An extraordinary 98-point Grand Cru Riesling from one of the Rheingau's smallest and most fascinating great vineyards

98 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Explosive citrus. Chalk. Blood orange. Salinity. Extraordinary precision.

Kostheimer Weiß Erd VDP.GROSSE LAGE | Rheingau, Germany | RRP $150 | 100% Riesling | Grosses Gewächs | Dry • Powerful • Chalky • Mineral • Profound

A spectacular dry Riesling combining explosive citrus and stone fruit with chalky power, tremendous concentration and a salty, mineral finish. This is serious German Riesling.

98 Points. Grand Cru. $150.

This is getting very close to the summit of German dry Riesling.

The 2023 Künstler Kostheimer Weiß Erd GG comes from one of the smallest and most distinctive Grand Cru vineyards in the Künstler portfolio.

And it received:

98 POINTS – JAMES SUCKLING

That's enormous.

But the score only tells half the story.

Because this wine comes from a fascinating piece of terroir:

KOSTHEIMER WEIẞ ERD

Literally:

“WHITE EARTH.”

And the name tells you exactly what makes this vineyard different.

98 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Stuart Pigott's assessment of the 2023 is extraordinary.

He highlights the interplay between:

Explosive citrus fruit

Savoury complexity

Chalky power

before praising the wine's concentration and precision.

Then comes the finish.

Energy.

Vitality.

Salty minerality.

Blood orange.

This isn't a soft, simple, fruit-driven Riesling.

There's serious architecture underneath it.

98 POINTS.

And importantly:

Drink from release.

So while this is absolutely cellar-worthy, you don't have to wait a decade to discover what makes it special.

Weiß Erd – “White Earth”

Here's where the story becomes fascinating.

German Riesling is often associated with slate.

Mosel?

Slate.

Roter Hang?

Red slate and sandstone.

But Weiß Erd is completely different.

WHITE CALCAREOUS MARL.

The vineyard takes its name from these pale, limestone-rich soils.

And they give the wine a completely different personality.

Instead of the smoky, slate-driven character you might expect elsewhere, Weiß Erd can produce Riesling with:

Chalk.

Creaminess.

Texture.

Salinity.

Mineral power.

And enormous depth.

It almost feels like Riesling meeting great Chardonnay.

In fact, Künstler itself describes Weiß Erd as:

A Riesling that can remind you of Pinot Blanc.

That's how textural this wine can become.

A Tiny Grand Cru Vineyard

Weiß Erd isn't some enormous vineyard.

The entire site covers only:

7.4 HECTARES.

Künstler owns:

1.3 HECTARES.

That's it.

The vineyard sits at only around 90 metres above sea level, on a gentle south-facing slope near the point where the Main meets the Rhine.

That southerly exposure gives the vines excellent sunlight.

But underneath them is the secret:

WHITE CALCAREOUS MARL.

The roots penetrate through the relatively loose surface soils before reaching the limestone-rich marl below.

And that's where the mineral character comes from.

VDP.GROSSE LAGE

This isn't simply vineyard-designated Riesling.

Weiß Erd is classified:

VDP.GROSSE LAGE

The highest vineyard classification within Germany's prestigious VDP system.

Think:

GRAND CRU.

And the great dry wines from these vineyards can carry the designation:

GROSSES GEWÄCHS — GG.

These are the pinnacle of dry German wine.

Strict vineyard origins.

Low yields.

Selective harvesting.

Dry.

Structured.

Ageworthy.

The top of the pyramid.

And that's exactly what you're buying here.

What Does It Taste Like?

This is a completely different expression of Riesling from the lighter, more delicate German wines.

There's serious concentration.

Expect:

Blood orange

Lemon & citrus

White peach

Mirabelle

Papaya

Linden blossom

Savoury herbs

Chalk

Salinity

Brilliant acidity

The palate is:

Creamy.

Dense.

Voluminous.

But don't confuse volume with heaviness.

Because underneath that generosity is an extraordinary mineral backbone.

The chalk and acidity pull everything together.

Power + precision.

That's the key.

100% Large Old Oak

The winemaking is another fascinating part of the story.

The fruit is:

Hand harvested

then:

Destemmed

and:

Gently pressed.

But unlike many Rieslings fermented predominantly in stainless steel, the Weiß Erd GG is fermented and matured:

100% IN LARGE OLD OAK CASKS.

That's important.

This isn't about making an oaky Riesling.

There shouldn't be obvious vanilla or toast dominating the wine.

Large, seasoned oak is about:

Texture.

