Christmann | Pfalz | Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling VDP Erste Lage | 2023 | 750ml | bio

Description

Product description for Christmann Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling VDP Erste Lage 2023 (bio)

Info

The year 2023 was long and blessed with periods of beautiful weather. The long-awaited rain in July and August later became a risk. The grapes absorbed so much water that they threatened to burst and then rot. Just in time for the start of the harvest, a long period of good weather set in at the beginning of September, a golden late summer, so everything went well here. The grapes were sorted by hand. The results were magnificent. The Reiterpad vineyard in Ruppertsberg was harvested on September 24th, and bottled in July 2024. The Reiterpfad vineyard covers almost 60 hectares with a gentle east-southeast slope. This terraced site was formed over millennia from the red sandstone scree of the Haardt Mountains. Thanks to the exposure, the sunlight is long and well distributed throughout the day. The Grand Crus from this vineyard come from smaller plots that are closer to the edge of the forest and are cooler. The vines there were planted in 1992. Spontaneous fermentation and aging take place both in large, neutral wooden barrels and in stainless steel tanks.

Colour

Bright straw yellow with light and green reflections.

Nose

The Riesling from the Reiterpfad vineyard in Ruppertsberg has a wonderful aroma of red sandstone and stone fruit. It smells of the Palatinate region and a straightforward and cool Riesling style. White peach, Nashi pear, and apricot are prominent. A hint of white currant and almost unripe raspberry emerges. The fruit is underscored by cold smoke and damp rock. Linear and straightforward. Chalky and puristic. Nettle, kaffir lime leaves, and bergamot zest are added. Lemon balm, lemon thyme, and coriander provide the necessary freshness. Fennel and chervil seeds underline this beautifully.

Palate

On the palate, it builds up thickly and richly. It is generous and expansive. The fruit concentration conveys no heaviness, but rather intense fruit. Robust, distinctive, crisp, and tart. The bitterness remains elemental. It ensures a high drinking animation. It bundles the fruit delicately and brightly in a filigree beam. Within this context, pressure can certainly be built up. With full finesse, it runs straight through to the finish. Only then do the herbal aromas of the nose reappear. And there in an intense form…

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Keywords: Christmann Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling VDP Erste Lage 2023 bio Pfalz Germany

Wine Advocate

Score: 92+

The 2023 Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling VDP.Erste Lage is still pretty reductive on the nose but deep and intense and based on ripe, intense fruit. Cultivated on weathered sandstone soils, this is a round and textured Riesling that underwent malolactic fermentation and thus comes in with a distinctive texture and is more characterized by its fine tannins rather than the delicate, well-integrated acidity. 12% stated alcohol. Diam 30 cork. Tasted at the domaine in January 2024.
Stephan Reinhardt

Vinous

Score: 93

The 2023 Riesling Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Erste Lage has a gentle creaminess on the nose and creamy stone fruit on the palate, featuring ripe, smooth white peach and pale Reine Claude plum. This comes together beautifully, tenderly, on a slender palate but with a stony texture made emollient by the gentlest wood. (Bone-dry)
— Anne Krebiehl MW
Drinking window: 2028 – 2050
Review date: Sep 2024

Producer website: https://weingut-christmann.de/en/