German Whites

We have thousands of wines. Although we carry many national brands, that is not our focus. The following are well made and generally more interesting wines that we are proud to recommend.

Seehof Riesling Elektrisch Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2023 ($16.89) - Sadly, most wine lovers ignore German wines, but there are so many gorgeous wines that they deserve more attention. The whites pair perfectly with Asian cuisines (Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese) and even Mexican! This pretty wine is just off-dry. It has a very nice acid balance and only 10.5% alcohol. Almost soft on the entry, it has a crisp apple element that lingers.

Nik Weis St.-Urbans-Hof Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben, Mosel, 2020 ($19.99) - Wine Spectator: 92 $23 “This light-bodied, intensely flavored white reveals aromas of sweet woodruff, lime, and green apple that give way to white peach and brown spices. Charming and balanced, with a long aftertaste. Drink now through 2027. 1,400 cases made, 700 cases imported. Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 90 “The 2020 Wiltinger Alte Reben opens pure and fresh with flinty slate and bright fruit aromas on the nose. Round and elegant on the palate, this is a refined, well-balanced, sustainably structured, and salty Riesling with a good, intense finish. 11% alcohol. Drink 2021-2035” Alte Reben translates as “old vines.” It has no legal definition and is defined by each grower.

Weingut Friedrich Becker Pinot Gris, Pfalz, 2019 ($21.99) and Pinot Blanc, Pfalz, 2020 ($19.99) - In addition to the wonderful Pinot Noir that we carry from the Becker family (Pfalz, Germany), we now also have two white wines that deserve your attention. Both are extremely well-made. The Pinot Gris (also called Grauburgunder and is the same grape the Italians call Pinot Grigio) is medium-bodied and impeccably well-made. The Pinot Blanc (also called Weisser Burgunder) is more richly textured, almost viscous, with subtle flavors of apple pie and white peach. The vines grow on chalky soils, limestone, or chalky marl, which gives the wines minerality and aging potential. 

Shelter Winery Lovely Lilly Chardonnay, Baden, 2024 ($19.99) - This gorgeous Chardonnay is from Germany’s Baden region, which lies right over the French border near Alsace. Shelter Winery is a two-person operation (although they do bring in an intern to help with the harvest). Winemakers (and husband and wife) Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf make two different excellent Chardonnays; only this one is available in the US. No herbicides or pesticides are used in the vineyards; harvest is done completely by hand. Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 92 “Vinified in 80% stainless steel and 20% used pièces (a pot-bellied barrel) for six months, the 2024 Chardonnay Lovely Lilly offers a clear, fresh, and aromatic bouquet with a sweet and intense core and notes of white flowers and lemony herbs. Refined and elegant on the palate, this is a balanced, medium-bodied yet quite intense white with ripe pear aromas, fine tannins, and saline, even mouthwatering acidity. It has a very good, refreshing, and uplifting aftertaste. This is a gorgeous wine by itself, but it’s spectacular, given the price. It is sold simply as Chardonnay in the US, with a colored parasol on the label. 12.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Drink 2025-2033.”

Dreissigacker ORGANIC Riesling Trocken, Rheinhessen, 2020 ($23.99) - Nice wine with pure, ripe, and bright bouquet of lychee, pear, and vanilla. Salty and piquant with lush fruit and good intensity. Excellent.

√√Dr. Lippold Empress Josephine’s Riesling Hochgewächs, Mosel, 2022 ($21.49) - Such good quality for the price! Globe-trotting enologist Dr. Enno Lippold makes wine in Italy (the delicious Altanuta Pinot Grigio that we carry), Spain, South Africa, and New York in addition to his native Germany. He owns “premier cru” and “grand cru” vineyard sites in the town of Urzig in the beautiful Mosel Valley, where unique slate soils, steep slopes, and a cool climate have made it a premier source of Riesling wines for over 2000 years. “La Moselle” was part of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte. Tradition has it that his wife, Empress Josephine, was thrilled with the exotic fragrance and elegant, fruity taste of these wines while on a trip to Treves (Trier). Subsequent wine shipments were served at the imperial court in Paris. Dr. Lippold uses grapes from his premier cru vineyard, as well as some grapes purchased from neighbors, to make this classic Riesling. Lightly sweet but with excellent acidity, it’s the perfect wine for Asian, Tex-Mex, Indian, or fusion cuisine.

