These last weeks I really didn’t blog much and there are a few things I’d like to catch up on. Most importantly I’d like to transcript the few notes I made about Christmann’s 2007 Rieslings when I attended the vintage tasting at the estate in Gimmeldingen.

I tried some of the wines before at the VDP tasting and also at a restaurant and was quite thrilled with those, in particular with the basic Gutsriesling but also with the Ruppertsberger Linsenbusch.

Surprisingly when I retried those wines here a few weeks later they seemed totally different. So either these wines are going through different phases very quickly or my palate is going through difficult phases. Ok, let’s just say it’s my palate.

For the basic Riesling, it just didn’t sweep me off my feet this time… and I can’t tell why, it simply wasn’t as harmonious and luscious anymore, but rather austere. Also the 2 other basics, the Ruppertsberg and Gimmeldingen Rieslings appeared a bit stiff, with a rather electric acidity in a filigree frame with contained fruit. I don’t think that these wines are bad, but they just seemed a bit closed now. They clearly have the potential of good wines with loads of minerality, a vibrant acidity and elegant fruit, but somehow these components don’t come together yet to form a well balanced wine. But I’ve heard before that Christmann’s wines need more time than others to attain maturity and have therefore no real worries. I’m just so surprised that I perceived them so dramatically different on 2 occasions.

But there were more wines that seemed a bit closed. From the classified Lagenweine the Ruppertsbeger Linsenbusch which amazed me so much at restaurant Buchholz, just didn’t seem so charming and lively suddenly. Such was the case also for Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten and the Gimmeldinger Biengarten - they all clearly have potential but just seem unfinished yet and should be tasted again on a later date. Having said that, the other 2 classified Lagenweine, Deidesheimer Maushöhle and Königsbacher Ölberg were both wonderful now, but also with potential for development. The Maushöhle appeared very charming with a floral nose, creamy fruit and a nice balance. The Ölberg was even a tad better, with more finesse and complexity, a lighter wine with a gently perfumed nose.

Then we stepped towards the “SC” Rieslings, representing the new line with selected grapes from the 3 big locations. This new line is meant to fill the gap between the Lagenweine and the Grosse Gewächse which are released in September.
All 3 SC’s were much more powerful and intensive wines, vibrant, reminding already the GG style. Of course after the filigrane Ölberg, they seemed a bit too fat, but their purpose isn’t the same of course. Most impressively came the Königsbach SC, with clear pineapple fruit, exotic somehow,but also honey. It felt smooth and filigrane despite higher alcohol content. Really beautiful.

So these were my few impressions. Unfortunately my notes weren’t that precise and only gave a general description of the wines. I can’t wait though to retry the Maushöhle and Ölberg and produce some more detailed notes.

The 2008 Riesling of Wachenheim is doing fine for now… still a bit green though


Green Riesling meets blue sky in Wachenheim – Biodynamic culture is observable


Figs are growing faster than grapes…


As important for the region as Riesling is… but maybe a bad vintage for FCK ;=)

update: in the end, a saved season for FCK

Hier noch ein nachgeholtes Posting einer Verkostungsnotiz die schon ein paar Wochen zurück liegt. Der 2005er Bürklin-Wolff Riesling der Wachenheimer Lage Altenburg lag schon anderthalb Jahre im Regal bevor er jetzt ins Glas kam. Er hat eine schöne helle Farbe mit leichten goldenen Reflexen. In der Nase dann ein wenig Honig und auch Zitrus-Noten, aber anfangs eher verhalten. Am Gaumen zwar noch Gerbstoffe, aber ringsherum spürbare Klarheit und Brillanz (Nein, dies ist keine Spülmittelwerbung). Elegante Frucht auch am Gaumen, dabei ein wenig cremige Struktur . Mit der zeit erscheint der Wein immer druckvoller. Er wirkt dann immer mehr wie ein Monolith, wie gefestigte Balance, ohne viele Geschmacksvariationen zwar, aber dafür sehr gut harmonierend. Die Säure wirkt dabei punktuell mit leicht salzigen Anklängen (erinnernd an oxydative Noten). Der Nachhall zu guter letzt ist recht ordentlich und komplex.
Es ist schwer den Wein einzuschätzen da er sich von Minute zu Minute zu verändern scheint: Mal ist er schlank, mal druckvoller. Von der Struktur her hat er alles, nur fehlt vielleicht noch ein bisschen die Aromen-Fülle. Auf jeden Fall eine spannende Geschichte, mal sehen wie Sie weitergeht. Denke er braucht noch 1-2 Jahre. 89+

