2024 Emrich-Schönleber Riesling “Halenberg” GG, Nahe, Germany

ABOUT THIS WINE

Introspective, but a closer look reveals a riper citrus and almost sherbet-like palate. Neat, crisp and fast, offering lemons, grapefruit, slates and stone with tons of latent energy. The Halenberg GG 2024 represents just a third of a normal crop. Technically, Halenberg is warmer than Frühlingsplätzchen, but its poor soils and quartzite presence lend a cooler profile to the wines – providing grapes are picked at the right time. Here, ripeness moves quickly.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Weingut Emrich-Schönleber stands among Germany’s most revered wine estates, with roots in the village of Monzingen in the Nahe dating back to the mid-18th century. These vineyards were already famous in the early 19th century, admired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for wines of remarkable ease, pleasure, and quiet power. The demanding, rocky hillsides of Monzingen—long recognized as the source of the region’s finest and most prized wines—remain central to the estate’s identity today.

After decades as a mixed agricultural farm, the modern era of Emrich-Schönleber began in the 1960s, when the family committed fully to winegrowing and steadily expanded its holdings. Under the leadership of Werner Schönleber and now his son Frank, the estate has risen to the very top tier of German wine, earning recognition as one of the country’s top producers and joining the VDP in 1994. Today, the family farms 20 hectares, planted predominantly to Riesling, alongside small amounts of Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder, producing wines celebrated for their precision, minerality, and unmistakable sense of place.

From the winemakers:

There are millions of well-made but unremarkable wines the world over. On the other hand, a great many "show wines" are also produced around the globe - wines that often excite at first sip but are rarely pleasurable to drink over a second glass. We aspire to neither of these types of wine. Our philosophy is different. We are committed to three basic fundamentals: Schönleber wines offer true drinking pleasure, are honest, authentic, unembellished expressions of their origin, and always have distinctive personalities. We don't just want to produce "good" wine.