This cuvée corresponds to what in the old days was called spätlese trocken, which unfortunately does not appear on the label anymore due to the VDP’s sometimes opaque set of rules, which place the main focus on grosses gewächs, thereby forgetting other categories that perhaps show to a greater extent what Germany’s wines can be compared to other wine countries. However, it is easy to see that this is a nice, dry Riesling at a high level – you find that as soon as you open the wine. Ratzenberger produces convincingly good wines from the steep slopes of the Mittelrhein, where the side valleys to the Rhine still produce top-class cold climate wine.
Compared to the more structured and voluminous grosses gewächs (GG) from the same field, this model has greater immediate drinkability with the combination of lightness and intensity that characterizes the best wines from this region. An incredible amount of aroma is packed into the wine without adding unnecessary heaviness.
Each glass tastes more, and that’s how it should be – not just with German Riesling – but with all wine!
Aroma and taste are classic schist Riesling with a dominance of green apples, grapes, lemon peel and a mineral salty undertone that makes the mouth water. All of the wine’s components are in fine balance, so that nothing ‘brittles’ in the taste experience.
This is a dry but mouth-watering wine that tastes excellent already. However, there is also considerable storage potential: it lasts at least 20 years in a good cellar.
Ratzenberger Steeger St. Jost Riesling Trocken will be an ideal companion to many of the fish dishes from the new, light Nordic cuisine or, more generally, to dishes without heaviness in sauces or spices.
Serve well-tempered, which in this case is 8-12°.
93 points vinous.com (David Schildknecht)
“Piquantly seed-tinged purple plum, butternut squash, fresh apple and nut oils (walnut, hickory) form the basis of a haunting nose and a silent, rich tapestry. At 12% alcohol, a sense of buoyancy is managed, and there is remarkable transparency on the lingering finish to colling green herbal as well as diverse mineral nuances”
vinous.com, David Schildknecht, November 2021
92 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“This is a very elegant, juicy and well-balanced St Jost with a spicy, tight, well-concentrated and savory finish. Although still young, it is a promising, medium-bodied Mittelrhein classic”
