Every August, the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), an association of 200-plus renowned wine estates in Germany, hosts its “Sneak Preview VDP Grosses Gewächs” event. The three-day tasting in Wiesbaden showcases the new Grosses Gewächs (GGs), which are the dry wines produced in grosse lage, or grand cru, vineyards. These wines represent the very pinnacle of German terroir, and vintners must meet the strictest of criteria to earn the right to slap a GG logo on their bottles.
In 2023, 599 GGs in total were produced from various vineyard sites and producers. Some of these wines are super rare, with less than 1,000 bottles produced, while others enjoy greater quantities. On average, GG wines this year were produced in batches of 3,000 bottles.
Given that GGs cannot be released before September one year after harvest, the event gave attendees an exclusive opportunity to experience the latest vintage before it hits the market. Here are my reflections.
Rising Above the Effects of Extreme Weather
Naturally, the spotlight was on Riesling, Germany’s signature variety. However, out of the more than 450 wines presented, a third featured other varieties, displaying the growing diversity of German wines.
Most white wines came from the 2022 vintage, which witnessed one of the driest summers on record. Yet, with clever and meticulous farming, the year produced some solid wines, especially at the highest level. However, it would be unfair not to mention that some showed unfavorable characteristics of the growing season.
A mild winter and bountiful rainfalls marked the start of 2022, impacting production. “At that point, we were little aware of how crucial those early rains would prove in securing the later survival of several of our vineyards,” says Nicolas Langer, export manager at Robert Weil, the renowned VDP member estate from Rheingau.
Higher-than-average temperatures and abundant sunshine in the spring spurred rapid growth in the vineyards and many vintners decided to reduce their yields in order to reach maximum quality for their GGs. But then Mother Nature pulled the handbrake, as the rain clouds kept taking detours and the long summer drought settled in. The lack of water stressed the vines and de-accelerated the ripening process.
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“Thanks to intensive work in the vineyards and the strength of the old vines, the dryness of the summer months was fortunately hardly a problem for our vineyards,” says Philipp Luckert of Zehnthof Luckert from Franken. Indeed, the soil work in the vineyard proved to be a decisive factor for preserving the winter water reserves.
Making the vintage even more challenging, rainfalls during the harvest kept German vintners on their tiptoes until the finish.
“Due to our early yield reductions and the careful and elaborate selection during the hand picking, we were able to meet our very high-quality standards for all grape varieties,” says Hans Rebholz of Ökonomeriat Rebholz, one of the leading VDP estates from Pfalz. “During the harvest, it was very important not to use any grapes from vines stressed by the drought, as this would lead to bitter tones and early aging of the wines,” he says.
Still, the yields were higher than in the previous three vintages, with 62 hectoliters per hectare. Of course, the harvest for GGs is limited to a maximum yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare.
Big Takeaways
At the GG level, wines from the 2022 vintage show an uncharacteristic approachability, although quality proved inconsistent. Overall, they show their pedigree and require less patience than their counterparts from classic vintages. This makes them perfect to enjoy while waiting, for example, for the 2021 vintage to unravel.
The bitter notes did appear in some of the wines, and some showed the effects of sunburn. It was felt especially in Mosel Riesling, although wines made along the Saar (Mosel’s tributary river) by Weingut Peter Lauer were some of the most impressive of the tasting. The outfit’s Riesling Feils GG 2022 is at the very top of the vintage for me, combining power and elegance with sleek texture. The collection of Heymann-Löwenstein winery, located in Terrassen Mosel, was another highlight of the Mosel offering.
My favorite Rieslings came from Pfalz. They showed friendly fruity and floral aromas, with ideal acidity and expressive aromas. The usual suspects—Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Kastanienbusch GG and Riesling Pechstein GG from Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan—justified their reputation, as well as the wines from A. Christmann. Pleasant surprises came from Theo Minges Riesling Schäwer GG, which provided a barrel sample, and Georg Mosbacher Kieselberg GG.
Nahe and Rheinhessen delivered, with Schlossgut Diel and Schäfer-Fröhlich, Wittmann and Wagner-Stempel starring in their respective regions. Wagner-Stempel’s Riesling Scharlachberg GG was particularly impressive, underlined by a crystalline acidity that kept it fresh and served as a strong backbone for aging.
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Besides Riesling, Spätburgunder (the German name for Pinot Noir) was the second-most represented variety. Spätburgunders from Rudolf Fürst from Franken and Bernhard Huber from Baden inviolably lead the group. Other highlights for Spätburgunder included wines from Franz Keller, Salwey, and Rainer Schnaitmann.
These wines show that the 2021 vintage produced incredibly fine Pinot Noirs, somewhat similar to 2017. This is a result of an unusually late harvest, bettered by the warm and dry September, which helped ripening without stress from rain. This encouraged development of complex aromas and flavors in the grapes, while the acidity remained firm, lending the wines vivacity and great aging potential.
When it comes to Silvaner, once Germany’s most-planted white variety, the 2022 vintage was not the kindest. However, Zehnthof Theo Luckert Silavner Maustal GG 2022 showed that hard work in the vineyards paid off, as it kept focused acidity and delivered complexity. Hans Wirsching Silvaner Julius-Echter-Berg GG, which hailed from the more classic 2021 vintage, was also superb, with polished texture and length.
Lemberger, also known as Blaufränkisch, especially when it hails from the Württemberg region, is a grape to watch in Germany. Here, Rainer Schnaitmann shined again with his Lemberger Lämmler GG 2021, which was medium bodied with plush tannins and vibrant acidity. Beurer Lemberger Mönchberg Schalksberg GG 2020 was a floral version of superb quality, as well.
The year 2022 will be remembered as a challenging vintage, with some impressive wines and a variety of consumer-friendly examples that will shine after only short-term cellaring. Long story short? These wines, in combination with more classic bottlings from 2021 that will need several more years in the cellar, prove that Germany continues to produce diverse offerings.
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Last Updated: September 20, 2023
