Tasting notes:

The first vineyards at the Schloss Johannisberg site were planted in 817 when Emperor Ludwig the Pious acquired the land from Fulda Abbey. After the Benedictine abbey (1100-17th century) was ousted during unsettled times, building of the Schloss was begun in 1716 and the land was planted with Riesling in 1720. And so it remains today. This wine, pale lemon-green in colour, is aromatic with apricot, acacia honey and an orange blossom overlay. Intense, though light-bodied, the wine is well-balanced and creamy-textured with zesty acidity. A good pairing could be John Dory fillets on thinly-sliced grilled aubergine with a tomato coulis. [Patricia Stefanowicz MW]