Weingut Leiner 'Handwerk' Trocken Riesling
Pfalz > Germany
Riesling, 2021
Weingut Jürgen Leiner is located in Ilbesheim in the southern Pfalz, at the edge of the Pfalzerwald (Pfalz forest) and about thirty minutes’ drive north of the Alsatian border. Run by husband and wife team - Sven and Simone Leiner, they make natural but also perfectly clean and pure wines. Every label has a different insect from the vineyards on the label, a celebration of the life found among the vines. They are Demeter certified biodynamic and members of Slow Food. “Handwerk” is an explosively flavorful and energetic bottling, loaded with pit fruit propelled by succulent acidity. The flavors seem go on for a startlingly long time. Part of its secret is sourcing from very high altitude slopes. It’s a rich and serious dry Riesling for the ages!
Pfalz > Germany
Riesling, 2021
Weingut Jürgen Leiner is located in Ilbesheim in the southern Pfalz, at the edge of the Pfalzerwald (Pfalz forest) and about thirty minutes’ drive north of the Alsatian border. Run by husband and wife team - Sven and Simone Leiner, they make natural but also perfectly clean and pure wines. Every label has a different insect from the vineyards on the label, a celebration of the life found among the vines. They are Demeter certified biodynamic and members of Slow Food. “Handwerk” is an explosively flavorful and energetic bottling, loaded with pit fruit propelled by succulent acidity. The flavors seem go on for a startlingly long time. Part of its secret is sourcing from very high altitude slopes. It’s a rich and serious dry Riesling for the ages!
Pfalz > Germany
Riesling, 2021
Weingut Jürgen Leiner is located in Ilbesheim in the southern Pfalz, at the edge of the Pfalzerwald (Pfalz forest) and about thirty minutes’ drive north of the Alsatian border. Run by husband and wife team - Sven and Simone Leiner, they make natural but also perfectly clean and pure wines. Every label has a different insect from the vineyards on the label, a celebration of the life found among the vines. They are Demeter certified biodynamic and members of Slow Food. “Handwerk” is an explosively flavorful and energetic bottling, loaded with pit fruit propelled by succulent acidity. The flavors seem go on for a startlingly long time. Part of its secret is sourcing from very high altitude slopes. It’s a rich and serious dry Riesling for the ages!
Grape: 100% Riesling
Soils: a fertile soil cocktail of hummus and loam mixed with the most hilariously named soil type in Germany: landschneckenkalk, which translates to "land snail chalk."
ABV: 12%
The Story: Jürgen Leiner gave his name to the winery, which he took over from his father in 1974, growing it from a part-time venture to a full-time operation. Working the vineyard, nurturing the vine with the seasons and the weather, is his greatest passion. Together with his son Sven who now has the reins of the winery, he has gained a wealth of experience in cultivating the vines and in biodynamic practices. Jürgen collects the herbs and additions for the compost preparations and is a master of tea creations that bring health and vitality to the estate vines. Attentive, Sven closely observes the natural processes and metamorphoses occurring in his vineyard to gain an ever-deepening understanding of the land as a living organism. Spontaneous fermentation in wooden fermentation tank, 9 months in a large wooden barrel, malolactic fermentation is spontaneous, low-sulfur and gentle extraction, bottled unfiltered, without the use of any fining/treatment substances.
Personality: You want a dry white but don’t want to give up the fruit, ripeness or sex appeal of Riesling? BOOM. Effusive and lush with aromatics, this is a very flirty wine. Bonus is a finish that just won’t quit.
Harmony: Spicy Thai would go quite nicely to match the aromatic profile.