Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken – Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2024
The Zilliken Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2024 is a fruit-sweet Riesling from the VDP. Grosse Lage vineyard Saarburger Rausch. This delicately fruity, juicy, and enlivening Saar Riesling from the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken estate—produced in a challenging year for Kabinett Rieslings—is characterized by a vibrant interplay between fruit and acidity. Delicate aromas of tropical and orchard fruits, white peach, and ripe Williams pear meet grapefruit, mango, and apricot, all carried by an elegant layer of slate smoke. Juicy on the palate, with lively acidity and threaded with subtle herbal notes. Yet, do not be deceived: the full power of the Rausch site reveals itself in the quiet fullness, deep minerality, and persistent nature of this single-vineyard Riesling.
Zilliken Rausch Kabinett 2024 – A wine and its metrics
- 7.5% alcohol
- 56 g/l residual sugar
- 9.4 g/l acidity
With a moderate alcohol content of 7.5%, it is an ideal companion to light dishes with chicken or fish, sushi or scallops, or spicy Asian cuisine. Although it is delightful while young, it only truly shows its full potential after 5–10 years of bottle aging. If you would like to place the latest vintage alongside a matured one, you can find older Rieslings from the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken estate in our shop.
Incidentally, our cellar is cooled in summer and warmed in winter by a geothermal heat pump powered by a photovoltaic system, ensuring the wine can mature optimally.
The Gault&Millau wine guide named the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2011 the "Best Kabinett of the Year" with 92 points, and the 2017 vintage with 93 points!
2024 – The wine year on the Saar
Long-lasting, abundant rain until April, which completely replenished the water reservoirs in the soil of the steep Saarburg slopes, was actually an excellent start to the 2024 wine year. Sunshine and spring-like temperatures in April gave hope for a potentially good year. However, a severe frost on April 22nd and 23rd dashed these hopes, destroying 90% of the already sprouted vines. Now, it was a matter of hoping for a second bud break. Winemaker Dorothee Zilliken tended to the vineyards and vines, and was thus able to harvest golden-yellow, healthy grapes starting October 7th, at least in the old sections of the Saarburger Rausch. Even if the quantity was low, she succeeded in producing a qualitatively and sensorially enjoyable 2024 vintage.