2022 Weingut Korrell, Riesling Kabinett, Nahe, Germany.
The 2022 Korrell Kabinett is a dry drinking fruity Riesling coming from organic vines close to the estate with a combination of clay-marl and volcanic red iron rich soils, bringing out a nice mineral tone and a medium bodied textural, showing off lush yellow fruits, with peach, apple and pineapple leading the way, along with flinty wet stone, chamomile and lemon zest. The residual sugar never feels heavy or cloying and this is a lovely vintage with crisp freshness of details and will go fabulous with a wide range of cuisine choices from curries to cured meats. The Korrell family, which as Spanish roots, has been practicing viticulture for the better part of 250 years, and the estate in the Nahe has been around since 1832, with Wilfried Korrell in 1967 converting it to all wine focus, and now run by Martin and Britta Korrell, who are the sixth generation and are the ones that have raised it to the level it is now. They built a new press house and modern winery in 2011 and farm 26 hectares of vines that include Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Silvaner, Muskateller and Scheurebe as well as the red grapes, Pinot Noir, Frühburgunder, Portugieser and Dornfelder.
As I’ve mentioned in my past reviews, each wine from Korrell seems like a personal expression, and Martin joins a long list of stellar producers here from superstars like Schlossgut Diel to Dönnhoff, as well as Gut Hermannsberg, Kruger-Rumpf and Schäfer-Fröhlich in making some of the Nahe’s best examples of Riesling. While under the radar until recently, Korrell like Harald Hexamer, also in the Nahe, have taken a while to get discovered in America, but the wines speak for themselves and now are getting well deserved attention. Of what is imported now, be sure to explore the signature Paradies Riesling, the Von Den Grossen Lagen (a special cuvee of dry Riesling lots from all VDP Grosse Lage sites) and this Estate Trocken that is a fabulous starting wine to get an insight into the quality here, plus there is a tiny bit of Eiswein and an award winning Sparkling Sekt to be found. I’ve been a fan of the Korrell winery since they first reached out with their 2017s to review, before having an importer, so it is great to see they are really catching on over here and the latest set looks to be something special, as this basic Kabinett gives hint to! The 2022 Korrell Kabinett Riesling, which is about 10% natural alcohol, was fermented and lees aged exclusively in stainless steel, with the promotion of purity and freshness a top priority here, allowing the unique terroir influences to shine through. As a huge Nahe fan, it is great to see all of the distinctive and diverse choices available and Korrell is a valuable addition to my personal favorites from here.
($24 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive