The Kreuznach 2020 Krötenpfuhl GG is from gravel-quartzite soils and opens with clear, fresh, ripe and elegant fruit on the nose. Round and juicy on the palate, this is a full-bodied, lush Riesling with fine phenolic grip on the salty-piquant finish. The 2020 is a long and substantial Riesling with ripe fruit expression and terroir-driven vitality. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July and again at Wiesbaden’s GG tastings in August 2021.

In the old pre-Dönnhoff days, the Krötenpfuhl was almost exclusively used for the production of noble sweet wines and there still is enough fruit today to remind one of that tradition. Ripe aromas of yellow plum, peach and apricot find congenial partners in an almost rocky minerality, as well as fresh garden herbs led by fennel, to stimulate the palate. Maybe a little less intense but more relaxed than its GG siblings from the same stable. (MS)