Pfalz Riesling 2016: Restraint Rewarded (Jun 2018)

A juicy, salty, piquant suggestion of white peach near the core is accompanied by Forst-typical high-toned, pungent green herbal notes, here suggestive of peppermint and wintergreen. The palate is silken, cooling, generously juicy and invigoratingly tangy and piquant. The finish is brightly penetrating and delivers the vibrant active sense of mineral and herbal impingement that characterizes top basaltic Forst sites at their best, and that was not so much evidenced in the corresponding young-vines Pechstein. “Bear in mind,” noted Sabina Mosbacher-Düringer when I complimented this wine for a clarity and precision not so often achieved from Ungeheuer, “that with our relatively large surface area on this site, we are able to be more selective than in some other sites.” What’s more, their roughly four acres are split over numerous parcels whose individual microclimates may well contribute enhanced eventual complexity. If you want to know why Ungeheuer – or at least, the best portions of this large Einzellage – are considered top terroir, this wine deliciously explains. Incidentally, it was raised in two of the estate’s remaining old Stückfässer, one of which fermented spontaneously and one of which was yeasted.