2018 Georg Albrecht Schneider Riesling Kabinett Niersteiner Paterberg Rheinhessen 750 ml

We’re so in love with this luminous gold-green Riesling, grown on the sun-warmed banks of the Rhine, that we finished the bottle straight off at our judging panel—at 11 am. We moved quickly to grab our share, benefiting from an inside scoop that Wine & Spirits would bestow 92-point Best Buy honors on this exemplary 2018 release.  

Georg Albrecht Schneider, whose history dates back to the Napoleonic era, is one of the most storied producers in the Nierstein region. The ninth generation of winemakers in the family is behind this incandescent 2018 Kabinett Riesling—the result of famous Rheinhessen soils and several lifetimes of vinicultural know-how.

“This estate has been turning out high-quality as well as notably affordable wines for decades,” cheers Vinous, but the pedigree of this estate stretches back centuries. The original base of Schneider’s vineyard holdings was purchased by family ancestor Kaspar Schneider from Napoleon Bonaparte, who was selling old property to finance military expeditions while traveling along the Rhine. The winery proper was founded in 1806, and ever since, the Schneiders have been perfecting their relationship with the estate’s special soils.

In 2012, Ursula and Steffen Müller took the reins from Ursula’s father Albrecht after he’d completed 40 vintages as the head of the estate. This wine hails from a 12-acre vineyard in the Paterberg site. Limestone, stones, and calcareous loess make up the soil of the north-facing site. On the palate, a cool gossamer texture blossoms with mineral verve and citrus cut.

Fresh and energetic, Kabinett Riesling is the thing to drink all year, and this Schneider bottling should be a shoo-in.