Harvesting took from 19 September to 23 October and gave a generous overall yield of 63 hl/ha. The soft acidity is a problem everywhere in Germany in 2018, and Kesselstatt was no exception, although some wines dealt with it better than others.
2017 Riesling Brut Majorat
This delicious sparkling wine is light on the palate and packed with mineral apricot fruit. It is a perfect aperitif. 12.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 03 19. 89/A
2017 Schloss Marienlay Riesling trocken
This estate wine has crackling acidity that underlies it white fruits. The body is medium-light and the wine is energetic and nervy, as well as bone dry. It is a perfect wine for cheese. I’d drink this over the next 2-5 years. 91/A-
2017 (Piesporter) Goldtröfchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs
I’ve tasted this wine twice, three months apart and the second time over a period of several days. Both times, I a medium-weight firm body with Goldtröpfchen fruit, but a disturbing bitterness on the finish. 12.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 15 18. ?
2017 (Graach) Josphshöfer Riesling Grosses Gewächs
White peach skin aromas and flavors, medium-weight. 12.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 16 18. 90/B+
2017 Scharzhofberger Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Floral nose. Depth, intensity, minerality, but still very unformed.12.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 17 18. 90/B+
2017 (Kaseler) Nies’chen Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Austere, white fruits, mineral, some promise here. 12.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 18 18. 91/A-
2018 Mosel Weissburgunder
This negociant Pinot Blanc is round with creaminess from just a touch of residual sugar and the moderate acidity of the 2018 vintage. The wine is medium-weight, but lacks real character or strongly-defined aromas and flavors. 12.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 61 19. 85/C
2018 Mosel Pinot Blanc Reserve
With a medium-light body that is round and with light citrus and apple aromas and flavors, this is a pleasant wine for drinking as an aperitif. It is an estate wine, the grapes coming from Kesselstatt’s holdings in the Kaseler Kehrnagel and Herrenberg vineyards in the Ruwer Valley. The wine was fermented and aged in large wooden ovals. 88/B+
2018 RK Riesling
This off-dry negociant wine shows white fruits, but the acidity is too soft to properly balance against the sugar, making for a slightly floppy wine. 10.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 56 19. 85/C
2018 Sommerpalais Riesling
This negociant QbA is off-dry and most enjoyable for the refreshing play of its sugar against the acid and for its fresh white fruits. I’d drink this over the next 2-3 years. 11.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 72 19. 87/A-
2018 Spätburgunder Rosé
Also a negociant wine, this Pinot Noir rosé is surprisingly good. The acidity gives freshness and liveliness to the wine and it has mouth-watering wild strawberry fruit along with very good salinity. 12.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 57 19. 88/A
2018 (Graach) Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett feinherb
With just a little sweetness, this wine is medium-light and elegant with peach and apricot aromas. The acidity is moderate, but sufficient to balance the sugar. I’d drink this wine within the next 2-3 years. 11.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 07 19. 89/A-
2018 Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett feinherb
While the acidity balanced the sugar in the Josephshöfer above, it was just too lax for my palate in this wine, leaving it sweet, and largely unstructured. The white and lemon fruits are pleasant, though. 11.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11 19. 86/C
2018 (Piesporter) Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
This is a very ripe Kabinett with a fair amount of sugar showing because of the soft acidity, but the wine nevertheless stays in the bounds of balance. The fruit is also riper than usual, tending more to tropical than the typical Goldtröpfchen yellow peach. 9.5% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. nr.: 12 19. 88/B
2018 (Piesporter) Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
The soft acidity here is sufficient to balance the sweetness of the wine, and Goldtöpfchen yellow peach fruit is present. But the wine is quite light and delicate, and lacking some personality. 8.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 18 19. 88/B-
2018 (Graach) Josephshöfer Riesling Spätlese
Significantly denser and tighter than the Goldtröpfchen Spätlese and with a more lively acidity to play against the sugar, this wine is good for current drinking. Good white peach and apple fruits here. 8.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr. 25 19. 90/B+
2018 (Kaseler) Nies’chen Riesling Spätlese
A good acid/sugar balance for the vintage gives this wine some sharpness to go with sweetness that does not overwhelm. The wine is light in weight and has citric and incipient apricot fruits. The wine is elegant, but has good penetration. 8.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 15 19. 92/A
2018 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese
This wine shows good crispness with a medium-weight body and proper acid/sugar balance (again, gentle acidity up against not-too-much sugar). The wine is firm, medium-weight, has incipient apricot fruit, and may have some botrytis in it. 9.0% stated alcohol. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 21 19. 92/A