Louis Guntrum ‘Nierstein Rehbach’ Riesling Spätlese (750ML)

The Louis Guntrum vineyards are located in Rheinhessen, Germany.  More specifically, the vineyards are in Nierstein right along the banks of the Rhine.  An excellent climate for riesling.  And while many American’s might expect riesling to be the most common grape planted in Rheinhessen, it’s actually in a close second place to Müller-Thurgau, which is used to make Rivaner — a wine I come across much less frequently than riesling.

You’ll notice that the wine is labelled as a ”Spätlese” which translates to mean “late harvest.”  While I love the detailed classifications found on German wines, it can be confusing for an average wine drinker to keep track of what it all means.  I know I get confused at times.  Spätlese is an indication of the ripeness of the grapes at the time of harvest and means that the grapes are fully ripe.  Although they could be riper, in which case it would be classified as Auslese.  Spätlese doesn’t necessarily mean the wine is sweet.  It can be produced as a sweet wine or a dry wine.  In either case, a Spätlese tends to have more intensity to the aromas and flavours than wines made with less ripened grapes, like a Kabinett.