2021 Riesling Meerspinne Mandelgarten Grosses Gewachs

Christmann's 2021 Meerspinne Gimmeldingen Riesling Grosse Lage is deep, intense and aromatic on the remarkably complex, elegantand finely concentrated nose that intermingles ripe and refined Riesling aromas with notes of crushed stones and fine phenols. Dense and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, saline, pure and seriously structured Meerspinne with lemon zest notes, fine tannins and persistent salinity in the long and complex finish. Lots of music and tension. Tasted in Wiesbaden in August and at the domaine in November 2022, when the wine showed still very young but finer and more relaxed. 12.5% stated alcohol. The Gimmeldinger Meerspinne is located on a foothill that slopes down to the southeast toward the Rhine. Situated at the exit of the Gimmeldingen Valley, the microclimate is characterized by large day-night differences caused by the nocturnal flow of cold air from the Palatinate Forest. The hill consists of massive limestone in the subsoil. On this limestone ridge, a mixture of downslope eroded red sandstone debris and blown calcareous loess was deposited over centuries. Until 2014, Christmann used the name Mandelgarten; from the 2015 vintage onward, the domaine used the historical name of the site again, Meerspinne, whose history and reputation dates back more than 550 years.