If you can’t stay away from German Riesling with precision, electricity, and minerality for days, then Gunderloch’s 2023 “Hipping” Grosses Gewächs has your name all over it. One bottle won’t cut it—this wine has the ageability, pedigree, and sheer hedonistic citrus‑slate intensity that Riesling fanatics chase in multiples.
This is the kind of bottle that becomes the centerpiece of a Riesling masterclass—a benchmark expression of terroir, technique, and tradition.
Gunderloch stands among the Rheinhessen’s most revered multi‑generational estates, and under the young and relentlessly curious Johannes Hasselbach, the wines have reached a new pinnacle. This is a producer on the rise—not coasting on reputation, but actively redefining it with greater grace, balance, and natural energy than ever before.
The Hipping vineyard is pure prestige: one of the most singular sites for Riesling in all of Germany. Its steep slopes of iron‑rich red slate (Rotliegend) impart unmistakable tension—citrus purity cut by salty, stony, red‑slate minerality. There is simply nothing else like it.
The critics agree. Stuart Pigott, Germany’s leading Riesling authority, praises the 2023 for its originality and stony depth, while Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous’ German correspondent, calls it concentrated, serene, and beautifully slender with a long, salty finish.
And here’s the kicker: for this level of pedigree, terroir, and critical acclaim, the value is extraordinary. In a region where cult producers like Keller and Wittmann routinely command $150–$500+ for their Grosses Gewächs bottlings—often with multi‑year waitlists—Gunderloch’s Hipping GG delivers comparable precision, minerality, and age‑worthy architecture at a fraction of the price. It’s one of the rare opportunities in the Rheinhessen where world‑class, Grand Cru–level dry Riesling remains genuinely accessible.
Twenty‑five years ago, this bottling was a classic. Today, it’s a revelation—and one of the smartest buys in top‑tier German Riesling.
Zum Wohl!
Press Accolades:
96 Points, James Suckling:
“What complex and original aromas this excellent dry riesling GG has: all the Mediterranean herbs, also grapefruit peel, pomelo and bergamot. This beautifully balances excellent ripeness that has a slight tropical edge with cool minerality on the medium-bodied palate. Very long, refined finish with a stony intensity that builds and builds. From organically grown grapes with FairChoice certification. Drink or hold.” Stuart Pigott Senior Editor
95 Points, Vinous Media:
“The 2023 Riesling Niersteiner Hipping Grosses Gewächs was made with whole berries in the ferment rather than prolonged pre-fermentation skin contact. It opens with stone dust, crushed lemon balm, a touch of flinty reduction and an enticing blend of red apple and juicy tangerine, even with a touch of creaminess. That creaminess is also immediate on the palate, pervaded by fine freshness. There’s real concentration and drive here, tingling with lemon brightness and savory red stone. Beautiful, serene and slender, it has lovely substance and a lasting, salty finish.”- Anne Krebiehl MW
