Künstler
Estate

Rheingau region
Germany

The Künstlers have a wine tradition that goes back to the end of the Thirty Years war when in 1648 they first planted grapes along the river Thaya in South Moravia, an area then in the domain of the Hapsburgs.

Franz Künstler, born 1926 in Unter­Tannowitz, was forced to take charge of the estate at age 13 while his father was fighting in World War II.

After the war South Moravia reverted back to Czechoslovakia and the Künstlers became refugees in then West Germany.

Franz completed his formal education at the wine institute in Weinsberg / Württemberg and upon graduation went to work at a winery in Sasbachwalden in the Baden region. In 1951 he was appointed cellarmaster and administrator at the historic Rheingau estate Domdechant Werner in Hochheim. He made an impact with his very first vintage when he produced a Beerenauslese that was judged one of the great wines of the vintage. People soon noticed that Franz Künstler was no ordinary wine maker. He stayed at Werner for 11 years and then started to formulate plans to gain his own estate. He worked for an additional three years for another Hochheim estate, Baron von Jungenfeld, and in 1965 he persuaded the Baron to lease him some of his vineyards to start his own winery. Later Mr. Künstler purchased many of the von Jungenfeld vineyards outright and today they form the core of his estate. In the intervening years Franz slowly and diligently worked to build the reputation of his estate and today it is arguably the top estate in Hochheim and belongs to the very elite in the Rheingau.

After completing his studies in Geisenheim in 1987, and his hands-on training at the State Domain in Assmannshausen, son Gunter joined his father in 1988. After some trepidation about a lifetime career in wine, Gunter today is fully committed. He has been in charge of the cellar during the last few years, and assumed total control of the estate in 1992. Since Gunter and his father share similar views in how great Rieslings should be made, the transition went smoothly.

They both feel that the basis for all great wines start in the vineyard. The goal is to craft wines that can show the richness of the soils in combination with the elegance of the Riesling grape. The yields at harvest at Weingut Künstler are always way below the norm for the Rheingau. When the harvest approaches, the grapes are monitored frequently and diligently and then picked at just the right point in time. Often the Künstler's will sacrifice a few Öchsle for a gram of acidity. It is clearly understood that what the grapes lack at the harvesting point can never be made up in the cellar.  Deacidification is rarely practiced and then only with the must and never with the finished wine.

When producing fruity styled wines both Süssreserve and various schemes of arresting fermentation or a combination of both are used. Care is taken to capture CO₂ from the fermentation process and that no "barrel notes" encroach on the finished wine. After fermentation the wine is left on the lees for four to six weeks and then transferred to other casks or tanks until bottling. In general the wines are vinified in a reductive style.

The finished wines are refreshing, clean with precise fruit and terroir notes that are true to the various vineyards in Hochheim. This was very apparent the first time we tasted the Künstler wines. He bottles early to maintain high pitch brightness of the wines, since he feels that with bottling late the wines become broad and flat. The Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) planted in the Hölle vineyard is vinified using Burgundian methods.

After the aquisition of the Aschrott estate, Künstler estate is currently comprised of about 26 hectares (= 65 acres) with 85% planted to Riesling and 15% to Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) all in Hochheim. A tiny bit of Chardonnay is planted to be used in the estate sparkling wine. Even though it belongs to the Rheingau, Hochheim is actually situated along the Main river. Its vineyards have amongst the best exposure and climate in all of the Rheingau.

All vineyards are planted 100% to Riesling except for the Hölle site which also contains Spätburgunder. The holdings are spread over the Herrnberg, Hölle, Hofmeister, Kirchenstück, Reichestal and Stielweg. The soils at Hochheim are constituted of loamy loess, gravel and sand. Herrnberg, Kirchenstück and Stielweg are constituted of lighter loamy soils and produce the "finest" Rieslings in Hochheim. Sand is also more prevalent in these lighter soils. The wines therefore have more finesse and are more for early drinking. Wines from the Hölle, Hofmeister and Reichestal are more powerful because of their inherent heavier clay containing soils. Whenever possible, Eiswein is made from a portion of the Reichestal vineyard.

Weingut Künstler is a member of the Rheingau Charta group and since April of 1994 a member of the Rheingau V.D.P..

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Owner / winemaker
Gunter Künstler

Künstler estate

soil in the Hochheimer Domdechaney vineyard

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