August Kesseler R Riesling Kabinett Rheingau 2021

August Kesseler started making wine in 1925 as a 19 year old at his parents’ small winery. When he started, they made mainly bulk wine but young August had grandiose plans for the estate. Like some of the other greats we’ve talked about, he focused on soil and winemaking methods to make something special, not just a lot of it. Nearly 100 years later, the winery is one of the very best in Germany’s revered Rheingau region – home to some of the very best white wines made in the world.

What started as less than 3 hectares under vine has blossomed into nearly 33 present day. That covers some of Rheingau’s top sites like Assmannshäuser Höllenberg, Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg, Lorchhäuser Seligmacher. They only make two wines, and they’re both outstanding: a Riesling and a Pinot Noir.

Rich in slate, quartzite, loess and loam, these wines are some of the most minerally expressive wines in the world. Marry that with the vines age (all 25 years or older) and you have something truly special.

That’s probably why more than 100 cases disappeared in the matter of three weeks. Restaurants can’t get enough wine like this. Pure, fruity, playful white wines with lots of personality, lots of brooding flowery and citrus aromas, and a mean mineral streak that is second to none. This is truly a dynamic bottle of wine.