2016 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Grosses Gewachs
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From a crazy year in two parts: devastatingly wet until the beginning of July, then devastatingly sunny and dry, Christmann's 2016 Riesling Idig VDP.Grosse Lage is cool, clear and precise on the nose and shows the typical Idig limestone marl note. This is elegant, delicate and balanced on the palate, yet the finish is almost Alsatian in its richness, which seems almost broad in a German context. It's dense, exciting and very long but also very different: softer, sweeter and more mouth-filling than any vintage that has followed the 2016 to date. Tasted at the Rebholz Kastanienbusch/Christmann Idig/Wittmann Morstein vertical tasting in Westhofen in late August 2024.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
RS 1.1 g/l, TA 6.2 g/l. Very friendly, well balanced, approachable nose. Broad and flattering.Creamy texture and a panoply of flavours. Less obvious acidity than most of its peers. Very charming indeed already. (JR)
For once orchard fruit gets the upper hand on meadow herbs in a Christmann Grosses Gewächs, but not in a heavy-handed but rather delightfully animating way. Fine mineral and herbal notions add interest and the merest hint of residual sugar serves only to increase the Idig’s power of seduction. I liked the 2014 for its subtlety, but think the 2016 deserves an extra half point for elegance. (MS)
A whiff of wood takes nothing away from the impressive combined aromatic intensity of white peach, apple, crushed stone, toasted nuts and citrus zest. A waxy feel and a sense of softness contribute to an enveloping midpalate impression. I wholeheartedly endorse Christmann’s decision to pick his Idig for a wine of 12.8% alcohol rather than waiting, but given that after malolactic conversion we have here a mere 6.2 grams of acidity, the price in acidity that he might have paid had he postponed harvest would probably have been more problematic than the effect of a few degrees more Oechsle and correspondingly higher alcohol. The finish here leaves the palate soothed and carpeted with a nuanced array of fruity, nutty, herbal and mineral flavors, capped by a hint of iodine. I’ll be very interested to witness (if I’m able to) how this wine develops over time. I should note that, unlike me, a number of my worthy fellow critics are positively over the moon about this year’s Idig.