Why it matters
The producer
Weingut Jülg is a family estate in Schweigen-Rechtenbach, where the Pfalz meets France. Oskar and Erika Jülg founded it in 1961; Werner Jülg and Johannes Jülg are now listed as owners, with Johannes running the cellar. Johannes spent seven years training at wineries in Germany and at Domaine des Lambrays in Burgundy, a background that sits naturally beside an estate focused on Riesling and Burgundian grapes. The result is a range in which limestone, site and élevage alter the shape of each bottle rather than disappearing behind a house style.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Schweigen-Rechtenbach is not simply a German address near France: the family owns vineyards on both sides of the border. That cross-border setting helps explain the prominence of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay alongside Riesling. In the supplied wines, Riesling carries the fresh citrus and saline side of the Pfalz, while the Schweigen Spätburgunder uses darker fruit and tannin to move in a red-wine direction closer to Burgundy than to light, simple Pinot.
Limestone is central to Jülg’s vineyard picture, particularly for its Burgundian varieties. At Sonnenberg, the 2022 Riesling Grosses Gewächs comes from south-east-facing vines on loamy limestone soils. Morning and early-day exposure supports ripening, while the site’s limestone character appears in the wine as grapefruit, lemon peel, herbs and a long saline finish. The name on the label therefore narrows the wine from a regional Riesling to fruit from one named vineyard.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The VDP lists the estate as EU-organic certified, and the importer reports manual harvesting. Jülg describes protecting the vineyard ecosystem and allowing wines sufficient time in the cellar; those choices favour intact fruit and measured development over hurried bottling. The supplied bottles show that there is no single vessel imposed on every wine. Vom Kalk Riesling 2024 is raised in stainless steel, keeping peach, mango and citrus at the centre. Sonnenberg Riesling 2022 is fermented and raised in a large Stückfass, where lees, subtle reduction and spice add a more layered texture without turning the wine into an oak-led Riesling.
Wines to know
The range in view
The available range follows grape and classification rather than one uniform recipe. Vom Kalk Riesling 2024 sits at the VDP.Gutswein level: it is 100% Riesling, stainless-steel raised, and built around peach, mango, citrus, integrated acidity and saline-mineral length. Its gentle creaminess softens the dry profile without adding sweetness.
Sonnenberg Riesling 2022 is a VDP.GROSSE LAGE wine from one named site, and its large Stückfass élevage shifts the emphasis toward grapefruit, lemon peel, sage, white peach, lees and fresh herbs. Taut acidity and a delicate tannin frame give it more grip through the finish than the broader-fruited Vom Kalk.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose the 2024 Vom Kalk Riesling first. It is a 100% Riesling at the VDP.Gutswein level, raised in stainless steel, so grape, limestone and cellar approach are easy to read without a heavy oak layer. Peach, mango and citrus give it immediate fruit, while integrated acidity, gentle creaminess and a long saline-mineral finish keep the palate dry and focused. It also shows the white-wine side of Jülg before a move to the firmer Sonnenberg Riesling or the darker, tannic Schweigen Spätburgunder.