Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This Rheingau riesling Kabinett has wonderful juiciness, yet manages to retain the light body that fits neatly into the animating flavor profile of this category. Plenty of citrus and white peach character.
-
Vinous
The 2023 Riesling Oestricher Lenchen Kabinett brims with apple blossom, green apple and lemon on the nose. These notions duly appear on the palate, where they are made even livelier with lemon. Gentle sweetness makes this exquisitely juicy; the 45 g/L of residual sugar shines against 8.2 g/L of acid. Wonderful, light, bright and so animating. (Medium)
-
Wine Spectator
A rich, lush style, with an impressively pristine quality to its apple and pear blossom notes, all flecked with fleur de sel, celery seed and spiced radish for an intriguing, savory dimension. Crushed slate grounds everything, while details of spices and spiced radish add warmth to the silky, streamlined finish. Juicy and pure, with good balance. Drink now through 2032. 200 cases imported.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Practically one long and bucolic hillside along the northern bank of the Rhein River, the Rheingau stretches the entirety of the river’s east to west spread from Hocheim to Rüdesheim.
Variations in elevation, soil types, and proximity to the Rhine cause great diversity in Rheingau Riesling. Some of the better Rieslings in warmer years come from the cooler and breezier sites at higher elevations. In cooler years, sites closer to the river may perform better.
In the village of Rüdesheim, slopes are steep and soils are stony slate with quartzite; Rieslings are rich and spicy, intense in stone fruit and show depth and character with age. World class Rieslings come from farther east on the river through Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and past Erbach as well, where soils of loess, sand, and marl alternate. Long-living, floral-driven and mineral-rich Rieslings come from the best of these sites.
Rheingau growers became early activists in promoting the dry style of Riesling, low yields and the classification of top vineyards, or Erstes Gewächs (first growths). Proximity to the metropolitan markets of Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt keeps Rheingau in high reputation. While dry wines are the style here, Rheingau isn’t short of some amazing Auslesen, Beerenauslesen, and Trockenbeerenauslesen.
Rheingau doesn’t mess with many other grapes—in fact 79% of its total area is dedicated to Riesling. But it produces some fine Pinot noir, especially concentrated in Assmannshausen, a bit farther west from Rüdesheim.