As you know, I love Rieslings that already show some maturity. I often go for the Ortsweine (village wines) of excellent producers, which often offer an excellent price-performance ratio.
This is also my wine for this Saturday: the Nierstein Riesling from Kühling-Gillot of the 2016 vintage. I recently purchased the bottle in a surprise bundle with other wines. The organic wine comes from the so-called “Rheinfront” or Rheinterrassen in Rheinhessen.
It’s the famous “Roter Hang” (red slope) between Nackenheim and Nierstein with its porous clay-slate soils. The wind-protected hill produces wines that are both fruity and complex.
Caroline Spanier-Gillot and her husband Oliver produce exceptional wines here, which perfectly reflect the merits of this site. For me, their Ortsweine are the perfect companions on a relaxed Saturday evening. This is also the case with the 2016 Nierstein Riesling from the difficult 2016 vintage with its wet ripening period and the then sunny autumn.
The wine appears serious and yet “drinkable” at the same time. Fresh acidity, citrus, apple, ripe stone fruit, dried apricot and a fine herbal spice on the nose and palate.
