Künstler, Hochheimer Hölle Riesling Grosses Gewächs, 2023

Hölle means hell, but this steep slope in Hochheim is one of the Rheingau's great Riesling sites. Weingut Künstler farms it for Grosses Gewächs, Germany's designation for dry grand cru wines from its top vineyards. The Hölle's heavy clay-marl subsoil, rich in calcium carbonate, drives a deep, chalky minerality, while a loamy loess topsoil lends balance. Hochheim sits on the Main rather than the Rhine, giving its wines a fuller, more powerful frame than many Rheingau bottlings. This is bone-dry Riesling built for the table and the cellar: concentrated, mineral, and tightly wound in youth, it rewards a few years of patience.