Weingut Seckinger Riesling 1Tal 2022

Weingut Seckinger works this Riesling from a single plot set in a narrow valley in the Palatinate, in southern Germany. The site sits between two hillsides and sees little direct sunlight, so the vines ripen slowly and unhurriedly through the season. The soil is red and yellow sandstone, which is free draining and low in vigour, and the shaded, cool conditions push the fruit to a very high natural acidity that then has to be balanced in the cellar. This is made as a natural wine, with minimal intervention, which makes taming that acidity without losing freshness the central challenge. Riesling is a transparent variety that carries site character clearly, and here that means a bright, mineral, tightly wound style rather than a ripe one. The 2022 pours pale with a green tint. The nose is precise and citrus led, with lemon, citrus peel and green apple over white flowers and a wet stone note. The palate is dry and linear, with white peach and green apple fruit, a saline edge and a long, cutting finish driven by that fierce acidity. Serve well chilled at 8 to 10 degrees.