Marto, Côte de Flon 2023

Place: Rheinhessen, Germany

Grape: Riesling,  Silvaner,  Chardonnay,  Pinot Blanc,  Pinot Noir

Vibe: Creamy

A little Germanic nod to the wines of the Côte d'Or. I reckon I first tasted this at a Salon in Burgundy and I distinctly remember it blowing its contemporaries out of the water. Still slaps just as hard! Stylistically very different to the rest of the range yet still with that hallmark minerality and energy.

You see this is aged in large format barrel, some new. Things here are cushioned by a masterful kiss of oak. I sometimes struggle with barrel influence; I find it a bit jarring and masking. A huge exception being wines vinified without sulphites. Just like this. I actually go mad for it. I find the fruit and barrels melt together more cohesively, it's a marriage made in heaven. This wine is actually stupid good. Guaranteed to make you grin from ear to ear.

I want to call it Baby Burgs, but that would be a discredit. This would wipe the floor with most Bourgogne Blanc and then some. ABV: 12.5%