Quite often I review wines from the Rheinhessen, Rheingau or Mosel regions in Germany, but I’ve not written about as many wines from Pfalz. This is somewhat surprising as Pfalz is the second largest wine region in Germany by acreage and often the largest by volume of wine produced.
It lies in the Rhine valley just south of the Rheinhessen wine region — the largest wine region in Germany. Like many parts of Germany, riesling is the most common variety grown here and that is what I’m tasting today.
They say, “you are what you eat.” Meaning that the health and well being of your body is, in part, based on the foods you consume. Likewise plants are what they eat and different types of soil nurture different qualities in plants. This riesling is sourced from terraced vineyards where the soil is partially sandstone and partially limestone, which the producer, Gerd Stepp, believes gives this wine minerality.
This wine was sent to me and is sold in the US by Naked Wines. They no longer have the 2016, but are offering the 2017 vintage currently. If it’s anything like the 2016, I’m in!
Honeysuckle, white peach and mineral aromas give this wine a lovely nose. On the palate it delivers tart white peach, green apple, pineapple and salty mineral flavors. The acidity is good and vibrant, which really makes your mouth water. The mouthfeel is nice. It has a fairly long finish with tart and salty tropical flavors. This is a very refreshing and easy to drink riesling.
Wine: G. Stepp, Riesling, Sandstone
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $13.99 for NakedWines.com Angels, $24.99 for non-Angels
Disclosure: This wine was provided as a media sample.
