Winemaker Notes
Aromas of rich yellow fruit, plum, quince, pear, and herbs. Very complex, with elegant structure and silky texture. Chalky mineral saline finish.
Vegan-Friendly
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
At first intensely flinty, after some aeration in the glass a citrus microcosmos, populated entirely by ripe lemon, bergamot, pomelo and yellow grapefruit opens up. Extremely concentrated and radical on the medium-bodied palate, this knocks almost all of the dry rieslings of the 2022 vintage off the table with its gigantic energy. The wet-stone minerality and Amalfi-lemon freshness build and build to a giant crescendo at the mind-bending finish. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Krone is fascinatingly clear and intense on the refined and chalky nose that reveals smoky lemon juice and zest aromas paired with slate and limestone notes. Round and savory on the palate, this is a still-untamed but generous, rich and elegant Riesling with a fine texture, savory, mineral acidity and a long, intense and structured finish with fine salinity. This is a complex and promising Riesling that was bottled week ago. So, take this note with attention.
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.