2014 Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling Q.b.A. trocken Edition G.C.

Vinous: Bürklin-Wolf replanted their Reiterpfad holdings in 2004 and this represents the first occasion when fruit from the young vines was deemed ready to debut as “G.C.” The results demonstrate the superb and underappreciated potential of this year of a notoriously cool damp summer and consequent slow ripening pattern. Although alcohol here is around 13% and total acidity not even quite six grams, there is a sense both of buoyancy and of brightness typical for the best 2014s. And it would be hard to convince me that it’s merely power of suggestion to describe this wine’s personality, too, as “cool.” Understated for a Ruppertsberger, its juicy apple and white peach fruit are subtly inflected with green herbs, marine minerality and bittersweet inner-mouth perfume. A hauntingly sustained finish both soothes and refreshes, stimulating the salivary glands and rendering the next sip irresistible. (The portion of the Reiterpfad Einzellage in question – in which von Buhl also has holdings – has subsequently been registered within the VDP as a “Grosse Lage” with the full name “Reiterpfad in der Hohl.”) - David Schildknecht, Jun. 2018