Pfalz Riesling: tasting through some of the top examples at the VDP tasting 2026
Continuing on my series of write ups from the 2026 VDP tastings is Wiesbaden, Germany, here are my notes on the Pfalz Rieslings. As you can see, I was really impressed with many of these wines. The GG vineyard name is capitalized here for clarity.
Battenfeld Spanier Riesling Zellertal KREUZBERG 2025 Pfalz
Really impressive with lovely crystalline lemony fruit with a touch of apricot richness. Refined and beautifully balanced. 95/100
Philipp Kuhn Riesling Zellertal SCHWARZER HERRGOTT 2025 Pfalz
Slightly salty with nice bright pear and citrus fruit. Generous but well balanced. 94/100
Knipser Riesling Dirmstein MANDELPFAD 2025 Pfalz
Supple and mid-weight with a hint of green and nice citrus fruit. Restrained style. 92/100
Knipser Riesling Laumersheim STEINBUCKEL 2025 Pfalz
Bright lemony fruit with some restraint and a slightly clipped finish. Attractive fruit though. 92/100
Philipp Kuhn Riesling Laumersheim KIRSCHGARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Supple and spice-laden with nice weight to the lemony fruit. Some richness, but shows restraint. 93/100
Philipp Kuhn Riesling Grosskarlbach IM GROSSEN GARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Supple with nice weight to the fruit. Has some juiciness and it’s well balanced and expressive. Lemon and pear. 93/100
Philipp Kuhn Riesling Kallstadt SAUMAGEN 2025 Pfalz
Lovely energy and concentration here. This is bright, expressive and really fine with zippy acidity under the pure lemony fruit. Remarkable stuff. 96/100
Rings Riesling Kallstadt SAUMAGEN 2025 Pfalz
Nice concentration, weight and purity here with bold citrus fruit and a touch of peachy richness, finishing fresh. Lovely stuff. 94/100
Rings Riesling Kallstadt ANNABERG 2025 Pfalz
Bright but balanced with compact lemony fruit and nice weight. Good texture to this wine. 94/100
Rings Riesling Ungstein WEILBERG 2025 Pfalz
Supple, juicy and linear with some salinity under the bright citrussy fruit. Very stylish with a crystalline base. 94/100
Pfeffingen Riesling Ungstein WEILBERG 2025 Pfalz
Beautiful open floral citrus fruit nose. Midweight palate with juicy lemons and pear, as well as some green apple. 93/100
Pfeffingen Riesling Ungstein HERRENBERG 2025 Pfalz
Linear and focused with lovely bright lemony fruit and some nice balance. Juicy and expressive with nice tension to the fruit. 94/100
Acham-Magin Riesling Forst PECHSTEIN 2025 Pfalz
Powerful, textured and intense with crystalline citrus fruit and real weight. Lovely spicy layers weave into the bold citrus notes. 96/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Forst PECHSTEIN 2025 Pfalz
This is balanced and focused with a lovely fine spicy dimension to the bright citrus fruit. Shows good intensity and lovely harmony. 95/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Forst PECHSTEIN 2025 Pfalz
Focused, balanced, stony and mineral with crystalline citrus fruit and a fine spicy framing. Lovely wine. 95/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Forst PECHSTEIN 2025 Pfalz
Crisp, mineral and beautifully balanced with layered citrus fruit, some chalky minerality, and lovely fine spiciness. Beautiful wine. 96/100
Von Winning Riesling Forst PECHSTEIN 2025 Pfalz
A bit of an outlier, with some oak present in the mix. Stylish and intense with real poise, but give the oak a few years to settle in. 92/100
Acham-Magin Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
Lively, bright and mineral laced with vivid lemony fruit as well as some dried herbs. Stylish. 94/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
Textural and refined showing juicy lemony fruit with a slight chalky texture on the palate. 93/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
Compact and juicy with bold citrus fruit. Unfurled with nice weight and a bit of structure. 93/100
Georg Mosbacher Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
Mineral, intense and focused with lovely weight and fine spicy structure. Long, mineral-laced finish. Lovely. 95/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
Compact and nicely weighted with bold lemony fruit, good acidity, and a nice spice-laden finish. 94/100
Von Winning Riesling Forst UNGEHEUER 2025 Pfalz
This is distinctive, with a touch of oak as well as layered citrus fruit. Give this a few years and I think it will be beautiful, but the oak is prominent right now. 92/100
Acham-Magin Riesling Forst KIRCHENSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Linear and precise with nice crisp citrus fruit. Some chalky, spicy detail here. Very stylish with lots of flavour. 94/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Forst KIRCHENSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Linear, bright, compact and nicely intense with some ripe peach as well as bright citrus. Really refined. 95/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Forst KIRCHENSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Linear and focused with good concentration of vivid citrus fruit. Stony and intense. Very stylish. 95/100
Von Winning Riesling Forst KIRCHENSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Some subtle oaky notes in the background with vivid citrus and pear fruit, and a touch of aniseed. Distinctive style. 94/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Forst FREUNDSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Juicy and focused with nice crisp pear and citrus fruit. Very stylish and showing nice density. 93/100
Acham-Magin Riesling Forst JESUITENGARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Lively citrus fruit with some spicy framing. Bold and direct with nice weight. This is vivid with some elegance, too. 94/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Forst JESUITENGARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Light, pure, linear and expressive with crisp citrus and a sense of refinement. 93/100
