1920 Riesling Goldlack achieves record price

Schloss Johannisberg auctions 100-year-old wine for €18,000

Great joy at Schloss Johannisberg: Coinciding with its anniversary year, the world-renowned Riesling producers achieved a record price for a 100-year-old wine. The 1920 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Goldlack 70 cl was sold to a true Riesling connoisseur for €18,000 at the wine auction last weekend in Kloster Eberbach, Germany.

First-class quality: Tasted and recorked in January 2020

The 1920 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Goldlack from the estate’s legendary cellars is a real masterpiece: “Amber-coloured, shot through with gold, and with a distinctive bouquet reminiscent of marmalade, dried apricots and fig, rounded off with Assam tea, tobacco, sage and bitter chocolate. On the palate, the Riesling presents a delicate sweetness and a fresh, zingy acidity. The wine is characterised by its impressive depth and length, carried by its citrus aromas and herbal minerality,” says Stefan Doktor, Managing Director of Schloss Johannisberg, at the tasting and recorking in January 2020.

Matured in a sunny year: Perfect climatic conditions for wine-making

The climate in 1920 was ideal for ripening the grapes: After a warm spring and beneficial rainfall during flowering in June, there was a warm, dry summer, which was followed by a golden autumn of 180 hours of sunshine in October. This vintage provided the estate with wines of exceptional quality, with an average must density of 94° Oechsle and stable acidity. In that year, the harvest began on 11 October and resulted in a total yield of 28,200 litres.

Bibliotheca Subterranea: Underground treasury of exclusive Riesling wines

Delights such as the 1920 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Goldlack survive the centuries intact in the Bibliotheca Subterranea, the 900-year-old cellarium belonging to Schloss Johannisberg. The cellarium offers ideal conditions for wines to mature. Around 25,000 valuable wines are stored here, including one dating back to 1748. And this is where the superb Riesling Goldlack developed its unique quality, which was rewarded with a record price at auction. “It is the highest price that one of our wines has ever received and the second highest price in the entire history of wine auctions in the Rheingau region. The value that this record price reflects makes us extremely proud”, says Stefan Doktor, delighted.

Riesling estate with a strong tradition celebrates its 300th birthday

Schloss Johannisberg, the first Riesling estate in the world, has garnered an enormous wealth of experience during its 300-year history as a Riesling specialist. The estate’s cellarmasters continue to produce exceptional new varietals to impress Riesling lovers. The exclusive wines with their strong regional character, authenticity and individual appeal regularly win awards at international wine competitions and are found on the wine lists of the best restaurants in the world. In 2020 – exactly one century since the creation of the recently auctioned 1920 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Goldlack – the estate is celebrating 300 years of exclusive Riesling winemaking. With a celebratory programme that extends throughout the year, the estate is inviting visitors to enjoy its exceptional wines and various cultural highlights.