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Künstler

Gunter Künstler picked through the entire month of October, 2016, a sign of welcome freedom from the sort of pressure that – due to botrytis and or rapidly-rising must weights – he has frequently faced in recent vintages and will likely continue to face, given Hochheim’s fast-warming, gentle Main riverside slopes. The vintage 2016 results are consistently fine, including those from his holdings at nearly the opposite end of the Rheingau, namely in the steep Rüdesheimer Berg. The Grosse Gewächse deliciously demonstrate that fulfilling Riesling’s fundamental duties to refresh and call forth the next sip are not in the least incompatible with displaying intrigue and profundity (which, in turn, should not be confused with adopting a stern, self-important demeanor). Acid levels in 2016 were almost across the board very close to those of 2015, and finished alcohols a welcome half percent lower. With vintage 2016, Künstler and his cellar right-hand Rolf Schregel employed their new, Champagne-style vertical press to evident effect. As Künstler points out, use of this apparatus, which presses very slowly, enhances skin contact while promoting precision, clarity and textural finesse, virtues conspicuous among the Künstler 2016s. Incidentally, readers may note that Künstler single-vineyard bottlings offer some illustrations of a point I made in the introduction to this report, namely that sites officially classified as VDP “Erste Lagen” are often quite as capable of excelling as those rated “Grosse Lagen.”

During one stretch in his quarter-century of calling the shots here, Künstler experienced some especially bad luck with natural corks. But his reaction was calmly deliberative, with bottle closure subsequently being spread across natural cork from multiple suppliers, screwcap and glass stopper, all carefully monitored over time, with professional tasters being regularly asked to comment on the differences they perceived among these three when employed for the same wine. Künstler recently settled on an overall preponderance of screwcaps and a two-to-one ratio of screwcap to natural cork for each of his Grosse Gewächse; but he indicates that the next step might be to convert those entirely to screwcap. Due to press of time, this year I confined my tasting at Künstler to Riesling, though my notes on past collections reflect not just the importance Künstler places on Pinot Noir but also his cultivation of Chardonnay and more recently of Sauvignon Blanc and Grüner Veltliner. (One grape whose wine here I haven’t yet sampled is the latest plated: Alvarinho! For more on this estate’s history and vineyards, consult the introduction to my account of its 2014s. Künstler’s labeling practices continue to diverge from VDP norms, most notably as regards use of the Prädikat “Kabinett.” For details in that regard, see the introduction to my account of his 2015s as well as my tasting note below on his 2016 Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Kabinett trocken.)

From Rheingau and Mittelrhein Riesling 2016: Stress Test (Jul 2018) by David Schildknecht

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2016 Riesling feinherb

Color: White

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Künstler

2016 Riesling feinherb

2016 Riesling trocken A.P. #7

2016 Riesling trocken A.P. #29

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Mainterrassasen trocken

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Herrenberg trocken

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Kirchenstück Kabinett trocken

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Hölle Kabinett trocken

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Stielweg trocken Alte Reben

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Domdechaney trocken

2016 Riesling Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Grosses Gewächs

2016 Riesling Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Grosses Gewächs

2016 Riesling Kostheimer Weiss Erd Grosses Gewächs

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Kirchenstück Grosses Gewächs

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Hölle Grosses Gewächs

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Reichestal Kabinett

2016 Riesling Hochheimer Hölle Spätlese

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