The 2023 vintage marked a dramatic shift at Wirz as the multi-year drought finally broke. With adequate water available, the head-trained, dry-farmed vines produced significant canopy growth and notably larger clusters... still modest by most standards, but substantial for this site. A long, cool, even growing season allowed exceptional flavor development at low sugar levels. Harvest occurred October 25, 2023 at 20.9° Brix.

Fruit was whole cluster pressed, cold settled overnight, and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel at moderate temperatures. At 2° Brix, the wine was transferred to 15% stainless steel and 85% neutral French oak.

Given the wine's vibrant, expressive character, we opted for a shorter élevage than the 2022 vintage, bottling after 20 months on the lees without bâtonnage. The finished wine shows 12.0% ABV, 2.90 pH, 8.0 g/L TA, and 2.6 g/L RS.

160 cases produced.

Critical acclaim:
The 2023 Riesling is terrific. Bracing mineral notes and brisk acids cut through a core of citrus fruit, slate and white pepper. The sculpted, vibrant Riesling is lights-out. I would give it at least a few months in bottle. The cool vintage suits this wine and style so well. - 94, Antonio Galloni

Smells of wet chalkboard and lemon pith. Lean, crisp flavours of winter
melon, lemon pith, pomelo and Asian pear are stony with a wet-pavement minerality and very bright acidity. Leans towards the austere. - 17/20, Alder Yarrow

.