Grosse Gewächse – 2008 whites and 2007 reds

Grosse Gewächse may be translated as 'great growths' or 'grand crus'. They are part of a complicated classification system devised by the association of German premium wine growers (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter or VDP), a compromise solution that most wine critics cannot warm to. It is meant to be a combination of the Burgundy and Bordeaux classifications but has been compromised by a need to include different regions' diverging interests. The VDP's classification model explains that a Grosses Gewächs is also an Erste Lage, which is confusing in translation as it suggests that a grand cru is also a premier cru...