Today’s Grosses Gewächs aka dry “Grand Cru” Riesling has our office abuzz. Though we’ve countlessly referenced these rarefied gems, we’ve never had a clear path to offering one because incendiary demand amongst sommeliers and collectors, coupled with limited quantities, have never allowed it. Still, we’ve been working tooth and nail to secure a sizeable batch over the past five years—and it’s finally paid off.
For those still scratching their head upon seeing
Grosses Gewächs or “GG,” this is the end-all and be-all category for elite dry German Riesling. The world has become enraptured by these texturally rich, explosively mineral gems, and the top bottlings compete at the uppermost level of wine. Does today’s? Of course—we wouldn’t leave you high and dry for five years to bring you anything short of the best. Von Winning is among the greatest producers in the country and their Grand Cru “Kalkofen” bottling is “the bomb of the GGs, the strongest and most voluminous,” according to famed German wine importer, Terry Theise. This is the pinnacle of white wine, and securing 10 cases was the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. My advice? Take at least three bottles and open one every 3-5 years because their cellar appeal and chameleonic evolution is off the charts. There is no other wine on the planet that can replicate Von Winning’s extraordinary Kalkofen GG. It’s a wholly unique experience that will stimulate the senses for hours on end!
Today’s electrifyingly dense ‘GG’ is also a great introduction (if one is needed) to an estate that has become a darling of sommeliers and critics alike. Although its history dates to the mid-1800s, Von Winning’s modern era was ushered in when entrepreneur Achim Niederberger purchased the vineyards and winery and re-launched the Von Winning label in 2007. The estate was originally founded by Friedrich Dienhard, whose descendants are still in the wine business today in the town Koblenz. The name Von Winning didn’t come along until later when Dienhard’s granddaughter, Emma, inherited the property and her husband, Leopold Von Winning, took the reins. The estate then passed through a series of hands and the Von Winning name disappeared until Niederberger came along and revived it.
Sadly, Niederberger passed away (at a young age) in 2013, leaving his wife, Jana, with a many-tentacled wine operation that also includes the Bassermann-Jordan and Von Buhl estates. She is ably assisted at Von Winning by a team led by General Manager Stephan Attman. They have introduced organic farming practices to the property’s enviable collection of vineyards around Deidesheim in the Pfalz, a region which runs towards Germany’s border with Alsace. The Vosges mountain range that shelters Alsace from storms from the West becomes the Haardt mountain range across the border in the Pfalz, so, like Alsace, the Pfalz is a drier, warmer region than some of the other classic regions along the Rhine. This is music to the ears of Grosses Gewächs—wines that are built on powerful structure and textural richness.
At its core, a Grosses Gewächs wine must be from a designated Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) vineyard and fermented dry. “Kalkofen” is one of those Grand Cru vineyards and it lies in the village of Deideshem, Von Winning’s home base. The site is tiny at just five hectares, but it holds a staggering amount of history. It was first documented in 1533 when it held a kiln that supplied lime to local brick factories (Kalkofen = lime kiln). Today, it is a high-density, southward facing vineyard that is surrounded by sandstone walls. Because of the history, sun exposure, and aging potential of the wines crafted from here, “Kalkofen” is an elite Grosse Lage site.
After hand harvesting Riesling from their 60-year-old vines, Von Winning ferments the grapes naturally in barrels of various sizes. They don’t introduce any cultured yeasts, so it often takes months for fermentation to complete. Further, the wine is never racked during maturation in barrel, and bottling is done via gravity, without any fining. Because they harnessed the power of nature in a Grand Cru site, this “Kalkofen” GG can blossom for decades if stored properly—these wines can compete with the world’s greatest whites. That said, the generosity of ‘17 makes for one electrifying, abundantly ripe, minerally explosive Riesling right now. Exotic perfumes pour out of the glass: gardenia, honeysuckle, key lime, citrus blossoms, salted lemon peel, apricot, yellow peach, crushed minerals, herbs, green mango peel, various spices. It makes for one wild ride before your lips even hit the glass. The palate is expansive, ripe, dry, and full-bodied with an energizing, non-stop rush of acidity. Every vigorous sip is full of tension and rich fruit that bounces off a formidable wall of minerals and savory earth. There’s nothing else like. After a 60-minute decant, serve in all-purpose or Burgundy stems around 50-55 degrees and pair it with an exquisite meal—the attached recipe will light up a room. If you’re buying several bottles, remember to stretch them out because “Kalkofen” has a favorably long life ahead of it. Cheers!
