Info about the situation
Kastanienbusch lies to the west of Birkweiler. The centrepiece of the site is located in a basin formed by the slopes of the Taschberg in the east, the Kleinenberg and Hohenberg in the north and west and the Kastanienbusch in the south. As a result, the Kastanienbusch is completely shielded from the cold air flowing in from the Palatinate Forest. The vineyards lie 220 to 320 metres above sea level and are up to 40% steep. The "Kastanienbusch-Urparzelle" of the Rebholz winery, which covers over 2 hectares, is located in the uppermost Gewanne; the south-southeast slope, which is up to 35% steep, is the highest GG vineyard in the Palatinate at 280 to 320 metres above sea level. The entire property of more than 4 hectares is located exclusively in the 20.8 hectare core area.
The faulting of the Rhine Graben has caused a strong uplift in the area around Birkweiler, Albersweiler and Frankweiler, which has brought to light very old and otherwise very deep geological formations. In the best-known and original part of the Kastanienbusch vineyard, for example, there are mostly rocks of the "Oberrotliegende", which were formed at the beginning of the Permian geological epoch 280 million years ago. They consist of loose deposits of angular granite, slate or melaphyre. Due to the high iron content, the soil is dark red in colour and has a very good heat storage capacity.
Info about the expansion
After selective manual harvesting in several stages, the grapes were destemmed. The 24-hour maceration period was followed by gentle pressing. Pre-clarification was carried out by natural sedimentation of the must sediment, after which the must was fermented in stainless steel tanks. After 5 months of ageing on the lees, the wine was racked in March 2023 and bottled in July 2023.
Color
Sparkling golden yellow.
Nose
As usual, the 2022 Riesling "Birkweiler Kastanienbusch " GG is still somewhat reserved in its youth and clearly distinctive on the nose. Immediately after opening, it needs air, air, air. After a day of opening, it reveals itself with the typical apple, citrus and vineyard peach notes, but also with flavours of earth, smoke, some tree bark, wild herbs and pepper. It is still holding back at the moment and does not quite want to let us get to know it yet. But you can already sense the beauty and fireworks that this wine will reveal to us with a little maturity.
Palate
The 2022 Riesling "Birkweiler Kastanienbusch " GG is just as powerful on the nose as it is on the palate, with a distinctly fresh acidity that provides a nice counterpoint to the spicy and earthy components that are just as clearly recognisable on the tongue as they are on the nose. In this case too, the Rebholz family has succeeded in creating a wine that shines with its low alcohol content and shows that power and expression can also be achieved excellently with a moderate 12.5 vol.%.
A few days of opening enhance its beautiful elegance and complexity, so if you want to enjoy it at this youthful stage, be sure to open and decant early.
Food recommendations by Christina Hilker
- Peach, cream cheese and pine nut tart
- Grilled salmon on saffron linguine
- Pumpkin with minced lamb couscous filling
