Tesch Riesling Königsschild Nahe 2023

James Suckling

Powerful lime aroma, and an energy that makes this leap joyfully across your palate. Then, as the air starts to work on this, a whole fruit salad of aromas on the medium-bodied palate. Then the lime freshness gently builds again to a serious statement in the finish.

Robert Parker

The 2023 Riesling Trocken Langenlonsheimer Königsschild is pure yet also intense and reveals a fine mineral core wrapped by precise, fresh and elegant apricot aromas. Very elegant and refined on the first palate, this is a round and juicy yet crystalline and mineral Königsschild, whose limestone soils mixed with loess and loam managed the vintage very well, even in the rainier last third of the vegetation period. The wine comes in with 13% stated alcohol but is light-footed, fine and stimulating, with a long and expressive finish. This is never fat and never rich in texture but an intense and pure Riesling from Langenlonsheim. It’s probably the finest Königsschild in Martin Tesch’s career. Screw-cap closure. Tasted in September 2024.

Vinous

The 2023 Riesling Königsschild is a fully south-facing site of light, calcareous loess. Crushed citrus foliage and pale lemon skin set the tone on the nose. The palate follows suit with fine, lemon-scented freshness, super-light and vividly bright. This is the slenderest Riesling of the portfolio, citrus-focused and lip-smacking. (Bone-dry)

The Fine Wine Review

The Königsschild shows finesse with grapefruit aromas and flavors, a medium-weight body, and overall roundness, but it also has a structure typical of limestone soils.

James Suckling

There’s a wonderful interplay of ripe and fresh components in this wine which make slight on its feet in spite of the considerable intensity. Vibrant and easy this makes you feel glad to be alive. So much crisp pear and pomelo with a delicate floral touch. Long, very elegant finish with an oyster shell minerality.

Vin.connaisseur

Riesling i topform! Sprød og præcis med masser af citrus, hvide blomster og en saltet mineralitet, der giver vinen nerve og energi. Syren er knivskarp, men balanceres smukt af en let frugtsødme. En tør, rank og elegant Riesling, der beviser, hvorfor Nahe er en af Tysklands mest spændende regioner.

Robert Parker

The 2021 Riesling Königsschild opens with a pure, intense yet subtle and floral/stony bouquet with still slightly reductive notes of crushed stones and ripe lemons. Precise and lush on the palate, this is an elegant, refined and linear, tight, fine-meshed and persistently saline dry Riesling with crunchy phenols on the stimulatingly bitter finish. This is an excellent dry Riesling from loess. 12.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted at the domaine in August 2022.

Wine Spectator

An alluring white, with impressive weight and complexity, showing sweet apple, passion fruit and spices that are round and long on the silky palate. This is highlighted by dried herbs and pronounced chalky minerality. Medium-length, vibrant finish.

Wine Enthusiast

This shows nice purity to the notes of quince blossom, nectarine and guava, with baking spice accents lingering in the background. Offers a slight grip midpalate, where it firms up. It is very pretty, but can be intense, so try with food.

The Fine Wine Review

Königsschild is my perennial favorite of Tesch’s wines. This is pure, focused, precise wine with depth and lime minerality. It is medium-weight with good concentration and acidity that is present but well-integrated and not dominant. Limestone soils with seashell under loess.