Riesling Pettenthal Auslese Grosse Lage 2023

Wine Description for Riesling Pettenthal Auslese Grosse Lage 2023 by Schätzel

Colour & Appearance

Luminous straw yellow with green reflections – a wine that, despite its Auslese concentration, appears crystalline and youthful in the glass.

Nose

Crystal clear and fascinatingly precise. The aromatics balance virtuously between ripe yellow apple, white peach and mirabelle plum, with the fruits displaying an intoxicating tension between concentrated ripeness and crisp freshness. Subtle notes of raspberry and rosehip lend the bouquet an unexpected red dimension. These are joined by delicate hints of turmeric, dried fruit and herbal accents of marjoram and chervil.

Palate

Here the extraordinary quality of this vintage reveals itself: with just 7% alcohol and 185 g/l residual sugar, the Auslese tastes remarkably light-footed and dancing. The firm 13 g/l acidity lends the wine a playful elegance that defies any heaviness. The wine glides across the tongue with pirouette-like grace, circling its fruit aromas with spice and herb notes – invigorating, never sticky, but of bewitching finesse.

Terroir & Origin

The vines are rooted in the extremely steep vineyard sites of the legendary Roter Hang in Rheinhessen. The iron-rich Rotliegendes imparts this Pettenthal with its characteristic minerality and tension.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Riesling, whole-bunch pressing, spontaneous fermentation in used 600-litre barrel. Eight months of maturation before early bottling – a deliberately purist vinification that preserves the precision of the vintage.

Food Pairing Recommendations

Excellent with foie gras, blue cheese such as Roquefort, apple tarte Tatin or Thai curries with coconut milk. Also a pleasure enjoyed alone for contemplation.

Special Features

Kai Schätzel himself describes this Auslese as the purest of his career: „Concentrated like a TBA, but fresh like a Kabinett.“ An apt description for a wine that redefines the boundaries of its category and proves that great sweet wines need not be heavy.