GIESEN MOSEL RIESLING 2018

Memories of their grandfather August Giesen travelling to Mosel to buy barrels of the region’s world-famous Riesling prompted the Giesen brothers to purchase a vineyard and make wine in Germany’s most regarded region.

Winery notes (2018 Vintage)
"2018 was an excellent wine growing year. Ideal weather during flowering was followed by a warm and dry summer which created fruit with intense aroma. Autumn was dry which allowed the grapes to be left on the cane until the end of October meaning they were harvested with highly concentrated flavour and harmonious acidity.

The Giesen Mosel Riesling vineyard sits within the village of Reil on the banks of the river Mosel. Reil is small village which includes 120 hectares of terraced vineyards. The exceedingly steep Giesen Riesling vineyard sits in the middle of Mosel with an altitude difference of 150 metres from the top to the bottom of the vineyard. Its vines, rooted in mineral-rich, ancient slate soils are on average more than 50 years old and planted along countless small terraces supported by dry stone walls.

Handpicking ensures only perfectly ripe fruit is selected. Following harvest the grapes were gently pressed followed by six hours maceration to ensure their full, intense flavour was retained. The wine was given a cool ferment, before being rested on lees for three months in traditional Mosel German oak Fuder 1000 litre barrels. It was bottled six months after harvest, preserving the Riesling’s fresh and fruity character."

5 Stars Yvonne Lorkin, September 2021 (2018 Vintage)
"After emigrating from Germany back in the 1980s and building a hugely successful wine business here in New Zealand, the three Giesen brothers doubled back and purchased a small, terraced vineyard in the village of Reil on the banks of Germany’s Mosel River, a place famous for turning out incredible riesling. With a face-slap of bright apple, honeysuckle, a tweak of ginger and loads of lime, it’s crunchy-fresh and has real generosity of texture thanks to 3 months maturation in an old, 1000L oak Fuder. Fabulous."

18.5/20 Joelle Thomson, October 2019 (2018 Vintage)
"This is the newest Giesen Riesling and it comes from the family’s homeland in Germany where it was made by Mosel winemaker Tobias Treis from the Giesen family’s newly acquired vineyard of Goldlay in the village Reil. It’s 12% ABV, made in a classic style. This means its high acidity is balanced by residual sugar to put it in the medium sweet category – it rocks great flavours of white peach, green apples, lemon zest and finishes on a crisp, lingering note of crispness coupled with succulence."