A selection of Germany’s energising 2020s

This wine always displays a concentrated fruit profile with a steely backbone, and 2020 is no exception. There is a lot of extract on the palate that gives the wine additional weight and salinity. Expect white peach, grapefruit and citrus notes with a salty finish. The length is sensationally long.

2020 was characterised by a warm summer, yet temperatures over the growing season were relatively cool and therefore the wine has a fantastic juxtaposition of concentration and weight combined with an energy and purity that you come to expect from the very best Mosel Rieslings. Jasmine, lime and white peach aromas are supported with a lively acidity and almost steely profile. Subtle perfume notes of verbena and mint add layers of complexity.

This wine is precise and finishes on the saline and citrus. There are elements of juiciness with fleshy peach, mandarin and white blossom notes as well as smoky and flinty notes that add layers of complexity.

Blood orange, lemon peel and steely aromas express themselves on the nose. The palate is as juicy as always thanks to the vineyard's loess and loam soils bringing vibrancy, even more so thanks to the vintage.

Sourced from very old vines on slate soils that take on an additional layer of salty minerality in vintages like 2020. Expect the jasmine, lemon citrus and fleshy peach notes to be underpinned with steely and stone notes as well as a saline core. Restrained concentration defines this wine.

One of Eva's Grand cru sites, this site is always more floral and instantly inviting on the nose. Expect white blossom, grapefruit and white peach supported by hints of honey and ginger. The acidity is nervy and the saltiness continues on the finish, proving to be a rather delicious wine.

This wine exceeds all expectations and offers incredible value for money as well as providing a wine with tension. The steeliness and saltiness on the palate is balanced with citrus and floral notes. The core has a glycerol quality that gives texture and breadth, yet the wine finishes on a saline note.

The Seligmacher is a wine that has been showing increasing precision year on year. It has notes of the exotic, especially in a year like 2020 that had one of the warmest summers on record, yet the salty, stony and more savoury characters that are tasted in Fricke's Grand cru sites of Krone and Schlossberg are vidible here also.

This wine is comparable in quality to the Grosse Gewächs level Spätburgunder from this estate. Expect the spiciness of Krauterberg, a breadth and creaminess of Sonnenberg and a minerality and complexity that you would associate with Herrenberg and Mönchberg. This wine has a delicious red berry perfume that is reminiscent of some of the best Pinot noir in Germany and beyond. Wild strawberries, jasmine tea and spice are the main charcteristics that shine in this wine. The tannins are tight knit and there is great tension on the core thanks to the crisp acidity and silky palate. The wine has an innate quality that you can enjoy now or will develop and age for many years to come.

Expect bright, wild berry fruits from Pegel 735 with lots of energy and a very quaffable wine indeed. Rescued by H.O Spanier is more smoky in style with a signature bacon fat character from Stodden's wines. The wine is more brooding in profile with a zesty acid profile. Alexander Die Grossen is the Grand Cru wine that has an attractive perfume and presents jasmine tea and wild strawberry notes that continue for a long time on the palate.

Sebastian may be best known for his Pinot Noirs, but this is a spectacular Chardonnay. Apple fruit and lots of complexity, with some spice and a mineral finish. Delicious.

The 2020 Centgrafenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs shows remarkable poise, with notes of greengage and some more exotic fruit, and then stunning spice alongside. There’s incredible length here, and flavours that continue to unfurl. Sebastien can make stunning Grand Cru Rieslings, too.

Sebastian may be best known for his Pinot Noirs, but this is a spectacular Chardonnay. Apple fruit and lots of complexity, with some spice and a mineral finish. Delicious.

The true Grand Cru of Sebastian’s range, the Hundsrück does not disappoint in 2020. From some of the higher plots, of iron-rich soils, this is a brooding beauty. Notes of dark fruit and a mineral, iodine-like note immediately draw you into the glass. The palate is structured yet so finely balanced, and there’s a mineral finish that lasts for minutes. This is an astonishing bottle of wine, that will show so much more in ten years’ time.

The perfect way to discover the estate, this is crunchy and fine, with just the right amount of richness and grip on the finish. A brilliant Pinot Noir from one of Germany’s best exponents of the grape.

The estate’s ‘Premier Cru’, from the vineyards that surround the estate, with grapes that don’t quite make the Hundsrück or Centgrafenberg. It shows a little of both of these vineyards, with some brooding, mineral intensity, and then a charming, floral top note. Such a delight in 2020, it’s not to be missed.

The estate’s ‘Premier Cru’, from the vineyards that surround the estate, with grapes that don’t quite make the Hundsrück or Centgrafenberg. It shows a little of both of these vineyards, with some brooding, mineral intensity, and then a charming, floral top note. Such a delight in 2020, it’s not to be missed.

The Grand Cru of Sebastian’s whites, this is a remarkable Chardonnay that would not look out of place on the Côte d’Or. Notes of hazelnut flower and lots of yellow fruit, and there’s a real minerality to the palate. This is so delicious. But made in tiny quantities.

Southeast facing, the morning sun on this vineyard dries out any moisture, resulting in perfectly healthy grapes, while the warm slate soils creates a Kabinett that’s full of ripe fruit and tons of energy: it’s one of the most up-front wines from Dönnhoff, worth buying every year.

