Weingut Emrich-Schönleber Riesling Trocken 2022

Here is something that is not in the least a stretch: For any serious German buyer, whether collector or Riesling dork, the wines of Emrich-Schönleber belong in the cellar directly next to Keller or Schäfer-Fröhlich (or whoever it is that you specifically may think makes the absolutely greatest dry Riesling in Germany).

In terms of style they are different perhaps, but in terms of quality they are equal.

If we consider the holy trilogy of the Nahe (Dönnhoff, Emrich-Schönleber and Schäfer-Fröhlich), Emrich-Schönleber for me rests somewhere in the center. They are neither as baroque and lavish as Dönnhoff, nor as fiercely angular as Schäfer-Fröhlich. There is a balance, a center to the best of their wines that is about as perfect and meditative as Riesling ever gets: texture and glycerin matched to a chiseled, yet glossy and ultra-fine architecture.

This is what an estate wine should be, the calling card of a winery. Schönleber’s estate Riesling tends to be light, bouncier and airier than you might guess, based on the stately elegance of the Grand Crus.

Producer: Emrich-Schönleber 

Country: Germany

Region: Nahe

Varietal:  Riesling

Appellation: Nahe

Vintage: 2022

Size: 750ml