2023 Riesling Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland

Theresa Breuer’s 2023 Rieslings are on song–expressing the light-footed brilliance of the year. “The first half of the year was very dry, and we once again prepared ourselves for the alarming sadness of really dry-stressed vineyards,” she remembers. “The August rains were so good for the vines, even if it meant we had to select at harvest. This is not really a hurdle for us with our well-versed harvest team.” She notes that her three bases, Lorch, Rüdesheim and Rauenthal, fared differently: steep and stony Lorch and Rüdesheim “celebrated” with the water availability, Rauenthal took more of a hit. She comments that Pinot Noir was “difficult,” with “just a small corridor between barely ripe and rotten fruit.” Harvest started on September 4 and finished on September 28. “A very speedy harvest,” she adds, due to disease pressure. The strictly reduced yield in preparation for dryness meant that the rain gave an immense growth spurt to the Riesling when it came. Her focus was on the prime sites, and the effort clearly shows in her wines. However, she also notes 30-40% losses, especially in Rauenthal, where she only bottled a third of the usual amount of Nonnenberg. But 2023 also yielded a brilliant Auslese and an Auslese Goldkapsel.