Georg Mosbacher Riesling Forst JESUITENGARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Textured and quite delicate with nice precision and a lovely tapering finish. Pure citrus here. 93/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Forst JESUITENGARTEN 2025 Pfalz
Stylish and refined with lovely texture and weight. There’s an innate richness here, and a sense of harmony. It’s not just about the fruit. 95/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Deidesheim KALKOFEN 2025 Pfalz
Juicy and elegant with nicely textured linear citrus fruit and a lovely layered finish. Very stylish. 94/100
Von Winning Riesling Deidesheim KALKOFEN 2025 Pfalz
Oak sits high in the mix, making this an atypical Riesling. Layered fruit with nice texture. Distinctive: give it time. 93/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Deidesheim HOHENMORGEN 2025 Pfalz
Textured and fine with some richness to the citrus and pear fruit. Nice weight and flesh here. 93/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Deidesheim HOHENMORGEN 2025 Pfalz
Pure, very fruity and linear with nice acidity supporting the open lemony fruit on the palate. Stylish and bright. 93/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Deidesheim KIESELBERG 2025 Pfalz
Crisp and pure with nice lemony detail and a tapering finish. Nice pure fruit here. 93/100
Georg Mosbacher Riesling Deidesheim KIESELBERG 2025 Pfalz
Juicy and bright with nice focus to the lemony fruit. Has some fine spiciness and a tapering finish. Lovely purity to the fruit. 93/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Deidesheim KIESELBERG 2025 Pfalz
There’s a hint of oak here as well as tectured citrus fruit with some nice texture and weight. Quite pure and open. 93/100
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Deidesheim GRAINHÜBEL 2025 Pfalz
Bright and linear, showing focused citrus fruit with nice weight and balance. Linear, direct lemony fruit the main theme here. 92/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Deidesheim LANGENMORGEN 2025 Pfalz
Nice delicacy here with ripe pear and citrus fruit. Has some weight. Very fruity. 92/100
Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Ruppertsberg REITERPFAD-HOFSTÜCK 2025 Pfalz
Chalky and linear with nice juiciness and focused lemony fruit. Shows taut citrus backed by good acidity. 93/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Ruppertsberg REITERPFAD-IN DER HOHL 2025 Pfalz
Supple, expressive and layered with nice lemony fruit and some depth. 93/100
Acham-Magin Riesling Ruppertsberg REITERPFAD-AN DEN ACHTMORGEN 2025 Pfalz
Stony, fresh and linear with nice crisp fruit and some mineral detail. Brisk style. 93/100
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Ruppertsberg GAISBÖHL 2025 Pfalz
Nicely textured with some pear and white peach as well as citrus. A ripe, full style. 93/100
A. Christmann Riesling Königsbach ÖLBERG-HART 2025 Pfalz
Brisk, bright and quite stony with some ripe fruit. Richly textured and full. 93/100
Von Winning Riesling Königsbach IDIG 2025 Pfalz
Very stylish with well integrated oak and pure, textured citrus fruit. This has real potential. 94/100
A. Christmann Riesling Königsbach IDIG 2025 Pfalz
Juicy, crystalline and fine with nice balance and weight. This is a textural wine with some depth to it. 94/100
A. Christmann Riesling Gimmeldingen MEERSPINNE 2025 Pfalz
Fine and expressive with stylish crystalline citrus fruit, showing good focus and weight. Tapering finish. 94/100
A. Christmann Riesling Neustadt VOGELSANG 2025 Pfalz
Quite light-bodied, lemony and pure, showing good fruit. 92/100
Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Burrweiler SCHÄWER 2025 Pfalz
Supple and gently spicy, with lovely crisp citrus fruit. Stylish and refined. 94/100
Theo Minges Riesling Burrweiler SCHÄWER 2025 Pfalz
Bright, compact, open and lemony with crisp fruit. Nice salty twist. 93/100
Theo Minges Riesling Gleisweiler HÖLLE-UNTERER FAULENBERG 2025 Pfalz
Textural and nicely balanced with bold, weighty lemony fruit and good acidity. Real intensity here. 94/100
Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Siebeldingen IM SONNENSCHEIN 202 Pfalz
Crisp, nuanced and layered with sweet citrus and a fine spicy dimension. This is lovely. 94/100
Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Siebeldingen IM SONNENSCHEIN-GANZ HORN 2025 Pfalz
Delicate but with a core of sweet citrus and then some fine spicy framing. Lovely presence here. 94/100
Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Birkweiler KASTANIENBUSCH 2025 Pfalz
Elegant, refined and finely spiced with beautiful citrus fruit core. So expressive. 95/100
Dr. Wehrheim Riesling Birkweiler KASTANIENBUSCH 2025 Pfalz
Crisp, delicate, layered and finely spiced with lovely detail to the citrus fruit and some chalky mineral undertones. 95/100
Dr. Wehrheim Riesling Birkweiler KASTANIENBUSCH-KÖPPEL 2025 Pfalz
Such elegance and poise here with real finesse to the crystalline citrus fruit. Has amazing tension and detail. 96/100
Siegrist Riesling Leinsweiler SONNENBERG 2025 Pfalz
Bright, juicy and linear with taut citrus fruit. Expressive and nicely complex. 94/100
Kranz Riesling Ilbesheim KIRCHBERG 2025 Pfalz
Great concentration here with layers of flavour, showing nice brightness and energy. Lemony and detailed. 94/100
Kranz Riesling Ilbesheim KALMIT 2025 Pfalz
Such precision and purity, showing finesse and detail to the lemony fruit, with some fine spiciness. Really refined. 95/100
Odinstal Riesling Wachenheim ODINSTAL 2024 Pfalz
Concentrated with some appley richness and well as full lemony fruit. Bold and compact. 93/100
Friedrich Becker Riesling Schweigen SONNENBERG 2023 Pfalz
Powerful, rich and bold with lovely intensity to the ripe citrus and peach fruit. Lots of impact here. 94/100
The 2026 VDP tasting
- Spätburgunder
- Mosel Riesling
- Pfalz Riesling
- Rheingau Riesling
- Rheinhessen and others, Riesling
- Lemberger
