Country: Germany  Region: Rheinhessen Varietal: Riesling  Vintage: 2008 Size: 37.5cl Category: Sweet White  Colour: WhiteProducer: Dreissigacker "Jochen Dreissigacker has 21 hectares of vineyards in the Rheinhessen, 55% of which are Riesling. From the 2010 vintage, Jochen’s wines all have organic certification. He describes his transformation to organic culture as ‘the artisan path to purity’. He reduced the yields in the vineyard by creating a much healthier soil which in turn was lower in vigour. ‘The path to any truly great wine is to limit the amount of grapes that are allowed to ripen,’ say Jochen. As expected of an organic estate, his approach in the cellar is as natural as possible, using only wild yeasts to ferment the must and harvesting only fully ripe grapes. His wines – with the exception of the Auslese, of course – are fermented to full dryness. The felicitous position of his vineyards, the low yields and his determination to pick when the grapes are ripe ensures full flavour and obviates the need to leave residual sugar in the wine to balance unripe flavours. The Organic Estate Riesling is ripe, clean, scented and zesty: it offers outstanding value. The Bechtheimer Riesling, a selection from his best vineyards within the village of Bechtheim, is fuller, richer and more complex, but similarly bone dry. The Geyersberg Riesling Trocken is from his best vineyard, and shows greater intensity than the Bechtheim. From his 2.5 hectares of Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), he produces seven barrels a year. The wine is fermented and aged in 500 litre French oak bottles for about 21 months. The Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) is also fermented and aged in oak. It is de-stemmed, goes through a short cold soak to extract colour and, following fermentation in large old oak, is aged for two years in small barrels, one third of which are new. It is scented, supple and lively, a wonderfully pure Pinot Noir from this outstanding producer.His Auslese are superb, particular the Geyersberg. About 40% of the grapes were affected by botrytis in 2010. The wine was fermented and aged solely in stainless steel to preserve the botrytis affected Riesling characters. Such wines, with their unique combination of richness, acidity and low alcohol (7.5%) make them among the best in the world to sip at the end of the meal." Winemaker: Jochen Dreissigacker Vineyards:  Jochen's approach in the winery is simple: to intervene as little as possible. Low yields and careful selection in the vineyard ensures excellent fruit. The estate has 21 hectares under vine, 55% of which are Riesling. The best vineyard sites include Stein, Hasensprung, Geyersberg and Rosengarten all within Bechteim village. Soils are made up of loess and marl. Vinification: The grapes are harvested by hand and the yield was 20 hectolitres per hectare. 25% of the grapes were botrytised. The maceration took up to 25 hours and the juice was fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks for four weeks at 16-18°C. Jochen Dreissigacker does not chaptalise any of his wines or add any 'süss-reserve'. Tasting Notes: Pale straw in colour, this wine has a fruity, rich and concentrated, yet very elegant nose with perfumes of ripe exotic fruit. A very elegant sweet wine, it is well balanced by acidity, aromas of ripe apricot and peach and very long finish. Closure: Stelvin  ABV: 8.5%  Acidity [g/l]: 6.5