Rheingau Riesling: tasting through some of the best examples at the VDP tasting 2026
Continuing with my write ups from the amazing VDP tastings in Weisbaden, August 2026, here are notes on the Rheingau Rieslings I tasted. It’s clear from the scores that I liked these wines quite a bit.
August Kesseler Riesling Lorchhausen SELIGMACHER 2025 Rheingau
Focused lime-laden nose with nice precision. The palate is pure, crystalline and focused with good acidity and almost perfect balance. 95/100
Prinz Riesling Rüdesheim BERG SCHLOSSBERG 2025 Rheingau
Chiselled and bright with lovely pure lemony fruit, showing delicacy and a chalky minerality. Quite lovely. 95/100
August Kesseler Riesling Rüdesheim BERG ROSENECK 2025 Rheingau
Linear, bright and precise with great fruit purity. Lemon and lime with some pretty florals, and keen acidity. Such precision here. 94/100
Josef Spreitzer Riesling Mittelheim SANKT NIKOLAUS 2025 Rheingau
Some wood evident here. A very different style of Riesling with lots of texture and depth. Nice citrus and pear fruit. Unusual. 92/100
Josef Spreitzer Riesling Oestrich ROSENGARTEN 2025 Rheingau
Lively and juicy with nice texture to the citrus fruit, and good acidity. Has presence and some mid-palate depth. 93/100
Prinz Riesling Hallgarten JUNGFER 2025 Rheingau
Bold with nice fruit intensity. Ripe citrus and pear. Lovely depth to this wine, finishing spicy and chalky. 92/100
Barth Riesling Hallgarten SCHÖNHELL 2025 Rheingau
Textural and quite bold with rich, ripe citrus fruit and some pear and apple richness. Midweight and appealing. 92/100
Barth Riesling Hattenheim HASSEL 2025 Rheingau
Lots of presence here: bold and characterful with intense citrus fruit as well as some pear skin richness. Has density and good acidity. 93/100
Prinz Riesling Hattenheim NUSSBRUNNEN 2025 Rheingau
Nice acid line with a chalky edge to the citrus fruit. Has nice intensity with some grip. Zippy and linear. 93/100
Josef Spreitzer Riesling Hattenheim WISSELBRUNNEN 2025 Rheingau
Rich and harmonious with nice texture, and a lovely mineral undertow to the ripe citrus fruit. This has presence and depth. So refined. 95/100
Prinz Riesling Erbach MARCOBRUNN 2025 Rheingau
Midweight and nicely textured with ripe citrus fruit and a hint of orange peel and melon richness. 92/100
Robert Weil Riesling Kiedrich GRÄFENBERG 2025 Rheingau
Focused and compact with taut citrus fruit. Lovely balance to this wine with everything in place. Still primary. 94/100
Domdechant Werner Riesling Hochheim KIRCHENSTÜCK 2025 Rheingau
Juicy and linear with bright lemon and lime fruit. Nice precision and focus with lovely detail to the zippy fruit. Crystalline. 94/100
Domdechant Werner Riesling Hochheim HÖLLE 2025 Rheingau
Honied and floral on the nose with lovely juiciness to the crystalline citrus fruit, and a hint of apple. Pretty wine. 93/100
Joachim Flick Riesling Hochheim KÖNIGIN VICTORIABERG DECHANTENRUHE 2025 Rheingau
Chalky and mineral with nice precision and lovely fruit weight. Has some freshness and nice texture. Crystalline finish. Open, with nice balance. 93/100
Joachim Flick Riesling Wicker NONNBERG VIER MORGEN 2025 Rheingau
This is nicely fruity with good weight. Appealing style showing nice freshness and focus. Has some detail to it. Lemons and apples. 93/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Rüdesheim BERG SCHLOSSBERG 2024 Rheingau
Lively citrus nose with real impact. The palate is really bright and zesty with crisp lemony fruit and high acidity. Distinctive. 93/100
Peter Jakob Kühn Riesling Rüdesheim BERG SCHLOSSBERG 2024 Rheingau
Bright and linear showing chiselled citrus fruit with keen acidity. Brisk in style with lots of impact. Impressive in this bright, linear style. 94/100
Balthasar Ress Riesling Rüdesheim BERG ROTTLAND 2024 Rheingau
Juicy, linear but with some nice pear and peach richness as well as a core of linear citrus fruit. Stylish and layered, showing nice complexity. 94/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Rüdesheim BERG ROTTLAND 2024 Rheingau
Compact, taut and linear with bright, pure lemony fruit. Very primary. 92/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Geisenheim ROTHENBERG 2024 Rheingau
Juicy, bright, zesty and pure with nice precision to the focused citrus fruit. Very lemony and quite intriguing. 94/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Geisenheim MORSCHBERG 2024 Rheingau
Slightly honied nose leads to a lean, almost austere palate showing focused lemony fruit. 91/100
Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Johannisberg SCHLOSS JOHANNISBERG 2024 Rheingau
Compact, linear and pure with bright lemony fruit. Primary, showing potential. 94/100
Prinz von Hessen Riesling Johannisberg KLAUS 2024 Rheingau
Juicy, crystalline and linear with appealing lemony fruit. Has nice weight and balance. Pure and vivid. 93/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Winkel JESUITENGARTEN 2024 Rheingau
Stony and lemony with bright fruit and good acidity. Compact. 92/100
Prinz von Hessen Riesling Winkel HASENSPRUNG 2024 Rheingau
Nice focus to this with pretty lemony fruit and some chalky mineral undertones. Bright and primary. 93/100
Peter Jakob Kühn Riesling Mittelheim SANKT NIKOLAUS 2024 Rheingau
So bright and lemony with nice intensity to the chalk-laden minerally palate. Pristine fruit here with potential for development. 95/100
Peter Jakob Kühn Riesling Hallgarten JUNGFER 2024 Rheingau
Lovely tension here. There’s a floral quality to the citrus fruits on the nose, and then in the mouth this is mineral and layered, with good acidity. Amazing dynamic range. 96/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Oestrich DOOSBERG 2024 Rheingau
Bright, juicy, primary and lemony with pure fruit. 91/100
Peter Jakob Kühn Riesling Oestrich DOOSBERG 2024 Rheingau
This is alert and crystalline with lovely detail to the bright lemon and lime fruit. There’s an extra dimension here, with fine spicy detail. 94/100
Balthasar Ress Riesling Hattenheim WISSELBRUNNEN 2024 Rheingau
Some honey and wax on the nose as well as ripe citrus. The palate is bold and textural with nice intensity and depth. Quite serious with good weight to the fruit. 94/100
Kaufmann Riesling Hattenheim WISSELBRUNNEN 2024 Rheingau
Chiselled and linear but also with depth and richness of fruit. A complete Riesling, showing some pear and peac richness as well as crystalline fruit. 95/100
Diefenhardt Riesling Rauenthal IM ROTHENBERG 2024 Rheingau
Nice precision and complexity here with crystalline lemony fruit, and great balanced between the richness and the acidity. Lovely. 94/100
Diefenhardt Riesling Martinsthal LANGENBERG 2024 Rheingau
Compact and lemony with some apple and pear notes as well as bright citrus fruit. Stylish and fruit-laden. 93/100
