2021 Schloss Johannisberger GG Silberlack

The 2021 Riesling Schloss Johannisberg Silberlack Grosses Gewächs was harvested in the triangular Langenberg parcel, starting in the mid-slope, stretching southwest, the best of the estate. The wine was fermented in Stück and spent ten months on gross lees, then a further six months in stainless steel, and bottled in February 2023. Lemon and crushed rock are the twin sensations on the nose, with suspicions of more aromatic citrus in the background, perhaps grapefruit and green Seville orange. The palate is bright and vivid with a freshness that is seemingly bedded on air. Again, the wine is understated, elegant, serene and unshowy but quietly convincing. There is slenderness and a core of fine, citric concentration that just flows. The midpalate conjures a subtle spectrum of zesty but buffered yellow-green citrus. The 2021 is bone-dry, elegant and understated. (Bone-dry)

You need a long attention span for this one, but if you give it that, then it richly repays you. This wine has a timeless quality that is far removed from the fruit-driven wines that are the norm for this aromatic grape. Deep dried stone fruit and mandarin orange aromas with notes of dried flowers and saffron. Enormous structure and minerality is packed into a sleek silhouette. And what a long, muscular tail this feline dry riesling has! Matured for 10 months on full lees in oak casks, then on the fine lees in stainless steel until bottling in February. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.