K. Wechsler - Riesling Trocken 2021
Price: $22.99
| Producer | K. Wechsler |
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| Country | Germany |
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| Region | Rheinhessen |
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| Varietal | Riesling |
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| Vintage | 2021 |
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| Sku | 32941 |
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K. Wechsler Description
One of the most rewarding characteristics of Katharina’s wines is the simplicity of the cellar work. The vineyards speak for themselves without massive unnatural alterations such as excessive fertilizations and other amendments that clumsy up the wines with unnecessary and blunting power. All of her wines are fermented and raised in stainless steel on the heavier lees without bâtonnage (the technique of lees stirring to further flesh out the body of a wine, among other effects) and bottled when they’ve reached their optimal moment. Skin maceration is dependent on the year and the specific parcel, ripeness level, and acidity, and can range between four and sixteen hours—crushed by foot. Pressing is done with the whole clusters, and the grape must settles for 6-24 hours before racking to another tank with the must’s more clean solids. Fermentations are natural and sometimes take up to ten days before starting; if necessary, neutral cultured yeasts may be used for stubborn grape musts. The maximum fermentation temperatures reach up to 24°C (75°F), and she prefers warmer ferments to highlight strong terroir elements earlier on while curbing what could be excessive fruitiness from colder fermentations. The wines finish to full dryness in two to sometimes more than six weeks after the start of fermentation. The entry-level Rieslings (Estate Trocken, Feinherb) and Scheurebe Trocken are bottled in early spring, and the others “when they are ready”—usually between the end of spring and the end of summer. The first sulfite addition is made in the winter and again prior to bottling. The wines go through a gentle, non-sterile filtration to ensure they are clear (the market is not too into cloudy dry Riesling—yet…), and there are no finings.
