The Haag family took over the Schloss Lieser estate, with its renown neo-classical castle, in the 1990’s where they now tend to a total of 26ha across 9 different Grosse Lage vineyards (essentially the German equivalent of Grand Cru Vineyards in Burgundy). To make matters even more confusing, the wines from Grosse Lage vineyards are called Grosse Gewächs. In this case, the prestigious vineyard is Juffer Sonnenuhr in the town of Brauneberg. Harvested by hand over 3-4 passes, they employ long, slow, native yeast fermentation in stainless steel tank in their cool, 100-year old vaulted cellar. After fermentation, the wine is left on its gross lees, racked to taste and aged on its fine less. The wine sports lush earthy aromas with the presence of dried stone fruit and delicate florals. On the palate, it’s medium bodied, crisp and dry with ripe stone and orchard fruit, granite and slate minerality as well as some underripe pineapple, and a hint of herbal spice and salinity on the finish. This elegant and noble Riesling pairs well with Sole Meunière or Shanghai-style shrimp and pork dumplings.