JAMES SUCKLING - 98 POINTS The clouds open and a ray of sunlight lands on you as this elixir, in which the beauty of ripe peaches is exactly matched by the freshness of garden herbs, like the two-sides of the one-sided mobius strip. Enormous depth, freshness and complexity at the perfectly balanced finish. Great aging potential, but how could you resist this now? From organically grown grapes with Fair'n Green certification. Drink or hold.
Stuart Pigott
Senior Editor
ANTONIO GALLONI - VINOUS - 96 POINTS The 2024 Riesling Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Spatlese opens with a supple green apple flavor that slowly verges into white peach and a whole array of citrus zest. The palate is wonderfully svelte and tense, moving with the precise sharpness of a freshly cut skate on the smoothest ice. This is thrilling and exciting in its nature. It is pure and so bracing. The 2024 has a restrained 66 g/L of residual sugar set against 8.9 g/L of acidity. (Medium)
FALSTAFF GUIDE (GERMANY) - 96 POINTS Initial unfolding on the nose: berryish fruit, caramel, a hint of high ripeness. The palate begins with a taut acidity structure, continues smoothly and with silky sweetness, the wine has a texture texture and volume and yet remains delicate and subtle, a delicate minerality supports elegance and finesse. Excellent length.
WINE ADVOCATE - 95 POINTS The bright-colored 2024 Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Riesling Spätlese is precise, fresh, intense and quite coolish on the stony and herbal nose that is less tropical than this Vendange Tardive used to be. Elegant, lush and refined on the palate, this is a frisky, dancing and highly stimulating Spätlese with ripe and fleshy fruit yet the precision and finesse of the Johannisberg. It is mouthwatering and saline on the finish, with the attractive reduction of youth. 8.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in August 2025.
In challenging vintages, it is often the classic Pradikat wines that are most successful at Schloss Johannisberg. In 2024, these are the Spätlese Grünlack and the two Kabinett Rieslings Rotlack and Orangelack, the latter of which is sold exclusively through Place de Bordeaux. This trio displays a clear, bright, elegant, refined and natural style (insofar as one can speak of naturalness with deliberately halted fermentation), which does not seem forced in the slightest but rather convivial and extremely entertaining. The estate wines Gelblack (dry and semi-dry) are anything but that. Enrichment (chaptalization) does them no good; on the contrary, these wines, which are supposed to be suitable for all occasions, just talk loudly and have nothing to say, as if they were politicians.
The Schloss Johannisberger 2024 Bronzelack, 2023 Silberlack (the Grosses Gewachs) and 2022 Goldlack also fail to make a real impression. They seem contrived, intellectual and hardly sensual. Yet the Silberlack can be really exciting, as a 10-year vertical at the Robert Weil winery in Kiedrich showed in later August. Here, the 2021, 2019, 2017 and 2014 vintages were convincing. Sure, the young vintages I mentioned will refine over the years, but will they convince? You have to buy them today.
Published: Nov 06, 2025 Stephan Reinhardt.
ANTONIO GALLONI - VINOUS - 96 POINTS The 2024 Riesling Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Spatlese opens with a supple green apple flavor that slowly verges into white peach and a whole array of citrus zest. The palate is wonderfully svelte and tense, moving with the precise sharpness of a freshly cut skate on the smoothest ice. This is thrilling and exciting in its nature. It is pure and so bracing. The 2024 has a restrained 66 g/L of residual sugar set against 8.9 g/L of acidity. (Medium)
FALSTAFF GUIDE (GERMANY) - 96 POINTS Initial unfolding on the nose: berryish fruit, caramel, a hint of high ripeness. The palate begins with a taut acidity structure, continues smoothly and with silky sweetness, the wine has a texture texture and volume and yet remains delicate and subtle, a delicate minerality supports elegance and finesse. Excellent length.
WINE ADVOCATE - 95 POINTS The bright-colored 2024 Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Riesling Spätlese is precise, fresh, intense and quite coolish on the stony and herbal nose that is less tropical than this Vendange Tardive used to be. Elegant, lush and refined on the palate, this is a frisky, dancing and highly stimulating Spätlese with ripe and fleshy fruit yet the precision and finesse of the Johannisberg. It is mouthwatering and saline on the finish, with the attractive reduction of youth. 8.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in August 2025.
In challenging vintages, it is often the classic Pradikat wines that are most successful at Schloss Johannisberg. In 2024, these are the Spätlese Grünlack and the two Kabinett Rieslings Rotlack and Orangelack, the latter of which is sold exclusively through Place de Bordeaux. This trio displays a clear, bright, elegant, refined and natural style (insofar as one can speak of naturalness with deliberately halted fermentation), which does not seem forced in the slightest but rather convivial and extremely entertaining. The estate wines Gelblack (dry and semi-dry) are anything but that. Enrichment (chaptalization) does them no good; on the contrary, these wines, which are supposed to be suitable for all occasions, just talk loudly and have nothing to say, as if they were politicians.
The Schloss Johannisberger 2024 Bronzelack, 2023 Silberlack (the Grosses Gewachs) and 2022 Goldlack also fail to make a real impression. They seem contrived, intellectual and hardly sensual. Yet the Silberlack can be really exciting, as a 10-year vertical at the Robert Weil winery in Kiedrich showed in later August. Here, the 2021, 2019, 2017 and 2014 vintages were convincing. Sure, the young vintages I mentioned will refine over the years, but will they convince? You have to buy them today.
Published: Nov 06, 2025 Stephan Reinhardt.