Dr von Bassermann Jordan - Kirchenstück Riesling Grosses Gewächs GG dry 2016

Dr von Bassermann-Jordan – Forster Kirchenstück Riesling GG 2016: A Palatinate masterpiece

The Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Großes Gewächs 2016 from the Geheimer Rat Dr von Bassermann-Jordan winery is a wine that has set new standards in the German wine world – it was the first dry Riesling to be awarded the top score of 100 points by Gault & Millau . The historic winery in Deidesheim was founded in 1718 by Pierre Jordan and looks back on over 300 years of family history, which has played a pivotal role in establishing quality viticulture in the Palatinate.

At the heart of this wine lies the Forster Kirchenstückvineyard , a single vineyard covering just under 4 hectares, which is regarded as the highest-rated vineyard site in the Palatinate. As early as the Royal Bavarian vineyard classification of 1828, it was awarded the highest score of 65 out of 65 points. The vineyard lies sheltered behind the church in Forster, and the man-high sandstone wall that encloses it stores the sun’s heat and releases it to the vines at night – a microclimate that lends the wines their exceptional richness and ripeness. The soils, composed of sandstone, limestone gravel, basalt and loess, lend the wine its mineral depth.

The tasting notes paint a picture of a monumental Riesling. James Suckling awarded the wine 96 points and described it as “the star among Bassermann-Jordan’s 2016 Riesling GGs” – with a complex, spicy nose, enormous depth and great elegance, as well as a breathtakingly long, mineral finish. Die Weinzentrale describes it as an “exceptional world-class Riesling” displaying the full splendour of dark flint and a basket of exotic fruits such as passion fruit and grapefruit; tart yet juicy, with intensity without heaviness, and a salty minerality. The Pinard de Picard subscription note hailed it as a “masterpiece of Riesling” with 98 to 100 points and a bouquet that, as it matures, evolves from red berries and elderberry to incense, hazelnut and toasted almonds.

For lovers of great German Rieslings, this 2016 Kirchenstück offers a rare opportunity to experience a wine that bears the hallmark of one of the Palatinate’s most distinguished winemaking families and perfectly embodies the greatness of one of Germany’s finest vineyards.