Günther Steinmetz Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen GP 2018

Goldtröpfchen has a reputation for pushing ripeness hard, yet Steinmetz kept this well under 13% alcohol, remarkable given how close it sits to legal dryness. Pink grapefruit, lime, and Meyer lemon lead the nose, grounded by a firm undercurrent of wet slate. On the palate, zest and smoke arrive with real urgency, building to a finish that is both mouth-filling and bracingly mineral, with slate running through it like a seam. Nothing about this wine feels heavy, it refreshes as cleanly as it impresses. Steinmetz noted he was right to stop fermentation where he did, and the result backs him up completely. A handful of his other 2018s pushed past that threshold into noticeable warmth; this one stayed on the right side of the line.