Oxygen exchange.

Complexity.

Integration.

And with the naturally creamy personality of the limestone-rich Weiß Erd vineyard, it makes complete sense.

Bone Dry

The 2023 sits at approximately:

2.4g/L residual sugar

with around:

5.7g/L acidity.

In other words:

PROPERLY DRY.

The wine has richness.

It has ripe fruit.

It has creaminess.

But that isn't coming from sweetness.

It's vineyard and texture.

And that's an important distinction.

Organic Fruit

There's another detail worth knowing.

The 2023 is produced from:

ORGANICALLY GROWN GRAPES

with FairChoice certification.

For a wine whose entire purpose is to express a tiny Grand Cru vineyard, that vineyard focus matters enormously.

The less interference between site and bottle, the better.

2023 – An Extraordinary Künstler Vintage

We've talked about this with the other Künstler wines, but it's worth repeating.

2023 was an exceptional vintage for this estate.

Look at the scores across the range.

Hölle GG – 100 James Suckling

Kirchenstück GG – 99 James Suckling

And now:

WEIẞ ERD GG – 98 JAMES SUCKLING

That's an extraordinary sequence.

Three Grand Cru Rieslings.

100.

99.

98.

And Weiß Erd gives you a completely different expression of the Künstler style.

Hölle has its powerful marl-driven personality.

Kirchenstück combines depth and elegance.

And Weiß Erd?

Chalk. Citrus. Creaminess. Salinity. Precision.

This is why tasting vineyards from the same producer is so fascinating.

More Critical Acclaim

James Suckling isn't alone.

The 2023 Weiß Erd has also received:

95 Points – Vinous

with a suggested drinking window stretching approximately:

2028–2050.

That's important.

This isn't simply a high-scoring wine to drink immediately.

There's serious ageing potential here.

The combination of concentration, acidity, dry extract and mineral structure should allow this wine to evolve beautifully.

Drink Now or Cellar?

Both.

James Suckling says you can drink it from release.

And I absolutely would.

But I'd want another bottle tucked away.

Or three.

Young, you'll get:

Explosive citrus

Blood orange

White peach

Papaya

Flowers

Chalk

Salt

With age, expect the wine to become increasingly complex.

Think:

Preserved lemon

Dried stone fruit

Honey

Wax

Smoke

Herbs

Deep chalky minerality

while retaining that wonderful saline backbone.

This could be fascinating in 10, 15 or 20 years.

Künstler – At the Top of Its Game

Gunter Künstler has spent decades establishing the estate as one of the benchmark producers of dry Rheingau Riesling.

And the vineyard collection today is formidable.

Hölle

Kirchenstück

Domdechaney

Weiß Erd

Berg Schlossberg

Marcobrunn

These are serious names.

And the extraordinary quality of the 2023 vintage shows just how far the estate has come.

The best wines aren't simply great Rheingau Rieslings.

They're among Germany's great white wines.

Why We Love It

Because this is a fascinating alternative to the more famous German Riesling terroirs.

You're getting:

Rheingau

Kostheimer Weiß Erd

VDP.GROSSE LAGE

Grosses Gewächs

White calcareous marl

Organically grown fruit

Selectively harvested

100% large old oak

Bone dry

Salty mineral finish

98 Points – JamesSuckling.com

95 Points – Vinous

And:

RRP $150.

That's serious value in the context of great Grand Cru-level European white wine.

Think about what $150 buys you in Burgundy.

Then look at this.

98 points.

Grand Cru vineyard.

Tiny 7.4-hectare site.

One of Germany's great dry Riesling producers.

Extraordinary 2023 vintage.

$150.

That's compelling.

2023 KÜNSTLER KOSTHEIMER WEIẞ ERD GG RIESLING TROCKEN

Rheingau, Germany

98 POINTS – JAMESSUCKLING.COM

95 Points – Vinous

VDP.GROSSE LAGE

RRP $150

Grand Cru.

White limestone marl.

Large old oak.

Bone dry.

Blood orange.

Chalk.

Salt.

98 points.

This is a spectacular expression of dry German Riesling.

But what excites me most is that it doesn't taste like every other great Riesling.

WEIẞ ERD HAS ITS OWN VOICE.

Creamier.

Broader.

Chalkier.

More textural.

Yet still carrying the precision, acidity and mineral drive that define world-class Riesling.

If you're building a serious German Riesling collection, this is exactly the sort of vineyard you need to discover.

98 Points. Grand Cru. RRP $150.

An extraordinary wine from an extraordinary Künstler vintage.