J.B. Becker Eltviller Rheinberg Sptburgunder Blanc De Noir Sekt Brut Nature 2018

The winery is currently managed by third generation grower/winemaker, Hans-Joseph Becker. Hajo is a traditionalist versus many colleagues in the Rheingau region, and has no successor at the moment

His vineyard area totals 13 hectares, all in the Walkenberg area. (Walkenberg is a classified VDP.GROSSE LAGE site) 75% is planted with Riesling and 25% Pinot Noir and is gradually increasing year on year.

Sticking to his guns methodologically and stylistically kept Hans-Josef Becker radical, even after the Rheingau eventually converted en masse to Rieslingtrocken. Becker persisted in the traditional practice of only bottling his young Rieslings immediately ahead of the next harvest, and in many instances he gave them even longer in cask. Fermentations here take place largely in pressure tanks, after which the young wines are racked into traditional RheingauStckfsser, where they remain on their fine lees until bottling. Viticulturally, too, Becker resisted both the trends that prevailed in his youth and subsequent fashions. That meant preserving old vines and, when replanting was unavoidable, spurning clones in deference to massal selections. It meant farming organically, though he never advertised it, at a time when the practice was almost unheard of among German winegrowers

In this way they achieve a fascinating harmony and even after decades they still look fresh and convincingly mature with great fruit.They remain highly sought after by world renown sommeliers and wine critics throughout the world. Beckers wine is unlike any other producers in Rheingau. Annual bottle production of 45,000.

Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Riesling from the Rheingau, Germany

Taste Profile: Very fine brioche nose, chamomile, ripe pear, ripe apple, hardly any sweetness but still very juicy and charming. Although there are only 6g of acid, the fine tartaric acid comes across as very present. The wine is extremely lively in the mouth and shows baked apple, crumbly apple and again that fine brioche and caramel note, meadow flowers, wonderful length, great grip on the palate and immense draw, while being charming, drinkable, extremely tasty. An extremely good, fairly perfectly balanced Riesling sparkling wine of a very high standard with a long finish.

Winemaking Process: A non-dosage sparkling wine with 11.5% alcohol. The second fermentation is not carried out with sugar but only with juice, i.e. must. The sugar content is below 2g/l.