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Tasting note
When a PhD geologist and a former sommelier join forces to make wine, the result is precision in the glass. Eric Barnert and Götz Drewitz cultivate tiny, terraced steep slopes between Bensheim and the Odenwald – parcels that would have been abandoned elsewhere. The “Fürst” is their shining example of why this rescue mission is so worthwhile.
- Colour & appearance
- Medium straw yellow, clear and vibrant in the glass.
- Nose
- A bouquet of fascinating tension between reduction and oxidation, with an almost Jura-like minerality: rock dust, graphite, wet stone with lichen. Alongside notes of apple, cider apple and pear, rounded off by tangerine zest.
- Palate
- Salty and succulent yet silky, with fruit of fresh and mellow pome fruit that seems enveloped in cream. The ripe, impeccable acidity – shaped by granite – provides drive and pace; extended lees ageing lends substance, salinity and a touch of fine sweetness. A complete, multi-layered Riesling that immediately invites the next sip.
- Finish
- Long and salty, with lingering minerality and precise pressure – a finale that stays in the memory.
- Terroir & origin
- The grapes come from an old vineyard on the western slope of the Odenwald, not far from the renowned Fürstenlager vineyard site. The soil consists of weathered granite grit with slate bands – deeply rooted vines over 40 years old on a steep slope that precludes any mechanisation.
- Grape variety & vinification
- Riesling, hand-harvested, gently pressed over 2.5 hours, moderately settled for 48 hours. Spontaneously fermented in used 500-litre tonneaux, seven months on full lees, bottled unfiltered – with just 44 mg/l total sulphur.
- Food recommendations
- Wonderful with pan-fried pike-perch, a Hessian Handkäse starter or roast chicken with herbs. Also a great match for asparagus with hollandaise sauce and mature mountain cheese.
- Special features
- A Limited Edition of only a few hundred bottles from a rescued top-class vineyard site. Geological insight meets minimalist craftsmanship: spontaneous fermentation, long lees ageing, no filtration – a Riesling without makeup that truly tastes of its mountain.
