Vintages
Drink, hold, or be careful.
Last fifteen years. Floor-staff calls, not scores. A modest year from a good grower beats a legend year from a lazy one.
- Drink
Open it. Waiting rarely helps.
- Hold
Too young for the typical bottle. Cellar it.
- Careful
Uneven or weak. Buy a grower, not the year — or drink up what you have.
Riesling
Germany
Acid is the clock. A cool year is not a failure here — it is often the point.
Mosel and Rheingau Riesling. Kabinett and Spätlese drink earlier than GG dry. 2025 was also a Burgunder/red year.
| Year | Call | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hold | Early, ripe, small. Promising; GG still in tank. |
| 2024 | Careful | Late rain. Mixed. Be picky. |
| 2023 | Drink | Balanced. Kabinett and everyday Trocken: open. |
| 2022 | Drink | Warm, open fruit. Drink the dry. |
| 2021 | Hold | Cool, high acid. Cellar the GG. |
| 2020 | Drink | Generous and giving. |
| 2019 | Hold | Electric. Keep Auslese and the best dry. |
| 2018 | Drink | Hot, riper. Drink; don’t wait for more tension. |
| 2017 | Drink | Frost cut yields. Concentrated, ready. |
| 2016 | Drink | Classic slate and lime. Open. |
| 2015 | Drink | A great one, and most Kabinett is in the window. |
| 2014 | Careful | Rot pressure. Drink remaining. |
| 2013 | Careful | Cool. Finish what’s left. |
| 2012 | Drink | Ready, savory, no hurry but no need to wait. |
| 2011 | Drink | Open. Drink up. |