Coming from 30-40 year old vines with a south west exposition, this site is consistently producing elegant wines with tension and purity. Lemongrass, white peach and honey blossom notes exude from the glass and the palate has a generosity and juiciness that combines with layers of saltiness.

This comes from a small plot of the oldest vines, and was first produced in just 2017. It balances richness and elegance, with all the concentration of a Grosses Gewächs Riesling from a top grower.

Grapes are coming from the oldest vines of this plot and contributes to the wine's concentration. There is a density on the palate combined with a mineral backbone and saline quality. There is an exotic profile on the nose of mango and papaya, yet this plays a supporting role to pink grapefruit and lemon.

Always on the tropical spectrum, the wine demonstrates a pepper spice as well as honey blossom and ginger notes. The concentration and ripeness is well balanced with purity and unflinching acidity.

From old vines of over 40 years, there is an intensity of ripes mango, pineapple and exotic friuts. The palate is much more tightly wound with real energy from the acidity as well as a touch of phenolics adding to the texture. This is a complex wine that will only get better with time in bottle.

This is arguably Dönnhoff’s greatest vineyard, and, indeed, the greatest vineyard of the whole of the Nahe. Here, the vines are up to 65 years old, and face due south. The resulting wine has astonishing freshness and power. This is a true Grand Cru of Germany.

Described as one of the Nahe's greatest vineyard sites and one of the region's oldest Grand Cru, this is Dönnhoff's prized site . With a southern exposition and vine age approaching 70 years, the wine's innate quality immediately comes through in the glass. Expect fresh apricot and ginger spice with a juiciness and silkiness that combines with a zesty acidity and linear profile.

Always on the tropical spectrum, the wine demonstrates a pepper spice as well as honey blossom and ginger notes. The concentration and ripeness is well balanced with purity and unflinching acidity.

The Dellchen are the hollows that sit between cliffs that lift up from the Nahe, and this south-facing vineyard creates a wine that has astonishing intensity and complexity, with spicy notes. It benefits from an incredibly long hang time on the vines, and the resulting wine is brilliant.

From old vines of over 40 years, there is an intensity of ripes mango, pineapple and exotic friuts. The palate is much more tightly wound with real energy from the acidity as well as a touch of phenolics adding to the texture. This is a complex wine that will only get better with time in bottle.

Coming from volcanic soils, this wine often displays razorsharp focus and steeliness. Jasmine florals and citrus notes on the nose are carefully intertwined with wet stone and herbal notes on the palate. The wine's piercing acidity is a highlight and this wine has much more to offer in years to come.

The Kahlenberg vineyard was first mentioned in 1499, it was used as the reference site for the former Royal Prussian Institute of Pomology and Viticulture when making official recommendations to winegrowers in the Nahe. South facing, this is a spicy Riesling with persistence.

From vineyards predominantly from volcanic soils, but also with slate and quartzite, this is a brilliant introduction to the wines of the estate. Mineral, cool, and utterly delicious, don’t underestimate the potential for ageing here.

With stony, warm soils this vineyard tends to flower early, making it the perfect vineyard for producing Kabinett. It is always delicate, with dancing acidity and plenty of ripe orchard fruit.

The cooler climate makes this wine steely on the attack and display green apple, lime and and steely notes supported by hints of jasmine. The core is linear and crisp and very focused.

Totally delicious and so unquestionably Mosel Riesling with citrus and floral aromas combined with a vibrancy and juicy acidity.

Ripe, fleshy peach, manadrin and pink grapefruit notes balance wonderfully with the white blossom and citrus core. A juicy core that is brought together well with a zesty acidity and saltiness.

Ripe and fleshy peach notes combine with blossom, citrus and herbal notes to create a very concentrated wine. There is a juiciness on the palate that is carefully supported by the nervy acidity and mineral profile.

The 2020 Pettenthal is crystalline in character, with lots of citrus fruit, floral notes, and a wonderful, silky texture. There's so much going on here, but it remains beautifully approachable and drinkable. A salty tang on the finish completes the picture. Bravo.

The Rothenberg in 2020 is a drop-dead gorgeous Riesling. It ripples with tension and drive, but has a little more creaminess than in some vintages, making a really delicious, approachable wine. Don't underestimate this wine's ability to age, though. This will go on and on and on.

The Nierstein is a selection from young vines from the famed Pettenthal vineyard of Rheinhessen's Roter Hang, overlooking the River Rhine. It's a spectacular 2020, with yellow fruit, spice, and a charming mineral spine. This is a brilliant wine for the price, and is not to be missed.

2020 is an exceptional vintage for Kabinett and the prized site of Wehlener Sonnenuhr simply excels. Expect jasmine, white peach and flinty notes along with a racy core.

This wine shows fabulous richness and breadth, yet retains a mineral and flinty character and zesty acidity that brings structure and definition.

An intense but approachable Spätlese from this master of the Riesling grape.

This is a highlight of the range this year. The wine has an energy and focus, yet is still accessible and so delicious to be drinking now.

2020 is an exceptional vintage for Kabinett and the prized site of Wehlener Sonnenuhr simply excels. Expect jasmine, white peach and flinty notes along with a racy core.

Expect lemon and white grapefruit as well as fleshy peach and fresh apricot notes. There is a juiciness and richness on the palate and the length is very long. This is a delicious wine.

This is a highlight of the range this year. The wine has an energy and focus, yet is still accessible and so delicious to be drinking now.