The 2020 Schloss Johannisberg Grünlack Riesling Spätlese is a white wine from the renowned Rheingau region in Germany. Produced by Schloss Johannisberg, this Riesling is notable for its low alcohol content of 8.0% and is sealed with a cork closure.
James Suckling, a respected wine critic, awarded this wine an impressive 99 points, highlighting its "enormously deep and complex" nature. He describes the wine as "very cool and reserved at the front," with remarkable "mineral intensity." Suckling praises the wine's ability to balance lime and oolong-tea freshness against its unfermented grape sweetness, which he suggests is barely noticeable. He notes the "herbal freshness at the finish," which he finds "really astounding." Suckling concludes that while some may find the wine's radical nature controversial, it is precisely this quality that makes it exciting. He advises that the wine is drinkable now but will be at its best from 2023.
Stephan Reinhardt from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate also offers praise, giving the wine a score of 93 points. He describes the 2020 Riesling Spätlese Grünlack as "precise and fine" with a "bright and delicately fruity and flinty nose." Reinhardt notes aromas of white peach and "flinty notes of crushed stones," highlighting the wine's elegance and crystalline quality. On the palate, he finds the wine to be "stimulating" with "great precision and finesse," and comments on its "stimulatingly salty and piquant" finish.
Overall, the 2020 Schloss Johannisberg Grünlack Riesling Spätlese is celebrated for its complexity, precision, and freshness, making it an excellent choice for those looking to experience the distinctive characteristics of a German Riesling from Rheingau.