Von Othegraven, Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett 2022

92 points Falstaff
"Smoky aroma, strong mineral note, wet hot slate, candied citrus, mint, flint. On the palate a tense interplay between fruit and acidity, lots of traction, citrus, delicate phenolics, elegant and firm, good length, beautiful and with certain ageing potential."

Vinous Reverie Notes
From Vinous Media: Von Othegraven has been in the same family’s hands since 1805 when Napoleon confiscated and auctioned off ecclesiastical estates. The most recent incumbent is Günther Jauch with his wife, Thea. He is a German TV personality and took over from Dr. Heidi Kegel in 2010. The couple continues to reside in Potsdam, but they are active at wine presentations and events. Kegel had installed Swen Klinger in 2004 as winemaker and Andreas Bart in 2006 to run the estate. He became managing director in 2010 and left to focus on his estate, Lubentiushof, in 2021. Since then, Grit Schedlinksi has taken over the business side. Cellar master Swen Klinger, in place since 2004, provides the necessary continuity and quiet calm. The estate now comprises 16.5-hectare with its historic manor house and park set against the majestic backdrop of the Kanzemer Altenberg. The estate has substantial holdings in the latter and further parcels in the Ockfener Bockstein, Wiltinger Kupp and the monopole of Wawerner Herrenberg. Klinger is not a voluble winemaker, but his wines speak for him and his insistence that they require time in the cellar. Grapes are slightly crushed, and any wines with residual sweetness receive no skin contact. Individual decisions are made for the rest of the portfolio. They are gently pressed with exposure to oxygen, sedimented overnight and gravity fed into stainless steel tanks for spontaneous ferment without temperature control. Some wines stay in steel. Others are transferred mid-ferment into large, used oak, both Stück and Fuder. Where the GGs are gentle, smooth, almost emollient giants, the Kabinette are electric little dynamos of energy and verve, and the estate is justly famed for its excellence in this arena. Two thousand and twenty-two brought no Auslesen at this estate. Spätlese was the highest Prädikat. There also is a tiny amount of Pinot Noir in the Wiltinger Kupp that is not commercialized, and some more Pinot Noir has been planted in the Kanzemer Altenberg - something to look forward to. During my visit, I tasted the 2021 GGs, which, as of this year, are released two years after vintage, and the 2022 Kabinette and Spätlesen.