Julien Schaal’s 2024 Alsace Riesling Mixed Case

Sommerberg comes from an extremely steep, south-facing vineyard above Niedermorschwihr and Katzenthal.

Its weathered granite soils drain quickly, while the vineyard’s altitude helps preserve freshness. The resulting wine is taut, energetic and driven by citrus and mineral flavours.

Of the three, Sommerberg feels the most immediate. It has lift, movement and a saline quality that runs through the finish.

This is Riesling with the volume turned up, but without any heaviness.

95 points, Vinous
Drinking window: 2028–2055

This wine comes from the Dudenstein parcel within Sommerberg, where limestone sits beneath the granite.

It combines gentle smokiness and a surprisingly creamy texture with persistent lemon brightness and a touch of passion fruit. Bone-dry, smooth and beautifully balanced.

Schoenenbourg is the broadest and most generous of the three.

The vineyard sits above Riquewihr on soils containing marl, dolomite and gypsum. These soils hold water well and tend to produce Rieslings with greater depth and weight.

There is more ripe fruit here, with citrus, peach and floral notes carried by a fuller palate. The acidity keeps everything fresh, but the wine has a sense of richness and scale that separates it from Rosacker.

If Rosacker is about precision, Schoenenbourg is about presence.

95 points, Vinous
Drinking window: 2026–2056

Grown on gypsum and marl, Schoenenbourg is the broadest and most generous of the three.

The wine is expansive, lemony and bright, with a creamy texture and greater depth through the palate. It remains balanced and composed, finishing with citrus, gentle pithiness and freshness.

If you like your Riesling focused, structured and very precise, start here.

Rosacker lies above Hunawihr on limestone-rich soils. The vineyard produces Riesling with a strong mineral backbone, bright citrus character and plenty of tension.

The 2024 brings yellow apple, nectarine and citrus together with lively acidity. It feels composed and tightly drawn, with the fruit held firmly in place by the wine’s structure.

This is the bottle to open for someone who thinks Riesling is always soft, fruity or sweet.

96 points, Vinous
Drinking window: 2028–2060

Rosacker comes from five parcels with varying combinations of Triassic limestone and clay.

Anne Krebiehl MW describes a bone-dry, elegant Riesling with gentle smoke, orange blossom, citrus and a cool saline character. There is plenty of freshness, but the wine’s most striking quality is its sense of calm and completeness.