Riesling
Along with Chardonnay, Riesling is one of the top white grapes in the world. It is an aromatic grape that can produce dry to very sweet dessert wines. It is most popular in Germany, Alsace and Austria, but excellent varietal wines can be found throughout the world including in Australia and New York. Riesling-based wines typically express notes of apple, citrus, honey and petrol. You can use Wine Enthusiast’s online Buying Guide to find the top-rated Riesling among our extensive Riesling wine reviews and easy-to-use database. Our Riesling reviews will give you a general idea what to expect from wines made from Riesling, and will help you find one that best suits your needs.
Maximin Grünhäuser 2005 Abstberg Beerenauslese Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
- Cellar Selection
- $177
A stunningly rich yet balanced dessert wine, this beauty starts with hints of paraffin and almonds, then unleashes waves of sweet dried-apricot and orange-marmalade flavors. Despite the intense, honeyed sweetness, there’s enough lime-like acidity to prevent it from being cloying. This tour de force should age effortlessly for 40 or more years.
— J.C.
(10/1/2007)
Dr. Loosen 2005 Erdener Prälat Auslese Goldkapsel Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
- Cellar Selection
- $55
Unlike many botrytis-affected wines, this wine retains a strong sense of minerality, with oily aromas that remain strong amid the swirl of dried apricot and poached pear scents. Sweet and viscous, but beautifully balanced by lively acidity and a stony core. Long and mouthwatering on the finish
— J.C.
(2/1/2007)
Dr. Loosen 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
- Editors' Choice
- $36
A magnificent auslese, featuring plenty of botrytis character, but also pronounced wet-slate aromas. Sweet flavors of dried apples and honey are balanced by lively citrus notes and underlying minerality. Despite being rich and viscous, it doesn’t come across as heavy; instead it ends long and exquisite balanced.
— J.C.
(2/1/2007)
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Tasted blind in the same flight as Prüm’s Bernkasteler Badstube auslese, this wine is flashier, more of an attention-grabber, with amazing purity and intensity of fruit backed by great length. The fruit flavors of green apple, pineapple and lime are underscored by slate-driven minerality, and the wine, although plump and amply endowed, is well balanced, with superb…
— J.C.
(6/1/2007)
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2005 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
- Editors' Choice
Pungent at first, with diesel notes to go with smoky, leesy scents. But give this wine time, because on the palate the quality is immediately obvious. There’s great intensity and depth married to elegance and persistence, complexity combined with purity. Flavors of apple, slate and citrus linger seemingly forever. A masterpiece that should easily last until at…
— J.C.
(6/1/2007)
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Leesy and sulfury, this wine is fully possessed of the “Prüm stink”, yet equally obvious is its incredible intensity and depth. Waves of tropical fruit—think guava and pineapple—cascade over the palate, yet the sweetness is beautifully balanced by acidity. Tremendously concentrated and long on the finish, this should easily live 20 years or more.
— J.C.
(6/1/2007)
Arrowood 2005 Special Select Late Harvest White Riesling (Alexander Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $45
This wine is so loaded with glycerine, it actually pours slow from the bottle, like honey. With 17.4 grams of residual sugar, it’s decadently, deliriously sweet, but sugar is not its only charm. There’s a fabulous flood of apricots, pineapples, peaches and limes, concentrated to their essence and geléed, enriched with pure vanilla and clover honey and dusted with…
— S.H.
(12/1/2007)
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2006 Bernkasteler Badstube Beerenauslese Goldkap Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
- Cellar Selection
- $130
Filled with minerality, spice and everything nice, this incredibly intense wine is also filled with honey, gently caramelized peaches and citrus. It’s got huge presence on the palate and a virtually endless, sweet finish. It should evolve gracefully for 50 or more years.
— J.C.
(12/15/2008)
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