ProWein, Day2, Part 1

 Today started with a tasting of a few selected German Rieslings, followed by Piedmont reds.

The first stop was at Schloß Johannisberg, perhaps Germany’s most famous winery. They are mainly known for off-dry and sweeter Rieslings, but I wanted to try the dry Rieslings. The wines are distinguished by the colour of the caps. First up is the 2023 Bronze Riesling. The citrus flavour is nice, but the wine lacks concentration. The 2022 Silver Riesling is better. It has a satisfying fuller mouthfeel of citrus flavours. I then tried the same wine from 2015. This wine was still fresh, quite elegant, with added complexity- the pick of the three.

Then it was over to Robert Weil, my favourite Riesling producer from the Rheingau. The two key wines are the Klosterberg and the GG Turmberg. Both were available from 2024, and clearly a bit young. The Klosterberg is a bit fruity at the moment, whereas the Turmberg already showed its steeliness on the palate, minerality on the finish, and great length.

Finally, for a different expression, a tasting at Reichsrath von Buhl from the Pfalz. The 2022 Ungeheuer, grown on slate, is excellent. It is quite full bodied, as you would expect from a Pfalz wine of this year, but slaty minerality is shining through on the very long finish. The 2022 Pechstein, from black volcanic rock is quite different. This wine is extra dry and salty - quite interesting and good.

Now over to the Italian pavilion, where I happen to start at Vietti, which turns out to be the ProWein highlight. I start with the 2022 Nebbiolo Perbacco. This wine has set the standard for Langhe Nebbiolo in the last few years. And the 2022 does not disappoint. The wine is dry and quite elegant. Perhaps it does not reach the hights of 2019 or 2021, but it is still a top choice for Langhe Nebbiolo. I then tasted one Barbaresco and 7(!) Barolos from the 2021 vintage. The Barbaresco Roncagle is a beautiful wine. It is elegance over power, and a great example of Barbaresco at its finest.

When it comes to the Barolos, where to begin? The blended Barolo was quite attractive. It is quite a dry wine, with excellent definition. It appears a bit reserved and lean now, but the purity of fruit, the balanced structure and the firm tannins are there for this to develop into an excellent wine. The standard of the single vineyard wines was outstanding. It comes down to preference. Mine was the Cerequio from La Morra, and the Lazaretto from Serralunga, both amazing wines. The former stood out for its freshness, minerality, and energy. The latter impressed with its bigger mouthfeel, reflecting limestone drive and iron soil fullness, while retaining elegance all the same - the power and the beauty. Then comes the Rocche di Castiglione with typical dark fruit and a very long finish. The Ravera has a complex palate with some meat character coming through. The Monvigliero from the north includes 60% wholebunch, and showed a little broader in the mouth. The only one which did not impress me that much was the Brunate, which I found a bit blocky. Overall, these wines combine excellent fruit clarity, drive, expression of their terroir, power, balance, and elegance. The Lazaretto is close to perfection. The only drawback: pricing has gone quite stratospheric. If that is a problem, and it would be for most of us, enjoy yourself with the Perbacco.

It would be very hard for the other two Piedmont wineries I tasted from to match this, and they could not. G.D. Vajra has a decent profile, but the 2021 Barolos were not in Vietti’s league. Albe, Coste di Rose, and Bricco delle Viche were fruity and less complex.The exception was the Ravera, which was more concentrated, elegant, and long. This is a wine in the top tier. I also tasted the Serralunga Barolo from their second winery, Luigi Baudana. This was a more concentrated wine, but not overly complex.

I finally tasted an interesting set of wines from Oddero. The 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo from 40 year old vines in La Morra was fresh, with good fruit purity and elegance - a find. The 2022 Barbaresco Gallina, grown on sandy soil, is quite light and soft, with a silky mouthfeel. I enjoyed this. I was less impressed with the 21 Barolo from two vineyards in La Morra and one in Costello. It came up a bit short. The 2019 Bussia Reserva, from a good area of this very large vineyard, was more impressive. The fruit is quite concentrated, and the wine powerful, while retaining elegance - just not quite in the Vietti league.

Phew! This was only part one of day two.