12 Wines from Germany on James Suckling`s List of his Top 100 Wines of 2021

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Dönnhoff, Oberhausen, Nahe. with Anne Dönnhoff - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Jos. Jos. Prüm in Bernkastel-Wehlen, Mosel, with Amei Prüm - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling 

Picture: Tour and Tasting at Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, with Christian Witte, Domaine Director– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany(2014)

Picture: Tasting and Discussing with Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, Pfalz. See: Tour and Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann in Gimmeldingen, Pfalz, with Steffen Christmann – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany

James Suckling, now working out of China (Hong Kong) recently released his list of top 100 wines of 2021. From a German perspective, this list is remarkable, at least for 2 reasons.

While Germany accounts for just a couple of percentage points in terms of the world wine production, 12 of the listed 100 wines are from Germany.

Second, in my view the 12 selected wines represent very well what is going on in Germany now in terms of wine production, including overwhelmingly ultra-premium dry white and red wines. This is due to the fact that the reviewer - Stuart Pigott - lives in Germany and has a deep understanding of what is going on in the German wine world, including the latest developments.

In my view, James Suckling`s Top 100 Wines of 2021 reflects the best appreciation of German wine from a world perspective that I have seen for a while. Bravo Stuart Pigott!

12 Wines from Germany on James Suckling`s List of Top 100 Wines of 2021 

James Suckling: It’s been a great year for tasting wine at JamesSuckling.com. We rated almost 25,000 wines over the last 12 months, our all-time record, and we found so many exciting wines, from 2018 Bordeaux and Napa reds to 2020 German and Austrian whites, not to mention all the other superb wines from Argentina, Australia, California, Italy and New Zealand. Plus, we found a few gems from Chile, Hungary, Portugal and South Africa.

Now, the fruits of all that tasting and spitting are laid out in a neat Top 100 Wines of 2021 list! If you haven't already, check it out on the site. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work, not just from us, but from the hundreds of wineries that produce these immense wines. 

 

Congratulationsto them all. 

 

Picture: James Suckling - Where our Top 100 Wines of 2021 Come From 

James Suckling: Our global Top 100 this year was a cosmopolitan mix, showing how great wines can now be found in so many places. The list was dominated by France, which had 22 wines in the list, mostly 2018 Bordeaux. The United States was second with 21 wines listed, mostly 2018 Napa reds. Italy followed with 15 and Germany with 12. Australia accounted for seven, and Argentina, Spain and Chile each had five. New Zealand had three wines on the list, Austria two, and Hungary, Portugal and South Africa each had one.

 

The 12 German Wines on James Suckling`s List of Top 100 Wines of 2021  

3 Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Hermannshöhle GG 2020

Stuart Pigott: The #bigmoment has come and the Top 100 for Planet #wine has just been posted on the James Suckling website, the culmination of a year's work by the entire team. The list is full of surprises, but no surprise that Cornelius DönnhoffAnne DönnhoffWeingut Dönnhoff#nahe#riesling#germany produced the highest placed wine that I contributed at #3. Congratulations to every producer who made the Top 100! #winelover#winetasting#winecritic  

 

James Suckling: At No. 3 in our list of Top 100 Wines of 2021, the Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Hermannshöhle GG 2020 is a top single-vineyard riesling from undoubtedly one of the greatest producers of wine in Germany. The steep hillside vineyards of the Dönnhoff family produce some of the most compelling dry white wines in the world. And the Dönnhoffs make some of the best wines of our tastings each year. Last year, the Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Dellchen 2019 was our No. 7 wine in the Top 100. The Hermannshöhle GG 2020 is a ravishing white with its wonderful ripe fruit character of peaches and pears but a fascinating saline, minerally undertone.

Score: 100
Note: The greatest wines are clear right from the very beginning, because not only is there a super abundance of perfect ripeness, but everything fits so beautifully that you’re instantly captivated. That’s exactly the way this dry riesling masterpiece is. The most ravishing, peachy fruit and the most perfect balance. Then comes the totally compelling, salty finish that just doesn’t want to stop. From organically grown grapes with Fair'n Green certification. Drink or hold.

