Villa Wolf Forster Pechstein Riesling 2017

Weingut Villa Wolf is the Pfalz estate run by the Loosen family, and this Riesling comes from Forster Pechstein, one of the village's most distinctive sites. The vineyard takes its name from the dark basalt and sandstone that give the soil its character. Basalt is a heat retaining volcanic rock, and it lends Pechstein Rieslings their smoky, stony signature. The Pfalz is one of Germany's warmer and drier regions, so the fruit ripens fully while the cool nights hold on to acidity. This wine spends 12 months on its fine lees, which broadens the texture and adds a subtle savoury depth through slow autolysis. The colour is pale straw. The nose leads with lime, green apple and white peach, with a flinty smoke sitting behind. The palate is dry and taut, with concentrated citrus fruit, a firm mineral spine and a long saline finish. At 12.5 percent it has more weight than a Mosel Riesling. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees.