A dry, top-tier Riesling from the Rheingau: produced biodynamically (Demeter), from vines up to 65 years old on the banks of the Rhine in Mittelheim – airy, saline and brimming with deep energy.
Bottler: Winery Peter Jakob Kühn, Mühlstraße 70, 65375 Oestrich-Winkel / Germany
In the glass
Colour
Intense straw yellow with hints of pale gold.
Nose
Two poles of smoky-stony reduction and notes of ripe apple, apple skin, hops and yeast – alongside lemon oil, blond tobacco, pastry, herbs and apricot.
Palate
Juicy and saline, piquant and lively; floatingly light yet grounded with stoniness and power. Taut, charming acidity and a mouth-wateringly salty finish.
Character
A powerful, multi-layered Riesling of crystalline clarity – light-footed and profound at once, with a taut structure and great ageing potential.
Pairing
Ideal with pan-fried zander or trout, loin of veal with herb jus, as well as mature hard cheese.
Notes
From vines up to 65 years old in the Sankt Nikolaus vineyard site, on calcareous, sandy loess with marine sand of the Alzey Formation. Hand-harvested, spontaneous fermentation and 16 months on the full lees in traditional Stück and Doppelstück casks – from the Demeter-certified estate now in its twelfth generation.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Between intense straw yellow and pale golden yellow — already announcing in the glass that substance meets grace here.
Nose
A Riesling with two poles: initially slightly reductive with smoke and cool stone, then an almost oxidative-seeming side of soft apple, apple peel, hops and yeast. In between dance lemon oil, blond tobacco, patisserie, herbs and apricot — a bouquet that rearranges itself hour by hour.
Palate
Surprisingly airy and floating on the attack, yet beneath lies something earthbound: stoniness, power, a juicy saltiness. Piquant and lively, with an acidity that is taut yet charming — no contradiction, but tension in the best sense.
Finish
Profound energy, intensity and a mouth-wateringly salty finale that lingers long and reveals the mineral signature of the vineyard site.
Terroir & origin
The Mittelheim Sankt Nikolaus lies directly on the Rhine, opposite the ferry to Ingelheim, with a gentle south-facing slope. The soil of calcareous, sandy loess, interspersed with terrace sediments and marine sand from the Alzey Formation, supports vines up to 65 years old — the estate’s oldest vineyard. Across Peter Jakob Kühn’s 21 hectares, almost exclusively Riesling grows, cultivated according to Demeter guidelines: what was considered eccentricity in the conservative Rheingau in 2004 is today the foundation for single-vineyard wines of this calibre.
Grape variety & vinification
Hand-harvested, whole bunches, pressing over several hours, spontaneous fermentation — then 16 months on the full lees in traditional Stück and Doppelstück casks (1,200 and 2,400 litres). Kühn does not intervene; he lets the wine find its own way. Dry, only 11.5% vol. — and yet of remarkable density.
Food recommendations
The salty tension calls for substance: poached trout with horseradish, sweetbreads, mature Comté or simply oven-roasted vegetables with herb butter. It also forms an illuminating duet with Käsespätzle.
Special features
A Grosses Gewächs from the estate’s oldest holding — produced biodynamically from vines older than some winemakers. The rare pairing of weightlessness and earthly gravity makes this 2022 unmistakable: a Riesling that already fascinates today and will gain further depth over years in the cellar.
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