A stunning 96-point dry Riesling from the same legendary Hölle vineyard that produced Künstler’s perfect 100-point GG

Serious Hölle pedigree without the Hölle GG price tag.

96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Hochheimer Hölle | Rheingau, Germany | VDP.ERSTE LAGE | RRP $95 | 100% Riesling | Dry • Powerful • Mineral • Precise

Ripe apricot, citrus, wet earth and smoke meet serious concentration, brilliant freshness and a long savoury finish. This is proper Rheingau Riesling.

This Is One of the Smartest Buys in the Künstler Range

There are wines where understanding the vineyard makes all the difference.

This is one of them.

The 2023 Künstler Hölle “Im Neuenberg” Riesling Trocken comes from the great:

HOCHHEIMER HÖLLE

One of Künstler's most important vineyards.

And here's the killer part.

The very same 2023 vintage produced:

2023 KÜNSTLER HÖLLE GG

100 Points – JamesSuckling.com

A wine Stuart Pigott described as “dry Riesling nirvana.”

The Hölle GG became one of the most celebrated dry Rieslings of the vintage.

But sitting below the GG is this:

HÖLLE “IM NEUENBERG”

A dry VDP.ERSTE LAGE Riesling from the same extraordinary vineyard.

And it received:

96 POINTS – JAMES SUCKLING

At an RRP of:

$95.

Now we're talking.

96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Stuart Pigott's review immediately tells you what sort of wine we're dealing with.

The nose is built around:

Ripe apricot

Wet earth

Smoke

before the wine moves into a concentrated yet wonderfully bright and uplifting palate.

There's serious ripeness.

There's serious concentration.

But importantly:

There's freshness.

Pigott particularly praised the wine's precision and exceptionally long, savoury finish.

96 POINTS.

And he recommends:

Drink or hold.

This isn't merely delicious Riesling.

There's serious structure underneath it.

Hochheimer Hölle – One of Künstler's Great Vineyards

The vineyard is fascinating.

The name Hölle might look like the German word for “hell,” but that's not actually where the vineyard name originates.

It derives from an old Middle High German word referring to a:

STEEP SLOPE.

The vineyard covers approximately:

48.7 HECTARES

and Künstler controls an impressive:

9.6 HECTARES.

It lies immediately east of the historic town of Hochheim, with the south-facing vineyard descending gently toward the Main River.

This is prime Rheingau Riesling country.

Limestone-Rich Clay Marl

This is not Mosel slate Riesling.

The geology is completely different.

And that's exactly what makes tasting German Riesling so fascinating.

Hölle is dominated by:

HEAVY CLAY MARL

with significant levels of:

CALCIUM CARBONATE.

Underneath lies dense, ochre-coloured marl deposited millions of years ago.

Above it sits loamy loess.

The heavy clay marl retains moisture and can be difficult for vine roots to penetrate, while the loess provides a more accommodating upper layer.

The result?

Power.

Minerality.

Texture.

Structure.

Longevity.

Künstler itself describes Hölle as producing wines of enormous power and minerality, with racy acidity and tremendous ageing potential.

What Does It Taste Like?

This is not delicate, featherweight Mosel Riesling.

This is Rheingau.

And more specifically:

This is Hölle.

Expect:

Ripe apricot

Peach

Lemon & citrus

Smoke

Wet earth

Savoury herbs

Limestone minerality

Bright acidity

There's genuine concentration through the middle of the palate.

But what makes the wine work is the acidity.

It lifts everything.

So rather than becoming broad or heavy, the wine remains:

Precise.

Energetic.

Focused.

The finish is long, dry and wonderfully savoury.

2023 – Künstler's Extraordinary Vintage

And then we have the vintage.

This is not just any Künstler vintage.

2023 was extraordinary.

Stuart Pigott believes it is:

THE BEST VINTAGE KÜNSTLER HAS EVER MADE.

That's quite a statement.

Particularly when you consider how long Künstler has been producing world-class Riesling.

The 2023 collection was led by:

HÖLLE GG – 100 POINTS

followed by:

KIRCHENSTÜCK GG – 99 POINTS

And sitting underneath those monumental wines is this brilliant:

HÖLLE “IM NEUENBERG” – 96 POINTS

Same producer.

Same exceptional vintage.

Same great Hölle vineyard.

A fraction of the price of the flagship wine.

That's why I think this is such an intelligent buy.

