2023 Weingut Bischel Chardonnay Reserve

94 pts DD Import
Ambitious Burgundy-inspired Chardonnay from the talented Runkel brothers.

Price:
Sale price$89.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Winery of the Year & Best White Wine Collection
"Christian and Matthias Runkel continue to fly high"
- Eichelmann 2020

”One of the finest winegrowing estates anywhere in Rheinhessen.”
- Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) - the invitation-only elite of German viticulture

Bischel’s Chardonnay Reserve deserves serious attention and we’re delighted to have it in this shipment: a concentrated, barrel-fermented German Chardonnay with the flavour and texture to win over the Burgundy / Aussie Chardy drinkers.

Christian and Matthias Runkel draw on two terraces in St. Laurenzikapelle in Gau-Algesheim. The warmer lower section gives generously ripe fruit, while the higher, chalkier parcel produces smaller berries that bring finesse to the blend.

The organically grown fruit is picked late by hand and slowly pressed as whole bunches. Wild fermentation in French oak is followed by twelve months on lees, building depth and creaminess.

Apple and melon come through with roasted almond, a little flint and reduction and well-integrated toasty oak. There’s lovely weight and power through the middle, balanced by fresh acidity and a long, dry finish with a salty, chalky grip.

This has plenty to offer now, particularly with some air, and enough concentration to develop in bottle. Properly ambitious Chardonnay, and another reminder of just how much quality the Runkel brothers deliver beyond Riesling.

”One of the best producers in the country of premium wines.”
- Wein-Plus.eu

”Crystalline and compelling expressions of limestone.”
- JancisRobinson.com

 

94 points - "A ripe and elegant cool-climate chardonnay with a fascinating interplay of flinty freshness and restrained creaminess on the concentrated, medium-bodied palate. Then the very long, emphatically dry, chalky and salty finish pulls you back for more. From organically grown grapes grown in the St. Laurenzikapelle site. Unfiltered. Drink or hold." - JamesSuckling.com

93+ points - "Viscous at the edge of the glass, with golden-coloured reflections. Flint, roasted almonds and vanilla on the nose. Wood vivid, but harmoniously integrated. Noticeable texture on the palate, paired with salt, iodine and again roasted nuts. Subtle pome fruit on the finish. Powerful, phenolic accompaniment to food." - Falstaff

Vineyard

The grapes come from two terraced Chardonnay vineyards in the middle and lower part of the vineyard site Gau-Algesheim St. Laurenzi Chapel. Lime marl and gravel characterise the soil there. Exposure: south-facing slope. The summer heat accumulates in the lower part of the site, allowing the Chardonnay grapes to develop their full strength and ripen to a golden yellow. The upper, chalky part preserves the finesse, the grapes get less water there, remain small-berried and taste very mineral.

Vinification

The very late harvest of the highly ripe grapes is done by hand. To preserve the phenols and promote elegance, the grapes are whole cluster pressed for several hours. After pressing, the unfermented juice ferments with natural yeasts in French oak barrels and in barriques. After 12 months of yeast storage, the wine is bottled in the summer.

Tasting notes

Aroma of melons, roasted nuts and stewed apples, followed by discreet wood. Dense fruit and honey on the palate, this Chardonnay impresses with excellent persistence. Lots of depth and structure. The polished acidity keeps it in balance and supports the velvety creaminess.

Analysis

alcohol: 13.0 % vol.; Residual sugar: 0.5 g/l; Acidity: 7.0 g/l

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Germany
Region Rheinhessen
Critic Score 94
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure DIAM Cork

Weingut Bischel

Two brothers, a family estate and some outstanding vineyard sites have made Weingut Bischel one of Rheinhessen’s most exciting emerging producers. Christian and Matthias Runkel have led the winemaking since 2006, building on the Appenheim estate their grandfather founded in 1968.

They brought home some impressive experience too. Matthias trained at Keller and New Zealand’s Neudorf, while Christian worked at Tim Adams in the Clare Valley and Backsberg in South Africa, before the pair turned their attention to the family vineyards.

The real draw is the land they farm. Their top Rieslings come from three distinctly different and remarkably old (up to 900 years!) sites: limestone-rich Hundertgulden, quartzite-based Scharlachberg and the volcanic soils of Heerkretz, giving them an unusually broad range of vineyard characters to explore.

Organic farming, carefully controlled yields and picking at the right moment underpin the approach, with use of wild yeasts, lees and old wood where necessary adding texture and complexity. Riesling is a major focus, but the brothers are equally serious about the Burgundy varieties, with freshness, structure and the ability to age central to their ambitions.

Bischel joined Germany’s prestigious VDP growers’ association in 2019, followed by Eichelmann’s award for the country’s Best White Wine Collection in 2020. This is a modern star of Rheinhessen, and tremendous value for money for Rieslings (and others) of this calibre.

Christian and Matthias Runkel in the ancient grosse lage vineyard - Scharlachberg. Weingut Bischel Collection

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