Riesling Pettenthal GG 2018

Wine Description for Riesling Pettenthal GG 2018 by Schätzel

Colour & Appearance

Luminous straw yellow with lively green reflections – brilliantly clear, suffused with youthful energy.

Nose

A herbal-spicy, almost ethereal bouquet: fennel, anise and lemon thyme meet citrus zest, green mandarin and quince. Beneath this hovers a whisper of vetiver and an unmistakable spontaneous fermentation note – slightly reductive, yet charged with tension. No loud primary fruit, but concentrated essence.

Palate

The attack is cool, lean and focused – then uncompromising intensity unfolds. A sinewy, vertical acidity structure moulds the wine with almost ascetic precision. Fine salinity, youthful tannins as delicate as fine sandpaper, alongside a lean, citrus-driven fruit that nestles in elegantly. Everything pared down to essentials – substantive, yet never boastful.

Finish

Long, mineral, possessed of great inner calm. The wine concludes with austere spice and lingering, saline freshness – a finish that whets the appetite for the next sip whilst simultaneously hinting at the wine’s considerable ageing potential.

Terroir & Origin

The Pettenthal on the Roter Hang in Rheinhessen is regarded as one of Germany’s great Riesling vineyard sites. Schätzel’s stoniest and most reserved parcel – one that, by experience, takes longest to open up. A wine that demands patience and rewards it.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Riesling, harvested according to Kai Schätzel’s own „Golden Cut“ principle: 90–100 days after flowering, when the grapes shift from green to golden yellow. Grapes are foot-trodden, one week of skin contact, then spontaneous fermentation in large and half-large wooden casks. Maturation on full lees, without pre-clarification – biodynamically farmed, dry farming, minimal intervention. Just 11.5% alcohol – a wine that prioritises elegance over extraction.

Food Pairing Suggestions

The saline minerality and herbal-spicy freshness make this wine an ideal companion for vegetarian California rolls, king prawns in XO sauce or the surprisingly harmonious contrast with crispy pork belly with light miso, spring onions and shiitake.

Special Notes

This wine was bottled three days before its premiere – another batch was still maturing on full lees at the time of tasting. If you have the patience: wait. The Pettenthal rewards patience with complexity that is only hinted at today.