Weingut Leitz (Germany) Rudesheimer Rosengarten Riesling Kabinett 2007
The low-yielding vines for this Rheingau Riesling are on south-facing slopes, planted on sandy loess soils with riverbed sediments and quartz. With only 8.5% ABV it has 36.5g/l of residual sugar, so is definitely medium-sweet. Young Johannes Leitz is now in charge of the estate and is one of Germany’s real stars, making some really superb wines that are modern and fruity, but expressing their terroir beautifully. The nose on this, from a single vineyard in the village of Rudesheim, is filled with a pure but ripe, fat, lemony, confident fruit. The palate has glorious clarity: this is like a laser beam, focusing in from a broad, expansive, peachy ripe base to a pin-point of precision on the finish as the glittering mineral acidity sweeps through. Wonderful and thrilling stuff at a very reasonable price – and bottled in screwcap. 8.99, Waitrose (only in 192 branches and online).