Winemaker Notes
The Leistenberg vineyard lies in a small side valley of the Nahe next to Oberhausen. The terraced, steep slopes are made of decomposed gray clay slate. The hill faces southeast and the sun shines during the day to allow for a long ripening period. This is a perfect vineyard for wonderful Kabinett with high minerality and subtle elegance. This quality Riesling has well-defined, spicy fruit, and a wonderful balance between fine fruit sweetness and firm acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A stunningly elegant and vibrant riesling Kabinett that is packed with white peach and honeysuckle aromas. Succulent on the front of the light-bodied palate, then with a crystalline purity at the finish that takes your breath away. This is not analytically dry, but plenty of enthusiastic wine drinkers will say that is exactly what it is.
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Vinous
The 2023 Riesling Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett is from a south-east-facing site of shale, getting the morning sun; this is never affected by botrytis and is shaded in the afternoon, so a late harvest is possible because botrytis never occurs, and acids are preserved. The nose combines lemon zest, stone and herbal tisane. The palate adds just a little sweetness, giving the charm to the citric verve, but all remains light, tender, bright and so deceptively easy.
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.
