Organic. This tremendous Riesling comes from the renowned Bürgergarten vineyard on the lower slopes of the Haardt Mountains. It’s a site rated as Grosses Gewächs (or Grand Cru) and was first planted over 700 years ago, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Pfalz. When a vineyard survives this long, it usually tells you something. While Müller-Catoir does make a GG from a small parcel in this sloping vineyard (Im Breumel), the lion’s share—taken from the Gehren and Aspen micro-terroirs—makes its way into this Erste Lage (or first growth) offering.
The topsoil of Bürgergarten is sandy and deep, with yellow sandstone bedrock below. It’s a soil that brings power, perfume and intense mineral freshness. In terms of winemaking, the wine was naturally fermented and raised in a mixture of steel tanks and five-year-old 600-litre halbstück ovals (25%) for 10 months. Franzen finds this combination—allied with extended lees aging—results in more expressive, less reductive wines that are more approachable on release.
It’s a stimulating Bürgergarten from a cool vintage, redolent of orange citrus, summer blossoms and citrus skin. A lick of leesy savouriness adds complexity, while invigorating tension carries the silky, crystalline palate to a beautiful, grapefruit-drenched finish. Despite a cooler year, this radiates with the generosity of the terroir cut through with striking clarity: a GG, and a great one, in all but name.
Critic Reviews
95 POINTS
Stuart Pigott
“A stunning single-vineyard dry Riesling with apricot and mango aromas plus a wonderful harmony of ripeness and freshness on the generous and concentrated palate. The fine tannins and mineral acidity at the finish support this beautifully. So much apricot character and citrusy freshness at the very long finish. From organically grown grapes.” 95 points, Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com
93 POINTS
Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
From 45+-year-old vines on yellow colored sandstone soils, the 2021 Bürgergarten Riesling VDP. Erste Lage reveals dense and fully ripe fruit with clear, refreshingly mineral, lemon and herbal notes. It is pretty stony on the nose and even with iodine notes. Full-bodied, lush and crystalline on the palate, this is an elegant and balanced dry Riesling with fine mineral grip and acidity. The finish is long, intense and powerful yet also fine and elegant and provided with stimulating salinity and finesse. This is a classic from a cool vintage and stylistically reminiscent of Rieslings from the 1990s (yet not from Catoir, a style on its own at that time). 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork stopper. Tasted in December 2022.
91 POINTS
Aleks Zecevic - Wine Enthusiast
This is quite subtle at the moment, with an intense acidity forming the backbone for the notes of green apple and pear. Acidity forms the structure and gives this focus, but also keeps this away from showing its full flavor spectrum. Give it time. Best after 2027.
90 POINTS
Aleks Zecevic - Wine Enthusiast
This is very classic in profile. An elegant frame sports shadings of ginger spice and minerality, with flavors of apricot and citrus, all together in an expressive, harmonious package. The inviting finish caps it.
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Tasting Notes
Organic. This tremendous Riesling comes from the renowned Bürgergarten vineyard on the lower slopes of the Haardt Mountains. It’s a site rated as Grosses Gewächs (or Grand Cru) and was first planted over 700 years ago, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Pfalz. When a vineyard survives this long, it usually tells you something. While Müller-Catoir does make a GG from a small parcel in this sloping vineyard (Im Breumel), the lion’s share—taken from the Gehren and Aspen micro-terroirs—makes its way into this Erste Lage (or first growth) offering.
The topsoil of Bürgergarten is sandy and deep, with yellow sandstone bedrock below. It’s a soil that brings power, perfume and intense mineral freshness. In terms of winemaking, the wine was naturally fermented and raised in a mixture of steel tanks and five-year-old 600-litre halbstück ovals (25%) for 10 months. Franzen finds this combination—allied with extended lees aging—results in more expressive, less reductive wines that are more approachable on release.
It’s a stimulating Bürgergarten from a cool vintage, redolent of orange citrus, summer blossoms and citrus skin. A lick of leesy savouriness adds complexity, while invigorating tension carries the silky, crystalline palate to a beautiful, grapefruit-drenched finish. Despite a cooler year, this radiates with the generosity of the terroir cut through with striking clarity: a GG, and a great one, in all but name.
