Hochheimer Holle Riesling TBA
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 15 to 50+ years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Blue cheese, foie gras, fruit-based desserts like peach tarte Tatin
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Hailing from the legendary Hochheimer Hölle vineyard, this Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) represents the pinnacle of Rheingau noble sweet winemaking. The vineyard's name, 'Hölle,' translates to 'hell' in modern German, but historically derives from the Middle High German word 'Halde,' meaning a steep slope. Situated near the confluence of the Main and Rhine rivers, the vineyard benefits from rising autumn mists that encourage the development of Botrytis cinerea (noble rot). Weingut Künstler meticulously hand-harvests these shriveled, raisined grapes berry by berry. The heavy clay-loess soils, rich in calcium carbonate, impart an intense mineral structure that beautifully balances the wine's luscious, honeyed concentration, resulting in an incredibly complex, nectar-like elixir.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Re-established in 1965 by Franz Künstler in Hochheim am Main, Weingut Künstler carries forward a family winemaking heritage dating back to 1648 in Moravia. Today, under the stewardship of Gunter Künstler, who took over in 1992, the estate has risen to become one of the Rheingau's most celebrated producers and a prominent member of the VDP. The winery is renowned for its meticulous management of legendary Erste and Grosse Lage vineyards, such as Hochheimer Hölle and Kirchenstück. Utilizing traditional large oak casks alongside modern stainless steel, Künstler crafts exceptionally precise, mineral-driven Rieslings and elegant Spätburgunders that beautifully express the unique clay-loess and limestone terroirs near the Main river.