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Goldatzel, Johannisberger Vogelsang, Riesling Trocken

Rheingau, Germany 2015 (750mL)
$23.00
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Goldatzel, Johannisberger Vogelsang, Riesling Trocken

I’m all for sardonic Englishmen, but the late British novelist (and famed barfly) Kingsley Amis got it all wrong on German wine. “A German wine label is one of the things life's too short for,” he is often quoted as saying, adding that it’s “a daunting testimony to that peculiar nation's love of detail and organization.” I beg to differ.
I live for the kind of place-specific geekery that graces even the most modestly priced German wines; once you get the hang of it, you’re transported to some of the most bucolic, historic, painstakingly cared-for vineyards in the world, and the wines unfailingly deliver. This bone-dry Riesling from Goldatzel, an up-and-coming property in the Rheingau, is a perfect example: For a whopping $23, you get a chiseled, lovingly crafted white from a historic vineyard in Johannisberg, one of the iconic villages in one of Germany’s most important Riesling terroirs. As far as I’m concerned, life is too short to drink generic wine; all of those long, hard-to-pronounce words on this label are music to my ears.
So, let’s practice: Goldatzel is the name of the estate, a fairly recent addition to the portfolio of German wine impresario/importer Terry Theise. “Johannisberger Vogelsang” is the classic village-vineyard pairing seen on so many German labels: the “-er” suffix means that it’s “from,” or “of” Johannisberg, a village within the city of Geisenheim (where Germany’s most famous enology school is located). Vogelsang is one of a legion of historic (it dates to 1399), whimsically named (it means “birdsong”) vineyard sites devoted to the Riesling grape. “Trocken” means “dry,” which, for many Riesling lovers, is an important clarifier—there’s no room for ambiguity.
 
The Vogelsang vineyard is somewhat atypical in terms of soil composition, with a mix of gravel and stones with a sandy-loam subsoil. Goldatzel’s holdings on this site are more than 70 years old, and are part of a 12-hectare estate managed by young Johannes Gros, working alongside his sister and parents. About 80% of their production is Riesling across different soil types and styles: This 2015 Vogelsang, boasting an extra gear thanks to the sublime 2015 vintage, was fermented on natural yeasts in stainless steel, and boasts incredible clarity and impeccable construction. I can’t help but return to the price for a moment: German Riesling’s baseline of quality-for-dollar may well be the highest of any white wine in the world.
 
In the glass, the 2015 “Johannisberger Vogelsang” from Goldatzel is a greenish-gold in the glass, with a highly perfumed nose of lime blossom, white peach, petrol (thanks, 2015), white flowers, green mango, and crushed stones. These flavors carry through to a medium-bodied palate of real substance and mouth-watering acidity. It finishes with a mineral flourish, without any lingering sweetness despite all the generous fruit. Delicious now, I’d give it maybe 30 minutes in a decanter before serving in all-purpose white wine stems or specialty Riesling glasses, at a temperature of about 45 degrees. If you were to lay some down, it should continue to improve through 2020, and will make a perfect partner to a wide variety of Thai, Malaysian, and Vietnamese dishes. I love the flavor components in the attached Thai Green Mango Salad. As always, good German Riesling makes me hungry. And I’m already thirsty, so we’re good to go! Enjoy.
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Country
Germany
Region
Rheingau
Sub-Region
GermanyVogelsang Vineyard
Soil
Gravel & Sandy Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Riesling 100%
Alcohol
12.0
TEMP.
45
Glassware
All-Purpose White or Riesling Stems
Drinking
Now-2020
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Thai Green Mango Salad

Germany

Western Germany

Pfalz

The Pfalz is Germany’s second-largest wine region (behind Rheinhessen, which it borders to the south). The vineyards are situated between the thickly forested Haardt Mountains and the western bank of the Rhine River, with soils that are rich in loam mixed with sandstone, loess (wind-blown silt), and chalky clay.

Western Germany

Rheinhessen

he Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest-production wine zone and, in comparison to some of the dramatic valleys further north, is a more open landscape of gently rolling hills.

Western Germany

Saar

The Saar River is a tributary of the Mosel (and in-cluded in the broader “Mosel-Saar-Ruwer”) PDO designation with vineyards perched on steep slopes of blue Devonian slate. The rocky soils and cool temperatures of these northerly valleys produce Germany’s most chiseled, high-acid  styles of Riesling.

Southwestern Germany

Baden

Baden, Germany’s southernmost wine region, has a long history with the “Pinot” family. The region’s vineyards were planted by the same Cistercian Monks who established Pinot Noir in Burgundy. Bordered by the Rhine River and the Black Forest, Baden has diverse soils—everything from loess (silt) to volcanic tuff to limestone, the most prized Pinot Noir soil of all.

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