VDP.ERSTE LAGE

The “Im Neuenberg” carries the designation:

VDP.ERSTE LAGE

Within the VDP hierarchy, Erste Lage identifies a first-class vineyard site capable of producing wines with distinctive regional and site character.

Think:

Premier Cru.

Above that sits VDP.GROSSE LAGE, from which the great dry Grosses Gewächs — GG wines are produced.

So within Künstler's Hölle hierarchy you have an incredible opportunity.

At the summit:

HÖLLE GG

Then:

HÖLLE “IM NEUENBERG” ERSTE LAGE

This isn't an entry-level regional Riesling.

This is serious vineyard-designated Rheingau Riesling.

The Winemaking

The fruit is destemmed before being gently pressed.

Fermentation takes place primarily in:

STAINLESS STEEL

with approximately:

30% IN LARGE NEUTRAL OAK.

That's an important detail.

The oak isn't being used to flavour the wine.

Instead, the large neutral vessels help build texture and complexity while allowing the vineyard character to remain front and centre.

After fermentation, the wine spends around:

SIX MONTHS ON FINE LEES.

That helps explain the beautiful combination of:

Texture + freshness + length.

The wine is also produced from organically grown grapes with FairChoice certification.

Künstler – One of the Great Names of the Rheingau

Künstler has become one of the benchmark estates for powerful, dry Rheingau Riesling.

When Stuart Pigott first encountered Gunter Künstler in 1990, Künstler was only 27 years old and operating from the garage of a suburban house with a handful of vineyard parcels.

Today the estate works with fruit from around:

65 HECTARES

including some extraordinary vineyards:

Hochheimer Hölle

Hochheimer Kirchenstück

Hochheimer Domdechaney

Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg

Marcobrunn

The transformation has been extraordinary.

But the philosophy has remained remarkably consistent.

Dry Riesling.

Great vineyards.

Power.

Minerality.

Longevity.

The Hölle Connection

This is the reason I'd be buying it.

Künstler's flagship 2023 Hölle GG received:

100 POINTS – JAMES SUCKLING

and was named No.2 in James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of the World.

Think about that for a second.

Not No.2 German Riesling.

No.2 wine in the world.

And “Im Neuenberg” comes from:

THE SAME HÖLLE VINEYARD.

No, it's not the same wine.

The GG represents the absolute pinnacle of the vineyard selection.

But “Im Neuenberg” gives you an opportunity to explore the character of this extraordinary site without paying flagship GG money.

That's why this wine is so compelling.

Drink Now or Cellar?

James Suckling says:

Drink or hold.

I'd do both.

Drink one now to enjoy the ripe apricot, citrus, smoke and freshness.

Then put several bottles away.

Künstler describes Hölle Rieslings as having enormous ageing potential.

As the wine develops, expect the primary fruit to move toward:

Preserved lemon

Dried apricot

Honey

Smoke

Herbs

Wax

Earth

Deep mineral complexity

while that natural acidity keeps everything alive.

This should become seriously interesting with bottle age.

Why We Love It

Because this is exactly where knowledgeable wine drinkers can find value.

Look at what you're getting:

Rheingau

Hochheimer Hölle

VDP.ERSTE LAGE

Limestone-rich clay marl

Organically grown fruit

Partial large neutral oak fermentation

Six months on fine lees

96 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Same vineyard as the 100-point Hölle GG

And:

RRP $95.

That's the story.

You can chase the 100-point Hölle GG.

And if you can afford it, absolutely do.

But this is the clever buy.

For under $100, you're getting a 96-point, vineyard-designated dry Riesling from one of Künstler's greatest sites, produced in what Stuart Pigott regards as the finest vintage in the history of the estate.

2023 KÜNSTLER HOCHHEIMER HÖLLE RIESLING TROCKEN “IM NEUENBERG”

Rheingau, Germany

96 POINTS – JAMESSUCKLING.COM

VDP.ERSTE LAGE

RRP $95

Hochheimer Hölle.

Exceptional 2023 vintage.

Limestone-rich clay marl.

Dry.

Powerful.

Mineral.

96 points.

And from the same vineyard that produced:

THE 100-POINT KÜNSTLER HÖLLE GG.

If you want to discover what all the excitement around Künstler and Hochheimer Hölle is about without stepping up to GG pricing, this is where I'd start.

One of the smartest Riesling buys in the range.