TASTING NOTE

A fine Riesling with notes of slate, green apple and citrus characters. The palate has real depth and complexity from extended lees ageing, with concentrated lime and granny smith apple fruit and pithy acidity, giving great texture and length.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Weingut Messmer, in the Pfalz region, was founded by Herbert and Elizabeth Messmer in 1960. It's situated in Burrweiler, in the south-west of Germany, less than 50 miles from the border with France and to the north-west of Stuttgart. The yellow sandstone buildings had already been home to winemaking for around 250 years before they arrived.

The terroir is made up of seven different soil types: slate, red sandstone, granite, limestone, loam, sand and 'muschelkalk' - a calcareous soil with substantial deposits of fossilised mussel shells. Gregor works to preserve the health and mineral content of the soils - they use only organic fertilisers, and in 2011 they began the biodynamic cultivation of some sites.

In the winery fermentations are cool, slow and small batch; grapes are only ever partially de-stemmed; and wines are bottled without fining and with only the gentlest filtration.

 Germany

 Pfalz 

 Weingut Messmer

 Riesling 

 Try with barbecued ribs

 12.5%