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Künstler

The Künstler family have a winemaking tradition that stretches back almost four centuries; distant ancestors to the Künstlers of today once planted vines along the River Thaya in South Moravia, under the dominion of the Hapsburgs, although this region is now part of the Czech Republic. This fine history, combined with the Künstler's estate, which is housed in some splendid 15th century buildings, might suggest this is an ancient domaine, although this is not the case. Weingut Künstler was established as recently as 1965 by Franz Künstler, who has since handed control to his son, Gunter.

Franz Künstler was born in 1926 in Unter-Tannowitz, a town which now lies on the Czech border. At the tender age of 13 he took control of the family estate, as his father left home to fight in World War II. As the war ended the Künstlers became refugees, and eventually settled in West Germany. Franz, now a young man, completed his education at the wine institute in Württemberg, followed by some valuable winemaking experience in Baden. In 1951 he took on the role of cellarmaster at Domdechant Werner in Hochheim, where he stayed - producing some superlative wines in his time - for 11 years. By this time thoughts of his own estate must have been prominent in his mind.

Franz moved on to work at the Baron von Jungenfeld estate in Hochheim, in the Rheingau, although within three years he had persuaded the Baron to lease him a portion of his vineyards. This was the beginning of Weingut Künstler as we know the estate today. Franz eventually purchased many of the von Jungenfeld vineyards outright. He was joined by Gunter, his son, in 1988, following completion of his studies in Geisenheim and at the State Domain in Assmannshausen the previous year. Within four years Gunter was in single-handed control of the family business, and he continues to build upon the tireless work of his father. One of the more significant developments under the direction of Gunter was the purchase of the neighbouring estate, Weingut Aschrott. Some of these vineyards have been incorporated into Künstler's own estate, whereas the remainder is still marketed as Aschrott, effectively Künstler's second label.

Gunter, like his father, and like all truly great winemakers, knows that great wine is made in the vineyards. The domaine has 26 hectares of vineyards, including a number of prime sites, planted mostly with Riesling (85%), the remainder being Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) which is all located in the Hölle vineyard. There is a tiny amount of Chardonnay for the sparkling wines. The vineyards include Herrnberg, Hölle, Hofmeister, Kirchenstück, Reichestal and Stielweg. The soils at Hochheim are constituted of loam, light clay, gravel and sand; this is a world away from the slate based soils of many other regions of the Rhine and Mosel. The soils in Herrnberg, Kirchenstück and Stielweg are lighter, loamy soils, with some sand, and provide these sites with reputations for Hochheim's finest Rieslings. The Hölle, Hofmeister and Reichestal vineyards have more clay, and therefore provide firmer, heavier wines. One of these, the Reichestal vineyard, is particularly important; this is a frequent source of the estate's Eiswein. Yields across the domaine are low, much more so than many of the Künstler's neighbours. Deacidification is rarely practiced. After fermentation, the wines see up to six weeks of skin contact. The range of wines includes a number of trocken styles, as well as traditional. Some would regard Künstler as a trocken specialist, although in my experience the traditional styles can be superb. (12/7/05)

Contact details:
Address: Kirchstrasse 38, 65239 Hochheim
Telephone: +33 (0) 6146 83860
Fax: +33 (0) 6146 7335
Internet: www.weingut-kuenstler.de

Künstler - Tasting Notes

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Künstler Hochheimer Reichestal Riesling Kabinett 2006: This particular wine is bottled under screwcap, and there is plenty of tartrate sediment in the bottle. In the glass it has a good, pale, green-tinged hue, and this is followed by a delightful nose, full of explosive limes and tight steel, topped with light honey and minerals. The fruit is pure, crystalline and apple-tinged in character. On the palate it is fresh and fleshy, with beautifully tingly acidity throughout the midpalate. It finishes with lovely twists of lime fruit and a touch of caramel without the overt toffee sweetness, although it certainly has an appropriate residual sugar for the prädikat. This is delicious stuff and it will make great summer drinking in coming years. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17+/20 (October 2009) AP number: 40 060 003 07

Künstler Hochheimer Stielweg Riesling ‘Alte Reben’ Trocken 2004: Mineral and lime nose. Bone dry palate. Delicate, lime and flower petal notes but with a pinch of body and spice. Very firm acidity. Lacks an impressive character though. Being critical, maybe lacks balance too. 14/20 (May 2005)

Künstler Hochheimer Reichestall Riesling Kabinett 2004: Flower petal nose, suggestive of dew in spring; fresh and delicate. Lovely weight on the palate; fresh, chalky-mineral notes, orange blossom too. Fine acidity. Good length too. This is very impressive for the Prädikat; will benefit from 2-3 years in bottle. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)

Künstler Riesling Halbtrocken 2003: Quite simple, inexpressive nose. Off dry, fairly characterless palate. The teasing suggestion of weight is all that is of interest here. 13/20 (May 2005)

Künstler Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese 2003: Floral, rocky nose. Lovely weight. Minerals and chalk palate, with subtle lime blossom. Still very primary at present. Just sufficient acidity, a finely balanced wine. The structure is there for the cellar – should be fine over ten years. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)

Künstler Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Spätlese 1998: A pleasing, lemon-gold colour in the lass. An intense and youthful nose, which does not seem at first to have any great complexity, and is dominated by lime fruit aromas. With some time in the glass other citrus fruits and notes of honeysuckle become apparent. Nevertheless, there is great character on the palate, with lovely weight balanced out by fresh, bright acidity. Brilliant citrus fruit flavours, with a honeyed texture. There's a serious, mealy edge to it all. Delicious for drinking now, but clearly with bags of potential. 17+/20 (June 2002) AP number: 40 060 001 99