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Tina and Brett
The history of the vineyard land where Weingut Reverchon sits goes back over a thousand years. The most ancient site on the property is a vineyard that’s now known as “Filzener Herrenberg.” It’s just incredible that the land of Weingut Reverchon has remained productive for that long! As we began researching this historic German winery, we were struck by how much care has been taken to maintain the land and the vigor of the old vines.
Weingut Reverchon Winery takes the name ‘Reverchon’ from a wealthy banking family that took ownership of the estate in 1921. Prior to that, Wiengut Winery had been in the hands of a local church. By now, many of our readers are all too familiar with the boom and bust cycle of respected wineries falling out of favor and into states of neglect, only to be revived when a passionate buyer comes along with an eye toward rebuilding a legacy.
In the case of Reverchon, that buyer was investor Hans Maret, who grew up in Mosel and wanted to breathe life back into what was once a beacon of quality wine. Maret purchased Reverchon in 2007 and spared no expense in restoring the centuries-old mansion and the vineyards.
He built new fermenting and storage buildings, hired a new cellarmaster, and brought in technologists who installed top-of-the-line winemaking equipment.
Maret and his cellarmaster, Ralph Herke, who joined Reverchon from the respected Schloss Vollrads in Rheingau, kept an eye out as vineyards surrounding the estate went on the market and began acquiring the best parcels as they become available. Weingut Reverchon’s crown jewel acquisition happened in 2017 when they were able to secure a full third of the famous Ockfener Bockstein, one of Saar’s best sites.
The intensity that Maret and Herke brought to restoring Reverchon has not gone unnoticed in the wine community. In 2018, Reverchon was awarded the Jancis Robinson Trophy for Riesling with the Filzener Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese 2015.
Riesling cultivation in Germany dates back to 1435. One of the country’s best-known wine-growing regions is in Mosel, which is located in the southwestern portion of Germany and named for the Mosel River.
Mosel is divided into six sub-regions, one of which is Saar, where this Reverchon Riesling hails from. This German microclimate, and its unique Devon slate soil, produce wines with noticeable minerality, light floral notes, and beguiling acidity. Prime Saar vineyards are located on the south-facing slopes of the Saar River Valley and are planted on steep hills that receive abundant sunshine.
Riesling makes up almost 60% of the grapes grown in Mosel, but vineyard owners have been experimenting with other commercial varieties in this cool-climate growing region. Eddie Reverchon, the winery’s previous owner, planted small amounts of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay alongside their famous Riesling grapes. You will also find Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau, which is a hybrid of Riesling and Madeleine Royal, and Elbling, another under-the-radar white German grape, at neighboring estates.
When most people think of age-worthy wines, they think of red wines from Napa, Bordeaux, or Tuscany and grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese. But there are also a few age-worthy wines, Riesling being one of them. It’s not uncommon for a quality Riesling to spend thirty to forty years in the bottle. As the wine ages, it will turn from a translucent gold to a darker straw color.
‘Trocken’ is a classification level in German wine that denotes a dry style of Riesling. Trocken-style Rieslings are known for being light, dry, and elegant. The “lightness” of the trocken-style refers to the body of the wine but also the alcohol level. These wines can range from 6% ABV to around 11% ABV.
The 2020 Reverchon Saar Riesling Trocken hangs right around 11.5%, on the higher end of the spectrum.
Germany
Mosel
Riesling
11.5
Hans Maret
47–50°F / 7–10°C
Chardonnay
None
Now to 2025
Weingut Reverchon
This dry German Riesling is a clear, pale gold in the glass. The nose stretches from tropical pineapple to tangy lime, grapefruit, and wet gravel. The palate is classic Riesling and mimics the nose. Many reviews of the Saar wines emphasize the minerality of these wines and the way the terroir expresses itself in the glass. For us, that mineral essence came across as rain-soaked gravel, which gave the wine a refreshing bite.
This wine doesn’t have that love-it-or-hate-it petrol quality that some Rieslings are known for. Instead, it leans into citrus (lime and grapefruit) and pineapple. The finish is crisp, satisfying, and will lead to many wine lovers reaching for the bottle and pouring themselves another glass! Lots of good stuff happening with this low-alcohol wine.
There are some great value Rieslings out there. This bottling from Reverchon proves that you don’t need to spend lavishly to enjoy well-made wines.
