2024 VDP Preview: Franken GG Silvaner Part II
Max Müller I, Horst Sauer, Rainer Sauer, Schwane, Paul Weltner, Hans Wirsching
Mostly from 2023 but with a few of 2022s also included, these were uniformly topflight Silvaners.
Max MÜLLER I
2023 (Escherndorf) Am Lumpen 1655 Silvaner GG
Crisp, piny nose, medium-full body with freshness and energy, just a touch fat. 92/A
2023 (Volkach) Ratsherr Silvaner GG
Citric/lemony nose with limestone chipped stone in nose. Fruity but also with limestone austerity and chalky texture. 93/A
Horst SAUER
2023 (Escherndorf) Am Lumpen 1655 Silvaner GG
Pear, white fruit, limestone aromas. Crisp, chalky, pure in mouth; drink in next 4-6 years. 93/A
Rainer SAUER
2023 (Escherndorf) Am Lumpen 1655 Silvaner GG
Limestone airy nose. Medium-weight, good precision to stony white fruits, nice tautness. Good length. 93/A
SCHWANE
2023 (Escherndorf) Am Lumpen 1655 Silvaner GG
Intense, pure, limestone-driven, deep with good enough acidity. 93/A
2022 (Volkach) Ratsherr Silvaner GG
Fruity with limestone dust in nose. White fruits, round, a suggestion of juicy, but also limestone austerity. Drink over next 4-5 years. (Note the shift from the use of the Bochsbeute here in 2022 to the Burgundy-style bottle for the Am Lumpen 1655 in 2023). 92/A
Paul WELTNER
2023 (Rödelsee) Hoheleite Silvaner GG
Crisp, spicy limestone nose. Crisp, citric, light, nervy, pure limestone fruit. 93/A
2023 (Iphofen) Berg Silvaner GG
Labelled just “Berg”, this wine is in fact from the Julius-Echter-Berg vineyard. It is rounder and a bit heavier than the Hoheleite, with intense white fruits, power, concentration, penetration. 93/A
Hans WIRSCHING
2022 (Iphofen) Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG
Intense white fruits, good penetration, a touch of noble austerity, very good length. Perhaps not as attractive young as the Weltner (different vintage), but seemingly with longer aging potential. 92+/A
2022 Iphofen Kammer Silvaner GG
Dry, austere, long; but with some fruitiness, all the same. 92/A