A bone-dry Großes Gewächs from the Palatinate, bringing its Muschelkalk and clay terroir into the glass with clear fruit, creaminess and deep minerality.
Still reserved, with notes of pencil shavings, apple and pear, accompanied by hints of mango, star fruit, garden herbs and fine stone.
Palate
Juicy, powerful and creamy; white- and yellow-fleshed local fruit, exotic and citrus notes, slightly vegetal nuances, rock dust and herbs — deep, long and marked by a typical Muschelkalk acidity.
Character
A multifaceted, pure Pinot Blanc with stature — entirely without oak influence, elegant, deeply mineral and fermented to uncompromising dryness in the typical Rebholz style.
Pairing
Ideal with pan-fried sea fish with herb butter, veal schnitzel or a mushroom dish with a delicate cream sauce.
Notes
The vines are rooted at around 250 metres altitude on a south-eastern exposure in clay-rich Muschelkalk — spontaneously fermented after slow basket pressing, aged in stainless steel. The estate is organically certified and a member of respekt-BIODYN.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Pale straw yellow, clear and luminous in the glass – the visible coolness of a wine still at the very beginning of its development.
Nose
Initially reserved, almost shy: pencil shavings and fine crushed stone set the tone before apple and pear come to the fore, flanked by a hint of mango and carambola. In between, flashes of garden herbs flicker through – an aromatic profile that demands patience and becomes more generous with every swirl.
Palate
Here the Mandelberg reveals its true stature: juicy, powerful, deep. White- and yellow-fleshed orchard fruit meets exotic notes and citrus hints, accompanied by a lightly vegetal spiciness, stone dust and herbs. Creamy in texture, yet entirely without any influence from wood – clear, pure and multi-faceted. The foundation is carried by the typical, profound Muschelkalk acidity, which lends the wine length and inner tension.
Finish
Long, deep and mineral-driven – the saline limestone signature lingers long after the fruit has faded.
Terroir & origin
The Mandelberg lies south-west of Birkweiler, just 500 metres from the famous Kastanienbusch, at around 250 metres above sea level with a south-easterly aspect. The vineyard site sits on a fault line of the Rhine Graben: Rotliegend, Buntsandstein, Keuper and – crucial for this wine – Muschelkalk, interspersed with clay and somewhat deeper than in the sister site Im Sonnenschein. It is precisely this that gives rise to the slightly riper, creamier character of this Grosses Gewächs.
Grape variety & vinification
Pure Weissburgunder, spontaneously fermented after slow pressing in a basket press and aged in stainless steel. At Rebholz, an uncompromising principle has applied for generations: fully fermented, bone dry, without cosmetic interventions – whatever nature provides goes into the glass unadorned.
Food recommendations
The creamy richness and chalky acidity of this wine call for substance on the plate: poached sole with beurre blanc, saddle of veal with morel jus, grilled cauliflower with almond brown butter or risotto with young vegetables. Also a safe bet with Comté or other mature hard cheeses.
Special features
Within the Rebholz family of Grosses Gewächs wines, the Mandelberg is always the more fruit-driven, more sensual counterpart to the cooler Im Sonnenschein – a Grosses Gewächs from biodynamically cultivated VDP top sites produced by an estate that Robert Parker described as the sharpest interpretation of Palatinate terroir. A wine of stature that already fascinates now and will gain over the years.