 

 

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Dönnhoff, Oberhausen, Nahe. with Anne Dönnhoff - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

12 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Gold Cap 2019

 

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Jos. Jos. Prüm in Bernkastel-Wehlen, Mosel, with Amei Prüm - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

14 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rheingau Grünlack Spätlese 2020

 

Picture: Tour and Tasting at Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, with Christian Witte, Domaine Director– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany

Pictures: Cellar Tour at Schloss Johannisberg with General Manager Stefan Doktor. See: Robert Weil, Schloss Johannisberg, Schloss Vollrads, Kloster Eberbach: Visit of 4 Iconic Rheingau Riesling Producers (III. International Riesling Symposium), Germany

16 Thörle Spätburgunder Rheinhessen Hölle 2019

Picture: Johannes Thoerle, Christian G.E. Schiller, Christoph Thoerle and Annette Schiller. See: Visit: Winzerhof Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)

17 Emrich-Schönleber Riesling Nahe Halenberg GG 2020

 

Picture: Christian Schiller and Werner Schönleber, Weingut Emrich-Schönleber at the 2013 Riesling Gala at Kloster Eberbach, Germany

 

Pictures: At Weingut Emrich-Schönleber. See: Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir

23 Künstler Riesling Rheingau Hölle GG 2020

“The deep, peach and apricot nose leads you into this enormously concentrated yet graceful dry riesling that’s got the stature to stand next to almost any Grand Cru white Burgundy. Enormously long, beautifully balanced finish that pulls your hand magnetically back to the glass. Drink or hold.” (Stuart Pigott) 

 

 

Pictures: Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Künstler– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)

 

Picture: Annette Schiller and Gunter Künstler. See: VDP.Rheingau Invited to a Pre-release Presentation of the 2017 Grosses Gewächs (GG) Wines 

33 Leitz Riesling Rheingau Berg Schlossberg GG 2019

 

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leitz in Rüdesheim, with Johannes Leitz – Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

46 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Pfalz Pechstein GC 2020

 

Pictures: Hauskonzert - Sunday Morning Concert - at Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf with Annette Schiller and Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze and a 150 years old Steinway Concert Piano. See: Impromptu Tasting at Weinbar & Vinothek Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf in Deidsheim, with Managing Director Steffen Brahner - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen

56 Bernhard Huber Spätburgunder Baden Wildenstein GG 2019

 

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden, with Yquem Viehauser and Julian Huber – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

60 Christmann Riesling Pfalz Idig GG 2020

 

Pictures: At Weigut A. Christmann - Harvest Time. See: Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann– Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)

79 Schäfer-Fröhlich Riesling Nahe Felseneck GG 2020

 

Picture: Christian Schiller and Tim Fröhlich in Wiesbaden

 

Pictures: At Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich in Bockenau - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir

93 Robert Weil Riesling Rheingau Kiedrich Gräfenberg GG 2020

Pictures: Christian and Annette Schiller with Wilhelm Weil at Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich

 

Pictures: Kiedrich: Visit of the Basilica of Saint Valentine and of Weingut Robert Weil - Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Rheingau, with Jan Christensen - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

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Tasting at Weingut Dönnhoff, Oberhausen, Nahe. with Anne Dönnhoff - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling 

Tasting at Weingut Jos. Jos. Prüm in Bernkastel-Wehlen, Mosel, with Amei Prüm - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling  

Tour and Tasting at Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, with Christian Witte, Domaine Director– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Rheingau, with Jan Christensen - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling  

Robert Weil, Schloss Johannisberg, Schloss Vollrads, Kloster Eberbach: Visit of 4 Iconic Rheingau Riesling Producers (III. International Riesling Symposium), Germany  

Visit: Winzerhof Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014) 

Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir 

Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Künstler– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014) 

VDP.Rheingau Invited to a Pre-release Presentation of the 2017 Grosses Gewächs (GG) Wines

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leitz in Rüdesheim, with Johannes Leitz – Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours 

Impromptu Tasting at Weinbar & Vinothek Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf in Deidsheim, with Managing Director Steffen Brahner - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen

Tasting at Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden, with Yquem Viehauser and Julian Huber – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

At Weigut A. Christmann - Harvest Time. See: Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann– Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014) 

At Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich in Bockenau - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir 

Kiedrich: Visit of the Basilica of Saint Valentine and of Weingut Robert Weil - Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014) 

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Rheingau, with Jan Christensen - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling