Why it matters
The producer
Bassermann-Jordan farms 21 hectares of vineyard across Forst, Deidesheim, and Ruppertsberg. At the top of the range sit the Grosses Gewächs bottlings, site-differentiated dry Rieslings from grand cru parcels on volcanic basalt and limestone. Those bottles are the reason the estate's three-century continuity is worth knowing about.
Technical director Ulrich Mell shapes the cellar work. The approach divides cleanly between two styles: clear, primary-fruit Rieslings and spontaneously fermented Rieslings from the grand cru sites. The estate holds VDP membership, EU-Bio organic certification, and VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE status for its sparkling Riesling. Founded in 1718 and in Deidesheim since 1783, it is one of the longest continuously operating wine estates in Germany.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Deidesheim sits in the Mittelhaardt, the warm central belt of the Pfalz, where the Haardt mountains to the west catch rainfall and the Rhine plain to the east holds heat long into autumn. The warmth pushes Riesling toward full ripeness without losing the acidity that keeps the wines from being heavy. On the label, the village name comes before the vineyard: Forster Pechstein, Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen, Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad.
Forst carries the volcanic weight. The Pechstein vineyard sits on basalt, dark mineral soils left from ancient volcanic activity, and that origin reads directly in the wine: darker reduction aromas, mineral grip, a denser mid-palate. Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg shift toward limestone and sandstone, with flavors toward stone fruit and a lighter, more open texture. Across the three villages, the geology changes the Riesling register village by village, which is why the GG tier bottled separately by site is the clearest way to read the estate's full range.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Organic farming across 21 hectares of vineyard means no synthetic herbicides or pesticides. In the Pfalz's warm continental climate, that approach requires careful canopy management to prevent disease pressure through the long growing season. Harvest is selective: the GG parcels are picked to achieve ripeness without overripeness, targeting the acidity that keeps Riesling dry without feeling austere.
In the cellar, Ulrich Mell separates the GG wines by site and by fermentation method. The Forster Pechstein GG 2024 is 60% spontaneously fermented in oak barrels and 40% fermented in stainless steel. The two portions age on lees separately before the final assembly, and the wine stayed on lees until July 2025 bottling. The oak portion adds breadth and a faint textural weight without contributing obvious wood character; the steel portion holds the primary acidity and fruit definition. Extended lees contact builds mid-palate weight and rounds the finish without softening the wine's fundamental dryness. The primary-fruit tier is fermented in stainless steel throughout, preserving freshness and direct fruit over cellar complexity.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range follows the VDP pyramid. At the base sit village Rieslings and village-appellation bottlings. Above those are Erste Lage wines, the premier cru equivalent, from classified single vineyards. At the top, the Grosses Gewächs tier collects the top dry Rieslings from Forst, Deidesheim, and Ruppertsberg grand cru parcels.
The Forst GG range includes Forster Pechstein Riesling GG and Forster Ungeheuer Riesling GG. Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen GG, on limestone, is lighter in body, more immediately open, with white peach and apricot over firm acidity.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Forster Pechstein Riesling GG is the bottle that concentrates everything the estate does into one glass. It comes from the basalt vineyard in Forst, fermented partly in oak barrels with wild yeast and partly in stainless steel, aged on lees until July 2025. The wine is dry, long, and mineral-driven, with dark reduction aromas at the opening, a dense mid-palate from the volcanic soil and oak barrel component, and a saline finish that persists well past the swallow.