Nach dem wir zuletzt den leckeren Spätburgunder M probiert haben, ist nun auch mal der Schneidersche Sauvignon an der Reihe. Die Farbe ist eher blass, was bei Sauvignons ja nicht unüblich ist. Auch die Nase ist vorerst sehr verhalten; erst nach einiger Zeit werden leichte Gras- und Johannisbeernoten wahrnehmbar. Es sieht ganz so aus als ob dieser Wein erstmal viel Luft braucht um sich zu entfalten – Naja er ist ja auch noch blutjung.
Dasselbe zeichnet sich auch am Gaumen ab. So zeigt sich der Wein vor allem als einer, der sich weniger durch seine Fruchtigkeit auszeichnet, sondern eher durch sein filigranes Mineralik/Säure Spiel, daß mit der Zeit noch ein bisschen an Spannung gewinnt.
Doch nach einiger Lüftungszeit entwickeln sich auch am Gaumen deutlichere Primäraromen, wie Heu und weiße Johannisbeere, die Ihn dann auch klar als Sauvignon erkennen lassen. (Zum Anfang war er kaum als Sauvignon Blanc erkennbar). Ein Touch weißer Pfeffer und ein schöner Schmelz verleihen dem Wein zu guter letzt noch einen Hauch Komplexität. Alles in allem ein erfrischender und auch eleganter Sauvignon der sich bei mir in einer Punkte-Range von 87 bis 88 Punkten bewegt.

Markus Schneider has a good sense for marketing. This young winemaker from the Pfalz developed a neat modern website for his estate, he designed a cool layout for all of his wine-labels, building an easy recognizable style and last but not least, his wines are poured at the posh restaurant Sansibar on the Northern Island Sylt, which gives an extra-kick to the brand name and helped building the aura of a top-newcomer estate.
But this eye-candy marketing façade isn’t a bluff package because once you try the wines and get to know the estate you realize that there is lots of work, creativity and winemaking talent happening behind the scenes. Markus Schneider strived towards building his own cuvees and therefore splitted all his vineyards by terroir characteristics before reassembling them (for red cuvees) or simply bottling them as single terroir wines (especially the whites). This work results in a whole panoply of white and red wines which the estate has on offering, but after a tasting at the estate I must affirm that the ones which stood out for me were his reds which clearly belong to the top league of Germanys red wines.
It is no secret anymore that the classic white wine region Pfalz can also bring up some fine reds. The Pfalz winemaker Knipser who was somehow the precursor for red wine cuvees in Germany, proved that Cabernet and Merlot can ripe well in these Northern regions. And I guess that Knipsers success somehow must have inspired Markus Schneider who produces several very good cuvees, mixing classic bordelaise varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot with regional varietals such as St. Laurent and Portugieser. But the red wine which convinced me the most in the end wasn’t one of his cuvées but rather his single varietal Pinot Noir wine made of Pinot grapes harvested from 2 different terroirs.
Today is the third time I tried this Pinot; I once tried the 2004 vintage which I bought in a wine store: for that vintage I had to leave the bottle open for a whole day before it became accessible, but after that day it tasted delicious. Then I tried the 2005 vintage at the estate itself and consequently bought a case of it, a bottle of which we opened today. What stroke me instantly with this 2005 vintage was that it barely needed decanting in comparison to the 2004. No harsh tannins, no astringency-just ready to drink Pinot pleasure. It is a nicely perfumed wine with a rather strong but not at all “woody” vanilla note coming from the barrels. The fruit was very puristic with black cherries both in the nose and on the palate. In the mouth the texture was remarkably silky and the wine appeared very dense with a great length. It is a very classy Pinot with a slight New World edge and I wonder how it would compare in an international tasting. For me it is worth a clear above 90 rating, somewhere between 90 and 92 points. Try it and tell me what you think.

Here are some pictures taken on a rather cloudy day within the vineyards of Forst in the Mittelhaardt. Forst is a small winetown located inbetween Wachenheim and Deidesheim. All 3 names are well-known to wine-amateurs. The most prestigious single-vineyards in this part of the Weinstrasse are located in Forst though, such as:

Forster Ungeheuer (which means monster, but is actually the name of a historic personality in the region), Forster Pechstein, Forster Jesuitengarten and Forster Kirchenstück.

Of course, the vineyards of Wachenheim and Deidesheim are also top sites, and winemakers would say that it is a question of taste and preference in the end, but still the sites of Forst are the most famous.



Since we had such a warm spring, the vines are very developped already and winemakers have cut leaves and trimmed some twigs



Estates recognize their parcels within the vineyars with labels or marks on pickets. Here are 2 of the 3 famous B's from the Pfalz: Bassermann-Jordan and Reichsrat von Buhl, the remaining one is Bürklin-Wolff of course.




