2022 Weingut AJ Adam im Pfarrgarten Riesling Feinherb

'Im Pfarrgarten' means 'The Garden of the Rectory'. It's part of the famous Hofberg - the Dhron valley's most important, historic vineyard.

Tasting Notes

Complex aromas of lime, grapefruit and white spice. Abundant citrus characters on the palate combined with crisp, zesty acidity ensures that, despite residual sugar levels of around 18g/l, the wine has a creamy yet refreshing finish.

Producer

Andreas Adam's winery is in western Germany - in the Drohn valley region - which takes its name from this tributary of the Mosel river. It's around 50km north-east of Trier, so not too far from the border with Luxembourg.

The steep, southwest-facing Hofberg was first recognised as a premium vineyard site back in 1868, and its fame continued into the 1950s and 60s. However, some of the vineyards were later abandoned as younger generations moved to the cities rather than farm the steep slopes - Andreas's parents included. However, Andreas took a renewed interest in his family's vineyard whilst he was studying at Geisenheim University, and he took work experience at some other notable German estates. His first official vintage was in 2000, aged just 21, from grapes grown in the one hectare vineyard that had belonged to his grandfather.

Andreas invested in vineyards in the Dhron valley when land was inexpensive, as the slopes were steep and hard to cultivate. He now works alongside his sister Barbara (who also graduated from Geisenheim University in 2013), and they produce a fantastic range of Rieslings from 5 hectares of vineyards, divided into numerous parcels across Drohn and Piesport. Soils here are predominantly grey-blue slate and quartz.

All harvesting is by hand, with thorough selection in the vineyard and minimal intervention. Only natural yeasts are used and wines are left on their lees for extended periods. The winery employs a combination of stainless steel tanks plus traditional oak fuder (1,000 litres) and halbfuder (500 litres).

Production

The Riesling grapes are sourced from part of the famous Hofberg vineyard - from 30-50 year old vines planted on the flatter, lower part of the hill around the ancient stone rectory building. Fermentation is in stainless steel.

Specifications