PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Kabinett is the lightest of Germany’s Prädikat levels, usually associated with the Mosel and the Rheingau. Thörle’s Schlossberg Kabinett shows that Rheinhessen can do it too. James Suckling’s reviewer, Stuart Pigott, scored the 2022 94 Points: “With an enticing and subtle nose of lemon blossom, this is a dangerously fresh and delicate riesling Kabinett for a region often considered unsuitable for the production of this light-bodied style. Wonderful elegance and wet-stone minerality at the long, barely off-dry finish. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold.”
Weingut Thörle is a 16th-century estate (1517) in the village of Saulheim, in the center of Rheinhessen, run since 2006 by brothers Christoph and Johannes Thörle. They manage around 30 hectares across many small parcels on slopes that were never consolidated, including the three great Saulheim sites: Hölle, Schlossberg, and Probstey. The Schlossberg is a vineyard at about 180 to 240 meters, with heavy clay, limestone, and flint; around Saulheim, limestone, calcareous marl, and loess meet, and the limestone gives the Rieslings “their saline, almost chalky note and long finish.” The estate began converting to organic viticulture in 2019, and 2022 was its first certified vintage; harvest is entirely by hand. Gault-Millau has called Thörle “one of the best producers in Rheinhessen,” and Wine Anorak notes the Schlossberg Rieslings are “very fine, fresh and mineral, and not all about the fruit.”
For house-style context, Falstaff scored the estate’s 2021 Riesling Kabinett 92, finding “fragrant notes of caramel, white flowers and some iodine, whilst feeling fresh and crisp,” with “acidity that is very vivid” and sweetness that is “almost only hinted-at... charmingly buffered.” A merchant describes the 2022 Kabinett as “a light and minerally Riesling. Racy, fresh with flowery and saline notes coming from the limestone soil,” with “an almost electrifying acidity which asks for the next sip.” It’s a light, low-alcohol, mineral Riesling with great food-friendliness, and an easy one to recommend as an aperitif or with fish, shellfish, and spicy dishes.
Thörle 2022 Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett is produced by Weingut Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen, Germany, an estate dating to 1517, run since 2006 by Christoph and Johannes Thörle. It is 100% Riesling from the Schlossberg vineyard at 180 to 240 meters, on heavy clay, limestone, and flint, hand-harvested, and certified organic (2022 was the first certified vintage). It is also vegan. A Kabinett, barely off-dry, at about 9% ABV. 750ml.
Stuart Pigott, James Suckling — 94 Points (September 2023):
“With an enticing and subtle nose of lemon blossom, this is a dangerously fresh and delicate riesling Kabinett for a region often considered unsuitable for the production of this light-bodied style. Wonderful elegance and wet-stone minerality at the long, barely off-dry finish. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold.”
Ulrich Sautter, Falstaff — 92 Points (2021 Riesling Kabinett; house-style context):
“A glittering shimmer in the glass. The nose reveals fragrant notes of caramel, white flowers and some iodine, whilst feeling fresh and crisp. This continues in the mouth, where the acidity is very vivid. The almost only hinted-at sweetness is charmingly buffered.”
Merchant tasting note (2022 Riesling Kabinett):
“A light and minerally Riesling. Racy, fresh with flowery and saline notes coming from the limestone soil. It has an almost electrifying acidity which asks for the next sip. This delicate and succulent Riesling beautifully expressing its Kabinett Praedikat.”
Nose
Pale and shimmering. Lemon blossom, white flowers, and a hint of iodine.
Palate
Delicate, fresh, and succulent, with racy acidity, a barely off-dry sweetness, and saline, flowery notes.
Finish
Long and elegant, with wet-stone minerality.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Appellation | Rheinhessen, Germany |
| Variety | 100% Riesling |
| Prädikat | Kabinett |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Producer | Weingut Thörle — Saulheim (estate since 1517) |
| Vineyard | Schlossberg, 180–240m; heavy clay, limestone, flint |
| Farming | Certified organic (first certified vintage 2022); vegan |
| ABV | ~9% |
| Critics | James Suckling 94 |
| Style / Identity | A delicate, mineral, barely off-dry organic Kabinett, a rare Rheinhessen take on a light style |
| Aromas & Flavors | Lemon blossom, white flowers, wet stone, saline minerality |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Serve well chilled, at about 8-10°C.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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