Hochheim Stein Spatburgunder GG
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from the vintage release, though exceptional vintages can cellar well beyond this.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared venison
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the prestigious Hochheimer Stein vineyard, this VDP.Grosses Gew$chs (GG) represents the pinnacle of Rheingau Sp$tburgunder. The vineyard's name, 'Stein' (meaning stone), pays homage to its highly stony, gravelly soils mixed with sandy loess. These stones act as natural heat reservoirs, absorbing the daytime sun and radiating warmth back to the vines during the cool nights, a microclimate further tempered by the nearby Main River. Historically, while Hochheim is famous for giving rise to the British term 'Hock' for Rhine wines, its south-facing slopes have also nurtured exceptional red wines for centuries. Weingut K$nstler crafts this Pinot Noir using traditional methods, including spontaneous fermentation and extended aging in French oak barriques. The resulting wine is a masterclass in tension and elegance, balancing bright red-berry fruit with complex mineral undertones, fine-grained tannins, and a long, savory finish.
🍾 About the Producer
Weingut Künstler traces an illustrious family winemaking lineage to 1648 in southern Moravia, before Franz Künstler re-established the estate in Hochheim am Main in 1965 following post-war expulsion. Gunter Künstler assumed direction in 1992, elevating the domaine into one of Germany's preeminent dry Riesling benchmarks and earning VDP membership in 1994. Spanning approximately 50 hectares, Künstler's vineyard portfolio centers on Hochheim's warm eastern Rheingau mesoclimate, featuring loess, loam, and mineral-dense limestone marl sloping down to the Main River, complemented by holdings in Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen. Viticulture is practiced under certified Fair'n Green sustainable standards, marked by meticulous canopy management, low yields, and strict selective hand-harvesting. Cellar work emphasizes slow, gentle pressing and extended lees maturation in traditional large neutral oak casks and stainless steel, capturing formidable textural richness alongside crystalline acidity. The estate is celebrated for power-driven, long-lived VDP.Große Gewächse from legendary sites including Hochheimer Hölle, Hochheimer Kirchenstück, and Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder.
🍇 Grapes
Sp$tburgunder
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%