2023 Riesling Red Stone

The 2023 Rieslings at Gunderloch are exquisite renditions of the Red Slope, packing all that savor and fruit of this Permian escarpment into light-footed yet profound Rieslings. They are a step up from last year with more precision and sinuousness. Johannes Hasselbach tightened his portfolio but introduced a new wine, the elegant Steinkreuz Silvaner. About 2023, he says it started “Superdry. We had almost no rain during the growing period, but we had water reserves from the wet winter. The summer was just warm, not hot, and the grapes developed slowly,” he adds. “The only hitch was harvest. On September 10 and 11, when so many people were hit by hailstorms, we were spared but had torrential rain. Forty liters [40mm] fell in no time, which resulted in intense selection.” Hasselbach’s chief feeling of 2023 was a certain “Grundentspanntheit,” a relaxed default setting, as there was no real stress in the vines, just that intense selection at harvest. He notes the “moderate alcohol levels.” The wines are stunning.