Here is a small, somewhat unexpected wine miracle. 2021, for the solid producers, is indisputably an outstanding vintage for fruity and sweet German white wines. Unfortunately, this cannot automatically be said for the dry wines, where this unusually cool vintage for modern times comes across as much more uneven. Therefore, it is a particular joy to note that Ratzenberger, with Steeger St. Jost Riesling Grosses Gewächs, has produced one of the best dry wines of the vintage, and in our opinion, probably the best version we’ve tasted over the roughly 15 vintages we’ve had from them. And considering there have been several quite good wines, including the 2019 vintage, which won Jyllands-Posten’s extensive Riesling GG test, this is quite the claim.
This mouthwatering wine is a stunning terroir-driven wine that beautifully showcases the essence of Steegertal’s Devonian slate.
Steeger St. Jost in 2021 has given a Grosses Gewächs with intensity, purity, surgical precision in the fruit, and a delightful, high, ripe acidity. Surprisingly, the grapes from the 60-year-old vines had excellent phenolic ripeness, allowing Ratzenberger to achieve the desired skin contact without any issues. A cool cellar and the use of natural yeast meant this wine took nearly nine months to ferment dry!
A genre-typical, very moderate 12.5% alcohol content ensures great drinkability without compromising on intensity. When the cooler German wine regions manage to combine structure, precision, and intensity in their dry, ambitious Rieslings, no one else can compete.
The aroma and flavor are dominated by intense citrus, white flowers, and pronounced salty minerals. The wine is effortlessly dry, and despite its intensity, it remains so drinkable that one wonders how little wine can fit into a 75 cl bottle.
Serve at the right temperature, which in this case is 9-14°C, depending on temperament and purpose.
Enjoy the wine in spacious glasses. Drink it now in greedy gulps, or forget it in a good cellar for 15-20 years.
Vinbladet wrote:
“St. Jost from Weingut Ratzenberger is an unusually elegant and exotically flavored wine that almost floats out of the glass. It is absolutely not a light wine, but the individual flavor elements come together in perfect harmony and make angels sing. It is the best St. Jost I have ever tasted and is certainly a candidate to be named the best of the approximately 450 wines served over the three days.”
— Vinbladet, Lars Dalgaard, August 2022
