The Rheinhessen is Germany's largest wine region and encompasses both majority it of it's bulk wine production AND it's very finest wines, like those of Keller "The German Montrachet".

Gunderloch is one of it's other top estates, and thanks to the forward thinking, hard working Johannes Hasselbach, is only getting better. He's pulled the wines into the modern era, making them first in the vineyards, which have been practicing organic for more than 5 years.

His goals are lofty, from reducing residual sugar and alcohol, quite a feat in the new age of climate change, adding complexity with spontaneous fermentation, moving away from purely reductive techniques by incorporating used barrels with longer maturation and playing with skin contact.

Of course it helps to have a host of desirable vineyard sites with which to work from including "Roter Hang", Rheinhessen's notorious red slope vineyard, along with a host of other grand cru's including Rothenberg, Niersteiner Pettenthal and Niersteiner Hipping.

In the hands of Johannes these sites are able to produce wines that have gained notoriety for their exceptional balance, grace, and filigreed nuance.

Professional Reviews

What importer Bowler Wine has to say about this wine...

A site made famous by many winemakers in the region, the Niersteiner Pettenthal is a finer soil than Rothenberg, more pebbly with broken rocks and less geological compression. The wines from here tend to be more tensile, more filigreed, lighter on their feet, yet resolutely firm and lasting as well. It’s a GREAT combination! The nose is tight and clean, intriguing for its intense coconut scent this year along with savory and exotic aromas like licorice and black olive paste.... The mouthfeel is tart, energetic, and exciting, propelling a cascade of juicy citrus fruits over the tongue in the finale. That quality keeps the wine---which possesses ample material in dense and deep layers---from ever becoming ponderous. It is, in short, a great Pettenthal, destined for long life and profound food pairings.