Domaine Kientzler Riesling Ribeauvillé 2017

‘Bright golden-tinged yellow. Camphor, licorice and orange oil complement apple and pear on the nose and in the mouth. Very savory – almost salty, in fact – and very broad. The long, saline finish really extends the wine’s flavor on the spicy close. Kientzler has dropped the “Réserve Particulière” namesake and now just labels this as Ribeauvillé. A completely different wine from Kientzler’s entry-level Riesling, though the grapes for each come from very difficult soils. This wine is made only from hillside vineyards around Ribeauvillé and the young vines of the estate’s three Grand Cru vineyards (the Geisberg, Osterberg and Kirchberg).’ 90+ points, Ian D’Agata, Vinous, January 2019.

‘Bright golden-tinged yellow. Camphor, licorice and orange oil complement apple and pear on the nose and in the mouth. Very savory – almost salty, in fact – and very broad. The long, saline finish really extends the wine’s flavor on the spicy close. Kientzler has dropped the “Réserve Particulière” namesake and now just labels this as Ribeauvillé. A completely different wine from Kientzler’s entry-level Riesling, though the grapes for each come from very difficult soils. This wine is made only from hillside vineyards around Ribeauvillé and the young vines of the estate’s three Grand Cru vineyards (the Geisberg, Osterberg and Kirchberg).’ 90+ points, Ian D’Agata, Vinous, January 2019.

'One of the most talented Winemakers in Alsace ... he has Riesling and Gewürztraminer growing in prime sites and it is what he manages to do with these that ranks his wines among the very best in Alsace. Although his generic Riesling has great class and finesse, his Grand Cru Geisberg and Grand Cru Osterberg are very much finer. The Geisberg is the riper and more opulent, with a wisp of smokiness to the fruit, the Osterberg is more classic and flinty, requiring longer in bottle.' The Wines of Alsace, Tom Stevenson.

The Kientzler family has been growing vines for more than 5 generations in Ribeauvillé and the surrounding area. As early as 1866, Dominique Alphonse Kientzler had inherited vines from his father and grandfather and in 1895 was involved in the creation of France’s first winemaking cooperative in Ribeauvillé, in addition to running the local grocery shop. His son Alphonse carried on the grocery business while also tending to the vines; he eventually became the Mayor of Ribeauvillé either side of World War II.

It was Alphonse’s son François though, who was the first to fully concentrate on wine production, taking himself off to Switzerland to study viticulture. By the 1970s, he was joined by his son André in the wine business and the pair undertook a massive replanting program to replace much of the old Chasselas with the noble Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer varieties.

Today, the Kientzlers farm almost 14ha of vines in Ribeauvillé, Bergheim, Hunawihr and Riquewihr, including significant parcels in the Grand Crus of Geisberg, Osterberg and Kirchberg. And in turn André handed over the reins to his sons in 2009; Thierry looks after the winemaking and Eric the commercial side of the business.