Wine Of The Month: A Springtime Riesling

Hailing from Germany’s Rheingau region, this single-vineyard Kabinett comes from a venerated winery where only Riesling has been cultivated since 1720, earning its claim as the first such winery in the world. Schloss Johannisberg translates to “castle on St. John’s Hill” so named for mentions of Johannisberg vineyards dating to 817 and then later, the site of a Benedictine monastery in the 1100s. By 1720, the entire domaine was planted with Riesling and it is marked as being the first closed (think cloistered) Riesling vineyard in the world. By 1971, after centuries of political and wartime conflict, as well as being coveted by royalty and heads of state, the domaine became an exclusive single vineyard.

Wine critic Robert Parker has called it “one of the greatest Riesling terroirs on the planet wine.” And this year the UK industry magazine Drinks International called it on of its “Most Admired Wine Brands for 2025.”

Vines are cultivated on 50 hectares, on a quartzite hill in front of the Taunus mountains, south-facing on a 45-degree slope (steep!). The weather here is so fair that when the sun is out, says managing director Stefan Doktor, “we can play volleyball until 10 p.m.” Otherwise, he says the terroir is “fine and unique, giving a clear definition of the wine.”

The 2022 Rotlack Kabinett is a very refined expression with that clarity of fruit and unhampered by any manipulation. Only 20 percent is aged in wooden barrels, produced from the domaine’s own oak trees, and the wine is further softened by five months on the lees. The nose is marked by tangy lime, peaches and a bit of welcome petrol—just enough to let you know this is the real deal—as well as ripe stone fruit such as peaches. The palate is slightly off dry. Kabinett is made from fully ripened grapes and is the least sweet (or most dry) of the four levels in the Prädikat scale (the domaine web site includes a helpful color-coded schematic for understanding its quality levels here). The Schloss Johannisberg Kabinett deftly balances the sweetness of ripe fleshy fruit with acid and structure to deliver a finely finessed wine that, despite that refinement, shows energy and intensity. It is fresh, lithe and adaptable to many spring and summer meals, espcially now with those tender green shoots in the market. Or, it’s highly drinkable on its own. And, at 11% abv, you can drink all day (but drink responsibly, of course!)

Fun fact: At the heart of the winery is the “Bibliotheca Subterranea,” holding about 25,000 bottles in the 900-year-old abbey cellar. The oldest is from 1748.

Doktor noted that Thomas Jefferson once visited the winery in 1793 and though he had a good impression of the wine, noted they were too expensive to buy. You can have this bottle for around $49.