Clear and pure in scent, lemons, dried apricots, flowers, honey- hugely complex. Full, dense, beautiful, slightly creamy texture, inconspicuous sweetness (7.1 g/l residual sugar), perfectly balanced with distinct and fresh acidity and thus very elegant.

Awards: 95 points, James Suckling

Gunter Kunslter in 1992 took over from his father in the running of this old winery in Hochheim am Main (founded 1965) and continued the production of wines without changing his father’s philosophy in the slightest: to create ever-better wines and to spread them beyond German borders.

The family’s vineyards, scattered in 7 “lage,” each with different characteristics and peculiarities in terms of exposure, terroir and climate, are all located in the easternmost part of the Rhine Riesling DOC. The vineyard area, which Gunter has recently increased, now totals just under 30 hectares, 23 of which are planted to Riesling and 3 to Spatburgunder, which is nothing more than the German name for Pinot Noir.

The Rheingau region and neighboring Mosel-Saar-Ruwer produce wines that can be counted among the best whites in the world, and they improve with age. Gunter Kunstler Winery certainly occupies a preeminent place in this wine scene.

The Riesling “Kirchenstuck,” is a kabinett, and trocken i.e., light and dry, soft and fragrant wine, absolutely straodinary.