Max Ferdinand Richter Riesling Elisenberg, Kabinett, Mosel, 2018 ($25.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 92-94 "Dense, cool, very precise and flinty-mineral on the nose, which is exciting. Coming from a coolish side valley that was picked at roughly 84° to 85° Oechsle at the end of September, this is a gorgeously lush and mouth-filling Riesling with the mineral piquancy of quartzite soils. There is no aggressive acidity here, there is nice tartaric acidity that makes this a seductive Kabinett you can't resist. This is a fabulous, very long, and enchanting Riesling. The wine has slightly more than 50 grams of residual sugar and comes in at 8.5% alcohol. Drink 2020-2050"

Julian Haart Riesling “J.J.” Kabinett, 2023, Mosel, 2023 ($26.99) - Although this is labeled Kabinett, it tastes borderline Spätlese (it has 42 g/l residual sugar). It comes from 20-year-old vines in the Mosel town of Piesport, specifically the Goldtröpchen and Falckenberg vineyards. Nice acidity kicks in on the finish. A very pretty Riesling that will age well!

Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Riesling Kabinett, Nahe, 2021 ($29.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 92 "From the "VDP Grosse Lage" but here vinified as Kabinett, the 2021 Im Pitterberg Riesling Kabinett shows a clear and intense bouquet of ripe and concentrated Riesling berries intertwined with notes of crushed rocks. Lush and dense on the palate, this is a concentrated and juicy-savory Riesling whose talent doesn't meet the light-weight Kabinett category. This is a very good, textured, and fruity Riesling with mouth-filling fruit. 8.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure.  Drink 2022-2044

Max Ferdinand Richter Riesling Elisenberg, Spätlese, Mosel, 2018 ($30.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 94-96 "Sourced from old vines, the 2018 Elisenberger Riesling Spätlese was harvested in the third week of October as the very last "regular" wine (so 3.5 weeks after the Kabinett). It is based on completely healthy fruit and was vinified entirely in traditional fuders. Offering a deep and flinty bouquet, this is a lush, elegant, highly refined, and stimulating Spätlese with a salty-piquant finish. Drink 2019-2060"

Max Ferdinand Richter Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Spätlese, Mosel, 2018 ($33.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 96 "The 2016 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is from the oldest vines (90-120 years old) and was picked with far more than 90° Oechsle but with just 10% to 15% of botrytis. Clear, intense and fruity on the nose, with a delicate but serious flintiness and mineral expression, this is a highly elegant, finessed and salty Spätlese with ripe, concentrated and lush fruit as well as exciting acidity and mineral freshness. This is full of tension but also finesse and electricity—a gorgeous but rare Spätlese of which only two fuders were produced (2,700 bottles). Drink 2024-60"

J.J. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett, Mosel, 2012 ($33.99) - Focused and pure with concentrated minerality, tangerine, and mango-like flavors. Lingering finish. Has developed nicely and should hold through 2030.

Max Ferdinand Richter Riesling Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Auslese, Mosel, 2019 ($47.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 95+ "From the overripe and botrytized berries of the Spätlese selection, the 2019 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is intense and concentrated on the nose. The fruit is concentrated yet piquant, fresh, and elegant on the palate and pure, refined, and subtle on the finish due to the crystalline acidity and finesse that represents the JSU. This is an excellent Spätlese that needs at least a decade to age to its full finesse.  Drink 2035-70"

J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese, Mosel, 2012 ($49.99) - Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt): 94 "The 2012 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (AP #17 13) is more cool and mineral/stony on the nose than the Himmelreich Spätlese, but also intensely fruity at the moment, offering ripe peach, mango, and pineapple aromas and crushed chocolate. Gorgeously rich, juicy, and piquant on the palate, this lush and sensual Riesling seems riper and slightly sweeter, but also more intense compared with the Himmelreich. Its persistent finish is nicely mineral and salty on the aftertaste. This is a rich and potent wine with great potential. "

J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese, Mosel, 2018 ($49.99) - Wine Spectator: 93 'Well-structured and harmonious, with a silky mouthfeel, this is very charming, yet powerful and expressive, revealing saffron and jasmine aromas. The palate features tropical fruit flavors of guava and passion fruit, followed by sweet Asian spice notes. Star anise and apricot marmalade hints extend on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2036."