detail of the von Buhl emblem

An einem lauen gewittrigen Sommerabend ist nichts schöner als ein kühler saftiger Riesling. Und dann war da ja noch diese Knipser Flasche die schon eine Weile im Keller schlummerte und auf Ihren grossen Einsatz wartete . Sie stammt von der Lage Kappellenberg, aus dem seiner Weissweine wegen nicht so bekanntem Laumersheim, jedoch von einem Winzer der in dieser Gegend bekannterweise einige sehr erfolgreiche Weine (jedoch vor allem Spätburgunder) produziert.
Die Nase ist überwiegend Citrus-betont mit einer deutlichen Limonen-Note die auch irgendwie etwas seifiges hat... man muss es halt mögen. Am Gaumen erscheint der Wein auch sehr limonig mit einer relativ hoher Süsse für eine Spätlese. Ich hatte den Wein irgendwie trockener in Erinnerung. Nicht desto trotz hat er einen schönen saftigen und mund-maulfüllenden Körper mit einer gut eingebauten Säure die dem Wein viel Schmelz verleiht. Nach einiger Zeit erscheint der Körper vielschichtiger mit mineralischen Anklängen. Insgesamt ein gelungener Riesling der jedoch für meinen Geschmack ein Tick zu süss war und auch zu limonig. Jedoch weiss ich durch diese Erkenntnisse jetzt, dass der Wein nächstes mal gut zum Dessert passen wird, zB zu einer Zitronencreme.
88 Punkte

Do you believe in the ageing of dry white wines? I have always been very sceptical about it. Generally there are only a few (non-sweet) white wines which are known to have a good ageing potential. These are Chablis (Chardonnay) or other white Burgundies like Montrachet’s for example, and of course Rieslings’. If a Riesling has an optimal balance between fruitiness/sweetness and acidity it can pracitcally age forever and if it has as an extra, minerality and complexity, it might become a fabulous treasure! Well this is at least the theory.
Of course, as a German I have so far mostly been confronted to old Rieslings. And practically when I think of them, I have an image on my mind of some brown liquid which I pour into the kitchen sink. Thus my belief until that day was that stories about good aged Rieslings were myths. But today I should learn that I only drank the „wrong“ old Rieslings. I was in fact too much impressed by the collection of third quality bottles my parents had accumulated over the years, which were something like „Riesling Kabinett 1978“ from some remote vineyard. With the bottle I opened today, I learned that if you ever tempt to drink an old Riesling, you have to chose at least a Spätlese from a decent vintage (1959,1964,1967,1971,1976 or 1985 for example), and a reknown „Lage“ (vineyard). So what was that bottle that made me change my mind? Was it a German Grand Cru or something? No it wasn’t! It was simply a late harvest from a remote vineyard but made in a great vintage. Indeed, 1976 was apparently a very hot year, and this heat has translated itself into wonderful fruity white wines, of which the best bottles are still drinkable today.
This 1976 Luginsland from Weingut Peter in Wachenheim we opened, had a golden and amber colour with brilliant clarity and some slight orange reflects.
Its nose was heavily perfumed with honey and a clear, elegant age note (Edelfirne in German. Is there anyone who could tell me how to translate Edelfirne properly into English?).
On the palate it was oily and rich in texture, with a slight exotic impression. There was still some acidity and a fresh minty note which gave the wine a youthfull appeal. The final was extremly long and had a slight bitternote, which didn’t alter the overall impression which was very good: 90 points. And I was really impressed. Now my question isn’t anymore: can old Riesling taste good? It’s rather: if a Spätlese from a remote vineyard tastes good, how good must a Spätlese, Auslese or a Goldkapsel from a top vineyard taste? And thus I am now very eager to get more out of aged Rieslings and prepare myself for a real tasting session, but merely from top vineyards and top vintages, trying to find some real treasuries.

It’s Easter-Sunday and the first rays of sunshine are coming through and make it possible to sit on the balcony again after many weeks of bad weather. This occasion needs a good wine match, and I thought I had one. I bought a wine on Ebay some weeks ago knowing that it would be sacrificed for one special occasion. It was a 1998 Cuvée of Chardonnay and Weissbugunder (Pinot Blanc), from the very reknown Knipser Winery in the Pfalz. Knipser has build a great reputation for making some of the best German red wines, but of course, as it is common fort the Pfalz, they also make excellent whites. Recently they won the Decanter Award for the worlds’ best sweet wine with their 2003 Kappellenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese. Knipser is also known for experimenting with „international“ varieties in its vineyards. The two brothers succesfully planted Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah vines and, also – which is relevant for our bottle here – Chardonnay, in a region which is basically known as „born to bear Riesling“.
So I didn’t hesitate to bid on this wine, even knowing that it was 9 years old. I simply thought I’d trust the reputation of the winemakers.
We poured our first glasses and held them against the sun: the wine had an intense, nearly fluorescent straw-yellow colour with slight green reflections. In the nose it had ripe fruit, very intensive which became more and more exotic with time, accompanied by the appearance of a typical nutty and buttery Chardonnay note. On the palate it had a little sparkling at the beginning which disappeared rapidly and some light mineral notes. It also had ripe fruit notes rather exotic but not further describable (at least not for me). With some time it developed a nice complex interaction („Spiel“ we say in German = „game“), between fruit and minerality, underlined by a really fine little acidity, but with perfet balance and followed by an endless length. All in all it was a superbe wine where age has done fantastic work and, I don’t know exactly if I’m totally wrong here but I found an analogy for this bottle: „The balance of a Chablis and the fruit of a Pfalz-Riesling“!
I could imagine it well with food also, fish with a thick, creamy sauce for example, but if I had to chose I would drink it again on its own, but it must be a nice occasion.
92+