Weingut Prinz
Rheingau, Germany
PRE-ARRIVAL, arriving early November
Rheingau, Germany
PRE-ARRIVAL, arriving early November
Fred Prinz is one of the top stars of the Rhiengau. He makes wine from his own small estate based on the north bank of the Rhine just 50km south west of Frankfurt and close to the village of Eltville.
Like superstars Keller, 50km to the south and Georg Breuer (who Fred worked with) just 10 km to the East, Fred is not happy unless he achieves the goal of perfectly ripe, healthy, flavourful fruit.
“As would be expected, the winery once again succeeded with a high-class collection. This shows great things once again, it’s an understatement to say cool, clear Rieslings at a top level...they all are radiant and inviting. Precision is the maxim and this is for all wines. Rieslings are pure and taut. Mineral polish always comes first, never superficial fruit aromas or excessive fullness."
- Prinz tells us that the well-renowned wine journalist Eichelmann said this of the 2022’s.
“A great collection! ... In particular, the two great GL’s. The compact, dense Schönhell ends piquantly with white fruit notes and is convincing with clear Riesling character. Orange with pine needles, deep aroma, juicy and clear, we noted well the length of the Jungfer! Great Rheingau!” -Vinum Magazine 2022
Like superstars Keller, 50km to the south and Georg Breuer (who Fred worked with) just 10 km to the East, Fred is not happy unless he achieves the goal of perfectly ripe, healthy, flavourful fruit.
“As would be expected, the winery once again succeeded with a high-class collection. This shows great things once again, it’s an understatement to say cool, clear Rieslings at a top level...they all are radiant and inviting. Precision is the maxim and this is for all wines. Rieslings are pure and taut. Mineral polish always comes first, never superficial fruit aromas or excessive fullness."
- Prinz tells us that the well-renowned wine journalist Eichelmann said this of the 2022’s.
“A great collection! ... In particular, the two great GL’s. The compact, dense Schönhell ends piquantly with white fruit notes and is convincing with clear Riesling character. Orange with pine needles, deep aroma, juicy and clear, we noted well the length of the Jungfer! Great Rheingau!” -Vinum Magazine 2022
"Great acidity and wonderful drive. Very healthy grapes." Fred Prinz.
"In 30 years' time people will still be talking about the 2021's" Daniel Wagner.
Fred Prinz is;
- Staunchly organic.
- Bio-dynamic and vineyard-driven.
- A tireless vineyard worker.
- A big fan of not cutting the canes but tying them up (in the same way as Domaine Leroy) in many sites.
- Driven to foot-stomp and macerate a healthy percentage of his grapes.
- The proud new long-term leaseholder in the long-celebrated Grand Cru sites of Berg Schlossberg and Marcobrunn
- Is making a serious effort to slow down the release of his rieslings. Even the 2020 Doosberg hasn't been released yet, and the 2020 Le Coeur has only just been released now.
Cheers, Randall
Fred Prinz is;
- Staunchly organic.
- Bio-dynamic and vineyard-driven.
- A tireless vineyard worker.
- A big fan of not cutting the canes but tying them up (in the same way as Domaine Leroy) in many sites.
- Driven to foot-stomp and macerate a healthy percentage of his grapes.
- The proud new long-term leaseholder in the long-celebrated Grand Cru sites of Berg Schlossberg and Marcobrunn
- Is making a serious effort to slow down the release of his rieslings. Even the 2020 Doosberg hasn't been released yet, and the 2020 Le Coeur has only just been released now.
Cheers, Randall
2021 Prinz Marcobrunn Riesling GG
RRP: $235 | Offer: $209
Very Limited
“Pump up the volume! Intense flint and wet-earth aromas pour from the glass of this muscular, compact and highly structured dry Riesling. Enough power to keep it rolling for decades! Then, with some aeration, tart apricot and mango fruit emerges, giving this dark lord surprising charm. Gigantic, earthy depth at the extremely long finish. Limited production. From organically grown grapes.” 98pts, 5 stars! – James Suckling
This is the first release from the small (0.3ha) mature-vine patch (planted in '99) of this much revered 7 ha. Grand Cru site, just on the Erbach/Hattenhiem border. Even in the 1200s this site was famous! There is a good supply of subterranean water (brunn means spring and marco means border). This is an explosively intense, tight and minerally riesling from a patch that has deep soil. This is a more exotic style compered to Berg Schlossberg and Jungfer, more like Doosberg (of which we are still waiting for the monolithic 2020 to be released!).
2021 Prinz Berg Schlossberg Riesling GG
RRP: $189 | Offer: $169
Very Limited
“A very elegant and filigree dry riesling with breathtakingly beautiful peach and honeysuckle aromas. The vibrant acidity is married to intense wet-stone minerality and together they drive the very long and racy finish. From a 0.3 hectare parcel in this site, therefore limited production. From organically grown grapes.” 96pts, 5 stars! – James Suckling
This is from '94 and '12 plantings in this steep and distinguished site. This is the minerally, intense, armour-piercing missile that Fred decided to ferment and age in 100% old barrels. It could well live for 50 years or more!
2021 Prinz Jungfer Riesling GG
Offer: $136 | Offer: $115
“For the challenging 2021 vintage, this is an enormously structured and compact wine, even though the body is sleeker than most wines of this category from the preceding vintages. A wealth of wild-berry and herb character. Very racy finish with a slew of wet-earth minerality and stacks of fine tannin.” 96pts, 5 stars! – James Suckling
More quartz in this colder soil giving a super-concentrated juggernaut, corseted up with textural phenolics (from judicious foot stomping of the grapes), perfect acidity (cool soil) giving precision, with power and precision that is freakish. It's fermented and aged in tank and barrel and 20% foot stomped. Jungfer means widow or virgin, as nuns used to prey at this site, about 1000 years ago!
2021 Prinz Schonhell Riesling GG
RRP: $120 | Offer: $102
Screw Cap!
(Total Production only 1500 bottles)
“Such a finely nuanced and subtle dry riesling, with such underplayed power that you could easily miss if you only took a quick sip. However, anyone who takes the trouble will find a wealth of mineral power behind the chamomile, lemon-balm and dried -lower aromas that make this remarkable dry riesling so appealing. From organically grown grapes.” 95pts, 5 stars! – James Suckling.
This is fermented and aged in tank only, to preserve the filigreed minerality and wild, dramatic fruit and hippie shop aromatics.
2020 Prinz Prinz Riesling Trocken ‘Le Coeur’ VDP AUKTION
RRP: $130 | Offer: $109
“Rather funky, seriously structured and tightly wound, this has been built for the long term. Very earthy and mineral with tart pear and peach aromas. Powerful but austere finish.” 94pts! – James Suckling.
All of these grapes came from Jungfer in 2020, and it's a monument to density, power and weight and exoticism that riesling can achieve. 100% of this wine was foot-trodden and given 18 hours of skin contact maceration then fermented and aged in 100% tank.
6 products
6 products
