2021 Weingut Schätzel Riesling Gutswein

Kai Schätzel from Nierstein, is now internationally acclaimed and awarded exceptionally high scores. Gault&Millau rewarded him in no time with three bunches of grapes and Robert Parker called the winery 'one of the most exciting and interesting new developments in German wine culture'.

It wasn't until 2008 that Kai took over his parents' neglected wine estate. Completely self-taught, he devoted himself to making wine. And not without results. Now a VDP member, the biggest climber ever in the Gault Millau and all wines are already sold before they are made.

Kai works completely biodynamically, so that the yield has shrunk in volume, but the grapes have received so much more concentration, taste and body. All grapes are foot/rubber boot mashed and skin soaking is standard. Spontaneous fermentation takes place naturally (own yeasts) and the wines are raised in large old casks. Befriended by Keller and Egon Müller and possessed of the famous Roter Hang in Rheinhessen and of course the Kabinett style wines. He makes GG wines with 10% alcohol, but that is not allowed so they are around 11-11.5%. His Kabinett can have 5% alcohol but that is also not allowed so they have around 7-7.5% alcohol. These wines take time and have great aging potential.

This beautiful riesling is Kai's 'house wine'. In the glass the wine is pale yellow with a light green haze. In the nose wonderfully fresh with peach and grapefruit. In the mouth a lot of juice against the beautifully ripe acids with a mineral finish. The Weingut Schätzel VdP Riesling Gutswein is a wonderfully juicy Riesling. This Schätzel Riesling comes from the qualified wine region Nierstein with the best Riesling grapes from the 2021 vintage. A perfect harmony between the acids, minerality and sweetness in the glass. With this wine you can already see the potential of what typifies Schätzel's wines, namely fruit, the typical Riesling fruitiness in combination with exciting acids and then you get an exciting wine that is almost dangerously tasty.