2018 Riesling Dhroner Hofberg Grosses Gewächs

Gerhard and Catherina Grans didn’t start picking until September 20, 2018, but they completed their harvest within two-and-a-half weeks. “We’re looking to achieve more purity and precision, less opulence or breadth than in the past,” explained Catherina, with reference to both dry and sweet wines, and to accomplish that means avoiding any risk of overripeness or acid deficiency. For the dry wines, there was still pre-fermentative skin contact in 2018, but less than usual, up to a maximum of 18 hours. Beginning with the 2018 vintage, the Granses’ small share of Piesporter Goldtröpfchen will be directed toward a fourth Grosses Gewächs rather than in the direction of residual sweetness. The complete lineup here remains, however, both notably stripped down and relatively consistent from year to year in comparison with those of most Middle Mosel growers. (For background on Grans-Fassian, consult especially the introduction to my account of their 2014s.)