Forster Ungeheuer Riesling trocken Grosse Lage - Weingut Margarethenhof

„Dieses Ungeheuer schmeckt mir ungeheuer.“ (This monster tastes monstrously good to me.), Otto von Bismarck is believed to have said this during a visit to Forst about a Riesling from this single vineyard. Even if the quote is not entirely historically documented, it perfectly captures this wine. The Forster Ungeheuer from Weingut Margarethenhof is the most approachable of the three great Forster Grosse Lagen, elegant, deep, and remarkably full-bodied.

On the nose, the wine opens with clear peach, delicate citrus notes, and a soft, precise mineral touch, inviting, open, and gentle rather than wild.

On the palate, the Riesling white wine is finely structured, with bright fruit, harmoniously integrated acidity, and an almost creamy texture. A wine that does not seek to be louder than it is, but is simply complete.

The Ungeheuer single vineyard is planted on Triassic sandstone mixed with calcareous sandstone gravel and some basalt, a soil combination that is rarely found elsewhere in Forst. The middle slope, sheltered from westerly winds, gives the grapes a head start on ripening and results in particularly harmonious, complete maturity.

The name itself has nothing to do with monsters ("Ungeheuer"): It dates back to a 17th-century town clerk of Deidesheim, Johann Adam Ungeheuer, whose tombstone can still be found today at the monastery church in Mußbach, a few kilometers further south on the Weinstrasse.

After selective hand-harvesting at the optimal stage of ripeness, the wine matured on the lees until February and then on the fine lees until bottling in July. This aging gives the wine depth without weighing it down.

An elegant, surprisingly approachable Palatine Riesling with great fullness, delicate fruit, and remarkable depth. Very good aging potential. Organic from vintage 2024.