2018 Pechstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs

Site-typical scents of mint and sage mingle with white peach, leading into a broad, glossy palate impression that is looser than I would have anticipated. Happily, though, this wine is just getting going when one swallows or spits, as its finish delivers clinging stoniness and mouthwatering salinity to accompany cooling, pungent and glowingly piquant cling of fruit pits and resinous herbs. For all of its strengths, though, this impressive offering will hardly lead one to forget its amazing vintage 2017 counterpart.

The extra year in bottle is already putting quite a waxy expression on the nose of von Buhl’s Pechstein, butterscotch points in the direction of oak-ageing. The palate pairs peach with vanilla, but the contact with wood has also given the wine a firm structure. It will be interesting to see how this develops in the long run. (MS)

Tasted as a sample in April 2020, the 2018 (Forster) Pechstein GG its deep and complex on the bright, elegant, stone-scented nose with its concentrated lemon aromas. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this is an electrifying and vibrantly mineral dry Riesling with lots of tension and youthful grip. Though not as rich and round as the sibling from the Jesuitengarten, the Pechstein is a tight and refreshingly mineral Riesling GG with a pure, crystalline and salty finish. Needs some years to gain even more finesse and calmness.