Leitz Out Riesling

The Wine... A Riesling with balance is a great thing. The aroma invites you in, giving you a preview of what's to follow for your palate. Acidity keeps fruit in check, minerality gives you something to think about, and contemplate where this wine came from to give it such uniqueness and depth. The Leitz Rieslings are no exception, possessing both lofty quality and dollar value - traits that don't always intersect.

The Estate... Johannes Leitz farms 26 hectares in the Rheingau region of Germany. This wine growing zone is ruled by Riesling, growing on a substantial hillside, bordered to the south by the Rhine River. Johannes Leitz farms land that his late father planted, and his mother tended until he was of age to take over the work. He's known for making great dry, or trocken, Rieslings, and generally wines with finesse and complexity.

The Land... Rudesheim is a lovely, slightly touristy town that marks the beginning of the Rheingau. For centuries the most prestigous and expensive wines of Germany have been made in this small region. As you drive along the Rhein the vineyards of this land are awesome to view, perched on rocky, vertigo-inspiring mountainsides above the road. These are sites capable of making compelling wine in an array of styles: a fun way to while away some tasting time is to run through Leitz's trocken, Kabinett and Spatlese bottlings in succession. They are obviously of the same place, even if they offer different views of it.