Entirely vinified in large, partly renewed oak, the 2020 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken GG opens deep, pure, refined but also very intense and complex on the highly attractive nose that is full, generous and aromatic and reveals more oak aromas than the premiers crus Klosterberg and Turmberg. On the palate, this is a very elegant, refined and balanced Riesling with a sweeter or rounder taste than the Turmberg (although it's analytically less sweet), but it reveals a similar saline vibrancy. The richer and rounder sensation might be due to the loess-loam components of the Gräfenberg phyllite terroir compared to the shallower terroir of the Turmberg, but richness and power are the nature of the Gräfenberg, which is still fresh and refined enough to represent its coolish terroir character as well. Since the 2020 will be released only in September 2022 (so 12 months later than former vintages), I assume it will become brighter, finer and purer over the next 12 months. (SR) 95+

The 2020 Grosses Gewächs bottling from the Gräfenberg vineyard from Weingut Weil is an exceptional young wine. This comes in at the same thirteen percent octane in this vintage and carries only four grams per liter of residual sugar and acids of 7.5 grams per liter. The bouquet is beautifully complex right out of the blocks, wafting from the glass in an elegant blend of pink grapefruit, tart orange, a hint of white peach, elder flowers, a beautiful base of complex soil tones, wild yeasts and just a whisper of the smokiness to come with extended bottle aging. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and racy, with impeccable balance, great focus and cut, lovely mineral drive and a long, complex and very refined finish. This is a proper long-distance runner and will need plenty of bottle age before it blossoms, but it is going to be a superb wine once it is truly ready to drink!

Can a wine exist on tension alone? If its name is Gräfenberg, then apparently yes. This GG occupies the rare air between the poles of fruit and texture. Crisp white pears, young apricot, lemon peel and a delicate white, nearly almond-blossom floral character. Grip, concentration, power, pedigree. So. Much. Pedigree. Yet despite the obvious power, a blinding clarity carries the wine from intense first to final sip. The renowned site has in 2020 forsaken the sinew and muscle of many vintages for a sleeker, stonier and saltier grip, a nearly burgundian noblesse. Exceptional balance and presence, even in its youth. Hard to find something to criticise, other than that it was opened far too soon. 18.5/20 points (PS)