Label

Kühling-Gillot

Rheinhessen•Germany

Kühling-Gillot is a Rheinhessen estate centred on the red-slope grands crus of Nierstein and Nackenheim, producing dry Rieslings of precision and structural grip from some of the region's most distinguished sites.

History

Kühling-Gillot is a family estate based in Oppenheim, in the southern Rheinhessen. The property has been shaped over multiple generations, with the current chapter defined by Carolin Spanier-Gillot and her husband Hans-Oliver Spanier, who also runs Battenfeld-Spanier in the Rheinhessen hinterland. Carolin took over the estate from her family and the two producers have remained legally and commercially separate, though they share a philosophical orientation toward dry, site-expressive wines. The estate's focus shifted decisively toward the Grosses Gewächs tier and the prestige vineyards of the Nierstein and Nackenheim communities, positioning Kühling-Gillot among the producers who restored serious attention to the Rheinhessen's historic red-slope sites after decades in which the region's reputation had suffered.

Vineyards

The core holdings concentrate on the Roter Hang, the stretch of steep, iron-rich red sandstone and red slate slopes that run along the Rhine between Nackenheim and Nierstein. The principal sites are Nackenheimer Rothenberg, Niersteiner Pettenthal, Niersteiner Hipping, and Niersteiner Ölberg, all classified as Grosse Lagen under the VDP system. These vineyards face east to southeast, catch the Rhine's reflective light, and drain sharply, stressing vines in ways that concentrate flavor. The red ferrous soils are the defining geological feature, giving wines a mineral bite and a distinctive saline tension that separates them from Rheinhessen Rieslings grown on less dramatic ground. The estate farms organically and has done so for a sustained period; the Würzelecht bottling from Rothenberg designates ungrafted, own-rooted vines, which is a rarity even by the standards of serious German estates. Beyond the Roter Hang, the estate also works with vineyards that supply the village-level Nierstein and Nackenheim bottlings and the entry-level Qvinterra, the last of which draws on Rheinhessen fruit outside the premier sites.

Winemaking

Fermentation relies on native yeasts, and the wines are handled without heavy intervention. The Grosses Gewächs Rieslings are aged in large, older wooden casks, which is standard for the style in Germany and contributes texture without imparting oak flavor. The aim across the range is dryness and structural tension rather than aromatic generosity, and the wines tend toward a taut, mineral-driven profile with aging potential well beyond what their initial austerity might suggest. The Würzelecht Rothenberg is the estate's most singular bottling, combining the Roter Hang's character with the added dimension of ungrafted vines; it is made in small quantity. The village and entry-level wines are cleaner, more approachable in youth, and offer a useful introduction to the estate's style without the cellar time the Grosse Lage wines often demand.

Wines

2024 Riesling Qvinterra

7.2

2024 Riesling Nackenheim

7.5

2024 Riesling Nierstein

5.0

2024 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

8.7

2024 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

8.9

2024 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

9.2

2024 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Würzelecht Grosses Gewächs

9.3

2023 Riesling Nackenheim

7.6

2023 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

8.3

2023 Riesling Nackenheim

7.5

2023 Kühling-Gillot

7.5

2023 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

8.3

2023 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

9.2

2023 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Würzelecht Grosses Gewächs

9.4

2022 Riesling Oppenheim

6.8

2022 Riesling Nackenheim

7.1

2022 Spätburgunder Oppenheimer Kreuz Grosses Gewächs

8.5

2022 Riesling Oppenheim

6.7

2022 Riesling Nackenheim

7.2

2022 Riesling Nierstein

7.4

2022 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.9

2022 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

8.0

2022 Kühling-Gillot

8.0

2022 Spätburgunder Oppenheimer Kreuz Grosses Gewächs

8.9

2021 Spätburgunder Oppenheimer Kreuz Grosses Gewächs

7.5

2018 Riesling Qvinterra feinherb

6.4

2018 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

7.3

2018 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2018 Riesling Qvinterra feinherb

6.4

2018 Riesling Oppenheimer trocken

6.8

2018 Riesling Qvinterra trocken

7.0

2018 Kühling-Gillot

6.9

2018 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

7.4

2018 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.5

2018 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

7.6

2018 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Würzelecht Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2018 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2017 Riesling Niersteiner Pettental Auslese

8.0

2017 Kühling-Gillot

6.4

2017 Riesling Oppenheimer trocken

7.2

2017 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

7.2

2017 Riesling Qvinterra feinherb

7.2

2017 Riesling Qvinterra trocken

7.1

2017 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.4

2017 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

7.4

2017 Riesling Nackenheimer trocken

7.3

2017 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Würzelecht Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2017 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.7

2017 Riesling Niersteiner Pettental Auslese

8.0

2016 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.6

2016 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.7

2016 Riesling Qvinterra feinherb

6.4

2016 Riesling Qvinterra trocken

6.7

2016 Spätburgunder Bodenheimer trocken

6.7

2016 Spätburgunder Oppenheimer Kreuz Grosses Gewächs

7.0

2016 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

7.1

2016 Spätburgunder Nackenheimer trocken

2016 Gemischter Satz trocken Qvinterra

7.3

2016 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Auslese

7.4

2016 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Spätlese

7.4

2016 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.6

2016 Riesling Nackenheimer trocken

7.5

2016 Kühling-Gillot

7.6

2016 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2016 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Würzelecht Grosses Gewächs

7.8

2016 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.9

2015 Riesling Aus der Steillage Kabinett

7.0

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Auslese

7.0

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.3

2015 Riesling Qvinterra

6.3

2015 Riesling Kabinett Aus der Steillage

6.9

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Auslese

7.0

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.3

2015 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Auslese

7.4

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.4

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Kabinett

7.3

2015 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Auslese

7.6

2015 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

7.6

2015 Riesling Nackenheimer trocken

7.6

2015 Kühling-Gillot

7.7

2015 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Auslese Goldkapsel

8.0

2014 Niersteiner Trocken Qvinterra

6.4

2014 Riesling Oppenheimer trocken

6.4

2014 Riesling Nackenheimer trocken

6.6

2014 Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Spätlese

7.0

2014 Riesling Niersteiner Pettenthal Grosses Gewächs

7.2

2014 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

7.2

2014 Kühling-Gillot

7.1

2014 Riesling Kabinett Aus der Steillage

7.4

2014 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs

7.4

2014 Riesling Nackenheimer Rothenberg Auslese

7.6

2014 Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg Grosses Gewächs

7.7

2013 Riesling Kabinett

6.2

2013 Niersteiner Trocken Qvinterra

6.2

2013 Riesling Niersteiner trocken

6.4

2013 Chardonnay R

6.4

2013 Riesling Nackenheimer trocken

6.6

2013 Niersteiner Oelberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs

7.2

2013 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs

7.3