2023 Riesling Vulkangestein

Tim Fröhlich is very happy with his 2023 harvest but notes that it was a vintage where you could tell the wheat from the chaff. Initially, it seemed “like a year that would land in your lap. We had rain at the ideal times, and Fröhlich insisted his team stay throughout the summer. They had done the all-important de-leafing in spring within the canopy to create ventilation, but with sufficient moisture, this remained an important task, as did mowing between the rows to prevent rot. This continuous preparatory work helped him and his team with a relatively swift harvest as there was less to sort out as the grapes remained healthy and could be harvested at good ripeness. Fröhlich also credits his steep, stony slopes and their excellent drainage, as well-drained soils are less of a risk factor for rot. Picking started on 16 September and was done within four weeks. The second half of the harvest was “more relaxed” and had better weather than the first. It yielded perfectly healthy grapes “from Gutswein to Auslese.” On the last day of harvest, 15 October, Fröhlich picked Auslese in the Felseneck. The wines received barely any skin contact, and malolactic fermentation was avoided for the white Pinot varieties. He says this was “an early and warm year but with sufficient freshness. Those who invested [in year-round, fine-tuned viticulture] had a great harvest.” The wines present effortless elegance (when, in fact, everything was about effort), and the barrel samples of the GGs I tasted were the final blends—pictures of poise rather than power.