Thanks to all, and I thought I’d put some post trip thoughts here. As stated, this was a bicycle trip which meant there was no reliable way to know when I would be in any give place, or when there would be time for detours. In the event, complicated routes and vague directions took their toll, so there was no time for any wineries that were not directly on the route. Fortunately, several were. Unfortunately, two that I was most keen on seeing were closed for lunch when we went by – Basserman-Jordan and Becker.
I was very appreciative of the gracious treatment we received at all of the wineries. Almost all were quite small operations with limited staff, but they were unfailingly kind to a couple of non German-speaking Americans who showed up on their doorstep without notice. Overall, the quality of the wines I tasted was outstanding. This was mostly Riesling and Spatburgunder, but the few other white varietals I tried also showed well. I would have liked to taste a wider range, but I was usually in a hurry, and I can’t taste more than a few wines in a short time period without experiencing palate fatigue, so I had to stay focused.
Brief notes on the wineries I did visit:
Koehler-Ruprecht
The first winery I visited, and I liked their wines best overall out of all I visited. This could be partly because their current vintage is still 2010 and those wines are exceptional. However, I did taste some of their back vintages of Riesling, as well as Spatburgunders from 2005 and 2006, and across the board they were great. Favorites from the back vintages included the 2006 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken, and their 2005 and 2006 Spatburgunders. K-R have just signed with Dressner as their US importer so I’m looking forward to greater availability here, and will grab them whenever and wherever I can.
Pfeffingen
As with the previous estate, this visit was one of the few that was not rushed. As a result I got to taste a broad spectrum of wines. While the reds were decent, the whites were where the action was. The Rieslings were all 2011’s and showed well. My favorites were two spatlese trockens, the Terra Rossa and the Kalkstein from their Ungstein vineyards. 2011 non Rieslings worth noting are their Ungstein Chardonnay, the Weissburgunder and the absolutely amazing Ungstein Scheurebe trocken.
Mossbacher
This was a rushed visit and I was only able to taste three Rieslings, one 2010 (Forster Elster) and two 2011’s (Basalt and Buntsandstein). I liked all three but actually liked the 2011’s better. The clear favorite for me was the Buntsandstein.
A. Christmann
Tasted a few 2011 Rieslings and one 2010 Spatburgunder. Once again good quality across the board, my favorite of the ones I tasted was the 2011 Gimmeldingen Riesling.
Karl Schaefer
Unfortunately lost my notes. I know I liked their 2011 Wachenheimer Fuchsmantel, because I bought it.
Weegmuller
Even more rushed than usual, especially since things were crazy on their end as well as ours. I only had time to try their three “Charakterweine” Rieslings, two 2010’s and a 2011. I liked the 2011 (Herrenletten Der Mineralische) best, but all were good.
Random notes:
The Pfalz in many ways reminded me of Upstate NY (where I grew up) – but with more pigs, fewer cows, and a much more entrenched wine culture. I came away very impressed with the overall quality of Pfalz wines. Obviously the wineries I visited were not a random sample, they were among the first tier. Those wines compare well to the best from any region, anywhere. However, the wines I had throughout the trip in various restaurants (mostly modest ones) were almost all of decent quality or better.
It was interesting crossing back and forth between France and Germany and comparing the cultures. The discrepancy most apparent to us was in the night life. The French are just getting started as the Germans are getting ready to close down for the night – especially in the restaurants.
One word that shows up repeatedly in my tasting notes, for Rieslings in particular, is “fresh”. I don’t know if that has something to do with the 2011 vintage (which is mostly what I was drinking) or if it is because it was me instead of the wine that made the trip across the Atlantic.
I discovered that Dornfelder goes reasonably well with Italian food. I thought that was worth mentioning since this much maligned grape can use any good press it can get.
In regards to Spatburgunder, for my palate Germany makes better Pinot Noir than California, and it’s not even close. The same is probably true for Germany vs. Oregon, but unless you take price into account it’s a closer call.
Retail and Restaurant Notes:
Unfortunately timing didn’t work out for any of the recommended restaurants, with one happy exception – Au Pont du Corbeau in Strasbourg (thanks Florian!). We had a great meal there, accompanied by a wonderful Alsatian Riesling: Clement Lissner 2008 “Rothstein”
One of the other restaurant highlights was Zum Herrenberg in Ungstein. High quality food, reasonable prices, firmly rooted in tradition but inventive. They are either associated with or owned by Winzer Herrenberg-Honigsackel, and all of the wines were from there. Based on my limited sample, the wines were decent but it might be a good idea to look beyond the Spatburgunder and Riesling. While those were okay (with the Riesling better than the Spatburgunder) their Rivaner (which I tried based on the waiter’s recommendation) was really good.
Weinhaus Fehser in Heidelberg was an excellent wine shop with a good selection and reasonable prices.
Thanks again all for the research fodder. This is definitely a region worth visiting.
M @ r k