Kuhling-Gillot Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Rheinhessen, Germany

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This is the most extreme wine we have ever gotten from the Rothenberg, says Oliver Spanier (Gillot’s husband, of Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier) by way of introducing the Kuhling-Gillot 2008 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs Wurzelecht (referring with that last word on the label to the vines being ungrafted). Gillot and Spanier attempted to handle this “as it would have been a hundred years ago,” with the fruit crushed in the vineyard, concomitantly extended skin time, and very slow spontaneous fermentation. Partly thanks to the buffering effect of the skin contact, it’s almost shockingly low in measurable acidity (5.8 grams) for a German Riesling, but there are certainly no ill effects. Honeysuckle, orange blossom, and citrus zest aromas lead to a bittersweet palate impression of lemon oil, herbal concentrates, peach, and peach kernel. The smoky, pungent, zesty, yet refreshing and somehow also soothing finish beautifully combines elegance and lift with concentration. This should be utterly fascinating to follow this wine’s evolution for at least 8-10 years. It is a delight for there to at last be another wine that does justice to this great riverside site, the more so since this one is diametrically opposed in method and style to the Rothenberg of Gunderloch. Carolin Gillot – for more about whose estate see my report in issue 185 – professes the importance of spontaneous fermentations to retain refinement in her relatively warm sites as well as – in the ideal case – to render less efficient the conversion of sugar to alcohol. As a measure of Gillot’s recent commercial success and excellent press within Germany, not a single bottle of her village-level Riesling from Oppenheim could be found for me to taste – which was last September – and she reported that the last large order had had to be shorted. Given the quality of this latest collection, things are unlikely to get better in regard to the demand-supply ratio!Importer: Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799