The single vineyards' common thread

The Tesch winery in Langenlonsheim can look back on a good three hundred years of history. The winery is a prime example of the successful synthesis of tradition and modernity. Owner Dr. Martin Tesch even received the coveted Red Dot Design Award for the well thought-out and visually appealing bottle design. The microbiologist consistently cut off old habits. He banned the obsolete natural cork in favour of a screw cap and left the regional association of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter on the Nahe because his marketing concept did not fit the ideology of the elitist association.

However, Tesch is by no means an avantgardist. Rather, he knows how to present his dry Rieslings in a contemporary style. These, in turn, show no stylistic ingratiation with the zeitgeist. On the contrary. Soils, exposure of the vineyards, microclimate and vintage are reflected unadulterated in the six single vineyard wines. Riesling lovers with a focus on terroir wines will get their money's worth here.

The 2017s were incredibly juicy, with a vital acidity and impressive mineral depth.

At Tesch the “Unplugged” has the status of an estate wine, a purist Riesling that, true to its name, does without any amplification, i. e. chaptalisation. The 2017 is straightforward, without frills and has a distinctive, yet well-balanced acidity.

The aroma of the “Unplugged”, a discreet fruit that oscillates between green apple, nectarine, grapefruit and peach, can be found in a more complex variation in the first of the single vineyard wines, the slightly herbaceous Langenlonsheim Löhrer Berg, in 2017 overlaid with a typical vintage component reminiscent of ripe honeydew melon.

While loamy soil with gravel predominates in the Löhrer Berg, shell limestone and loess characterise the Langenlonsheim Königsschild and lead to a much finer, more elegant aroma formation in the wine with vegetal notes on the nose and a harmonious, yet vibrant acidity on the tongue.

The Laubenheim Krone sets off for a true fruit explosion in the mouth. Loess loam and weathered red sandstone result here in an expressive juxtaposition of yellow citrus fruit and tropical fruit, underpinned by a little elderberry. A dry Riesling with an extraordinary presence that persists into the finish.

We readily admit to having developed a special fondness for the Laubenheim Karthäuser and its red sandstone soils over the years. This is also reflected in our high rating for the 2017. In fact, at the time of our tasting this year, it is once again the most complete Riesling in the collection. Here we find ripe apricot, peach and a hint of honeydew melon as well as tobacco and herbs. A juicy fullness of fruit meets vibrant acidity, great elegance, length and persistence.

The Laubenheim St. Remigiusberg undoubtedly presents itself with great facilities, but currently still very closed. The Remigiusberg is located directly next to the Karthäuser, but has a completely different soil structure (weathered volcanic rock with iron ore-rich loam). The 2017 is multi-layered and does not yet appear completely cohesive. In the nose, it shows rather discreet fruity hints of yellow stone fruit and a flinty note. On the tongue, it is gripping, even demanding, with a slightly bitter mineral spiciness that immediately spreads to the back corner of the mouth. Without a doubt, the Remigiusberg still needs time to find its inner balance. Whether it will then catch up with its counterparts from Krone and Karthäuser, perhaps even overtake them, is something we cannot assess with certainty at the moment. However, at a follow-up tasting during last year's ProWein, it already presented itself in much better shape.

Curious as to whether there is something like a common thread that can be found in the single vineyard Rieslings every year, we tasted the 2018s. The extremely hot and dry vintage, in which the development of vineyard-specific aromas in the grapes was naturally much more difficult, proved to be a tough nut to crack. Nevertheless, we could see parallels in our tasting: Once again, the Laubenheim single vineyards came out on top and again showed themselves to be more complex and profound overall. Among the competitors from Langenlonsheim, the debutant from the Rothenberg was particularly convincing in 2018. We did not see the Königsschild as strong as last year. This time, the St. Remigiusberg showed its individual class more clearly than the other single vineyards, especially since, in contrast to last year, it surprisingly did not seem closed off at all.