Weissburgunder GG Monopol 2021 3000ml

In 2021, Odinstal Monopol was bottled as a VDP.Große Lage. The grapes come from two plots. The 2004 vineyard was planted on basalt, while the Pinot Blanc was planted on Keuper in 1988.

95% were fermented in used tonneaux made from Palatinate oak. Only 5% were fermented on the skins for eleven months. And yet these 5% make a noticeable impact. In August after the harvest, everything was blended and allowed to mature for a further year on the lees in stainless steel tanks. Shortly before bottling, the wine was lightly sulphurised and bottled without filtration.

The 12.56% alcohol by volume meets a low 0.5g/l residual sugar and crisp 6.1g/l acidity. Its ageing potential should be enormous.

Brilliant golden yellow with light-coloured inclusions

I immediately think of waffles. A combination of baked dough and hot fat. Brioche with salted butter, warm plait with almonds and sultanas.

The 2021 Pinot Blanc from the Odinstal monopollage is the premiere vintage. After this excursion into the art of baking, it also has other attributes. It smells wonderfully of candied and fresh ginger. There is a hint of baked apple with marzipan and sultanas in the air. Caramelised quince and a hint of khaki complement all this. Some artichoke and sweetcorn slowly flow in from the vegetal corner. Never overpowering, but subtly present.

It is then enormously grippy on the palate. Wow. It really packs a punch. It lives from a rich phenolic structure. Its fruit is ripe and full in the centre. This conveys a generous feeling. This warmth is dominated by its structure and present acidity. The acidity is powerful but well-dosed. Its feel, its mouthfeel, this pressure, this astringency. This is a very advanced sip of Pinot Blanc. Probably also a very independent style of Pinot Blanc within the VDP and the world of Grosses Gewächs. Rightly now a part of this seal of quality. Full of flavour, character and length. Its ripe pear fruit with all its facets clings to the palate for minutes.