Diel Cuvée Victor

Grapes from the Pinot family planted along the Nahe began gaining attention in the 1980s, and have only grown in popularity since then. Because they love warm weather and thrive in rugged, dry soils, the climate of the Nahe is a paradise for them. And you can taste that love. Whether you prefer the refreshing drinkability of Diel's Nahesteiner line or the salty, creamy notes of Pinot Blanc and Gris. The wines are versatile, full-bodied and food friendly, and always stand out for their complexity.

Winemaker notes

Delicacy, mineral fragrance - pure elegance, finesse, a touch of flint. Long and salty reverberation. Cuvée made up of four parts of white and one part of Pinot Gris. The elegance of white and the power of gray Burgundy give this Cuvée Victor its unique and intense structure.

2016

Wine Advocate 93: The 2016 Cuvée Victor is the assemblage of the finest barrels of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Pure, bright and fresh on the noble, yeasty-scented and iodine nose, this is a lush and refined, intense and juicy, terroir-driven white with a tight but filigreed mineral structure and very finessed finish. This is superb, stimulatingly salty and with very fine tannins. The grape-variety character is completely reduced here in favor of the terroir expression. This is truly a Burgundian wine of great class. Tasted in July 2019.

James Suckling 94: Beautiful freshness and minerality here, with fruit ranging from barely ripe nectarines to grape pips and nectarines. Medium-to full-bodied and very tangy, enveloped in crunchy acidity and just a tinge of some softness on the finish. 55% pinot blanc and 45% pinot gris. Drink now.

Falstaff 93: Spicy wood is present on the nose as well as Burgundy-style berry notes. Very creamy on the palate, ripe acidity, medium-bodied, good freshness with yeast and caramel on the finish, very much a food wine: pasta, truffles, crayfish.

2017

James Suckling 95: Power was never a problem for this cult dry white, but under winemaker Caroline Diel this wine has gained so much in subtlety; the brioche note from the lees is much stronger than the hint of toastiness from the new oak. It’s much more refined, too, and now comparable with high-end, Premier Cru white Burgundy. Long, complex finish, in which salty mineral notes mingle with creaminess from lees and candied fruit. Drink or hold.

2018

James Suckling 95: An extremely elegant white pinot cuvee, with a finely etched palate that is remarkably cool and subtle for the exceptionally warm 2018 vintage. Great, underplayed power that slowly flexes its muscles at the very long, stony finish. So much life ahead of it! Drink or hold.