2008 Riesling Birkweiler Kastanienbusch Grosses Gewächs

The Kastanienbusch is certainly the most esteemed site in the southern Pfalz, that part of the winegrowing region near the Alsatian border that is also known as the Palatinate. It is also, at an altitude of 320 meters, one of the highest. A southeast-facing amphitheater, woods at the crest of the hill protect it from westerly winds. Today a full 80 hectares of vineyards are officially allowed to use the name Kastanienbusch, but less than a quarter of those are truly Grosses Gewächs.

Although parts of the entire site have more chalk or colored sandstone, Hansjörg Rebholz’ family has owned a prime cut of about two hectares high up the slopes for over a hundred years. These were replanted in 1950 during the vineyard’s reconstruction. His parcel is composed of weathered slate of a reddish hue from iron deposits that run through it in veins. Wild herbs and bracing minerality are only two of the descriptors often used to describe these Rieslings, 6,000 to 9,000 bottles of which are produced in an average year. As he generally crushes quite late, Hansjörg Rebholz was faced with a rapid spread of botrytis during the 2013 harvest and thus made only a sumptuous Auslese (93) from that vintage, no Grosses Gewächs.