Carl Ehrhard Old School Riesling trocken 2024

Carl Ehrhard represents the younger generation of Rheingau growers committed to dry Riesling from classic sites, and this bottling is his everyday statement of that style. The vineyards sit on the steep south-facing slopes above the Rhine near Rüdesheim, where Devonian slate and quartzite soils warm quickly and drain fast. Slate stores the day's heat and radiates it back to the vines, helping Riesling ripen fully in a cool climate, while the wide river below moderates the nights and preserves the grape's natural acidity. That interplay gives dry Rheingau Riesling its combination of ripe citrus fruit and firm structure. The wine is farmed organically and vinified to full dryness, so the acidity is left exposed rather than balanced by sugar. Expect a pale straw colour, a nose of lemon, green apple and white peach lifted by a smoky, flinty note that growers here link to the slate, and a palate that is dry, tightly wound and long, with a saline, mineral finish. Serve chilled at around 10C. Its cut and low alcohol make it a fine foil for fish and lightly spiced dishes.