Review: Kruger-Rumpf, Riesling Trocken

Anyone who is a regular reader of this site knows I’m a riesling fanatic with a particular affinity for German riesling. I often post reviews of riesling from the Mosel, Rheingau, Mittelrhein and Rheinhessen regions. But another good region for riesling I don’t write about as often is the Nahe region.

The Nahe region is, not surprisingly, located around the Nahe river — which flows into the Rhine river. It’s a region known for varied soil types. As such, wines from the Nahe can have some different characteristics depending on the vineyard location.

This particular riesling, from Kruger-Rumpf, comes from the Lower Nahe, close to Bingen, Germany, where the Nahe flows into the Rhine and for what it’s worth is an absolutely beautiful location. It may seem unintuitive if you look at the river on a map that this location is the Lower Nahe as it is the northernmost part of the Nahe. It’s referred to as “lower” due to the flow direction of the river. This is where the river flows out versus the “upper” where it begins.

The Lower Nahe has mostly quartzite and slate soils and wines from this region tend to be fairly similar to wines from the Mittelrhein. The Kruger-Rumpf estate is located in a village called Münster-Sarmsheim, which is at the northern end of the Nahe region. This is essentially at the intersection of four wine regions: Nahe, the Rheingau and Mittelrhein to the north, and Rheinhessen to the east. You might say this is the confluence of riesling and awesomeness.

I can say that this wine in particular is similar to other riesling I’ve had from other producers in that general vicinity. In a word, it’s delicious!

Honeysuckle, lemon, nectarine and straw aromatics give this wine a really pleasant nose. The palate is really bright with vibrant acidity. It offers tart lemon, nectarine and green apple flavors with a burst of saltiness toward the finish, which is quite long. The mouthfeel is good, with an ever so slight prickly effervescence. Overall, this is a very approachable and enjoyable everyday riesling.

The wine I tasted is a 2016, which has a couple years of age on it. You’re more likely to find the 2018 vintage in shops at the time I’m writing this.

Wine: Kruger-Rumpf, Riesling Trocken
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 90
Average price: $19.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.