Schloss Johannisberg Gruenlack Riesling Spatlese 2023

Profile & Story

Schloss Johannisberg's single 50-hectare estate vineyard, enclosing the historic castle above the Rhine in the Rheingau, is the site of the 1775 'discovery' of Spatlese winemaking, when a delayed harvest-order courier from Fulda led monks to press deliberately overripe, botrytis-touched grapes -- a happy accident the estate has commemorated in its portfolio since. Grunlack ('green wax seal') is Schloss Johannisberg's flagship Spatlese, in the estate's color-coded quality system, and has been part of the Schloss Johannisberg range since 1775. Soils are Taunus quartzite with loam and loess overlays. This is a Deutscher Pradikatswein Spatlese, 8.5% ABV, RS 76.2 g/l, TA 8.6 g/l -- a fuller, sweeter step up from the estate's Rotlack Kabinett.