Kunstler

The vineyards of Hochheim, planted on the gently rolling clay and loam slopes overlooking the river Main, find themselves rather isolated here 15 miles east of the rest of the Rheingau. After taking over the estate from his father in 1988, Gunter Künstler seems to have been successfully robbed back for Hochheimer wine some of the plaudits bestowed on the most famous Rheingau communes of Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Hattenheim and Erbach. He owns parcels in four of the greatest Hochheimer vineyards and with uncompromising grape selection, hand picking, the use of the indigenous yeasts and careful vinification, he allows their differing characteristics to shine through from the rich Hölle, the charming but mineral Kirchenstück to the powerful, spicy Domdechaney. These are a far cry from the wines of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, being ample and rich but with a supporting vitality and purity.