Ungeheuer Riesling Grosses Gewächs

Variety: Riesling • Region: Pfalz • Vineyard: Forster Ungeheuer • Soil Type: Ancient coral reef with chalky red sandstone with volcanic basalt soils • Fermentation & Élevage: Spontaneous fermentation in 500L barrels, left on the gross lees for 18 month

Forster Ungeheuer:
The famous Ungeheuer is located above the city of Forst in the middle of the slope that rises from 125 to 180 meters toward the Haardt hills. The gentle slope incline of 30 percent faces east and southeast providing optimal warming. The soil is quite diverse and heterogeneous and includes a bit of volcanic basalt rock in some areas. The soil is otherwise dominated by weathered variegated sandstone with clay, limestone, and limestone rubble. Good available water capacity provides vines with optimal moisture and minerals. Riesling is the sole variety planted here. History: The Bavarian land parcel classification of 1828 categorized this site as a top vineyard. The Chancellor of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) commented on the wine with the following statement: “Dieses Ungeheuer schmeckt mir ungeheuer,” which can be translated to “This colossal tastes colossally good”. From that point onward the site, became world famous. The name “Forster Ungeheuer” stems from a government scribe named Johann Adam Ungeheuer in Deidesheim in 1699.