2024 Emrich-Schonleber, Monzinger Halenberg Riesling GG, Nahe

Frank Schönleber’s management of the 2024 vintage was anchored in rigorous technical discipline following severe April frosts that reduced the Halenberg yields to a third of their typical volume. This Grosses Gewächs is a direct translation of the Monzinger Halenberg’s steep, south-facing topography, where blue Devonian slate and quartzite soils dictate a profile of high-toned acidity and structural tension. The growing season’s cool, wet summer followed by a dry August preserved significant acid retention, while the low crop levels ensured deep physiological ripeness and concentration.

Vinified in neutral large oak with extended lees contact, the wine exhibits a compact architecture with a fine-grained, phenolic texture and a dense mid-palate. On the palate, the 2024 is a radically structured Riesling, balancing the vintage’s bright nerve with a savory, smoke-inflected weight and an age-worthy frame characteristic of this site. The finish is remarkably persistent, driven more by the stony grip of the blue slate than primary fruit.