gewächs sites and raised in tank plus a minority of cask, this leads with an unexpected and seductive suggestion of Gewürztraminer by way of rose petal, mint, thyme and smoky black tea. The combination of cooling and stimulatingly smoky notes with inner-mouth perfume is beautifully complemented by a silken texture and an impressively persistent, invigorating sense of active stony impingement that local terroirists will tell you is a function of basaltic soil. This much is for sure: a combination of aromatic effusiveness and textural richness with animation and buoyancy such as this village-level offering represents is rare enough in any dry German Riesling.