Prinz Hallgarten Jungfer Riesling Kabinett 2018
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It all started as a hobby in 1991… Fred Prinz made a name for himself as Germany’s greatest “garage” winemaker, when he started his home winery while maintaining his day job as the oenologist at the Rheingau's largest estate, Kloster Eberbach. It did not take long for Fred to devote his efforts full time to his own estate. He was able to secure plots in the world famed high altitude vineyards of the Rheingau. With organic and biodynamic practices, the vines are attended to by hand and the resulting Rieslings are classic Rheingau with elegance, finesse and vital acidity. They have long aging ability and reflect their origins perfectly. Fred is slowly integrating the next generation into the winery with son Florian taking over more responsibilities. Fred owns a section of the Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) vineyard Hallgartener Jungfer. The development of Hallgarten and its viticulture is undoubtedly linked to the neighborhood of the Cistercian monastery of Eberbach. Presumably, because of the high esteem of the Kreszensen growing in their
?Hallgarten vineyard, the monks inferred that the Virgin Mary was and called this vineyard "Jungfer". A clear signal for the veneration of Mary in the Middle Ages. Due to the higher elevation and because it’s set back from the river together with the influence of the warmth of the midday sun and a high proportion of quartzite in the soil, the wines from the Jungfer vineyard tend toward a finer more elegant style than one expects from typical Rheingau wines.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Practically one long and bucolic hillside along the northern bank of the Rhein River, the Rheingau stretches the entirety of the river’s east to west spread from Hocheim to Rüdesheim.
Variations in elevation, soil types, and proximity to the Rhine cause great diversity in Rheingau Riesling. Some of the better Rieslings in warmer years come from the cooler and breezier sites at higher elevations. In cooler years, sites closer to the river may perform better.
In the village of Rüdesheim, slopes are steep and soils are stony slate with quartzite; Rieslings are rich and spicy, intense in stone fruit and show depth and character with age. World class Rieslings come from farther east on the river through Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and past Erbach as well, where soils of loess, sand, and marl alternate. Long-living, floral-driven and mineral-rich Rieslings come from the best of these sites.
Rheingau growers became early activists in promoting the dry style of Riesling, low yields and the classification of top vineyards, or Erstes Gewächs (first growths). Proximity to the metropolitan markets of Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt keeps Rheingau in high reputation. While dry wines are the style here, Rheingau isn’t short of some amazing Auslesen, Beerenauslesen, and Trockenbeerenauslesen.
Rheingau doesn’t mess with many other grapes—in fact 79% of its total area is dedicated to Riesling. But it produces some fine Pinot noir, especially concentrated in Assmannshausen, a bit farther west from Rüdesheim.