More Seckinger. I bought a ton of Kapellenberg, but no Linse for some reason. A freind then gifted me this two weeks ago.
It is great. As with the Kapellenberg it is more classic in its expression than the PURE line-up, but with such an amazing acidic backbone. Less reductive than 2022 Kapellenberg which allow the fruit to come more forward. They really benefit from air.
I will certainly order a few Linse next time I am buying wines from Seckinger.
Sven Enderle has made his debut in this category with the 2023 Chardonnay âBuntsandsteinâ. Canât wait to try it.
I noticed Lyle has made a couple of Sven offerings that reference Buntsandstein. Is he taking over the old E&M vineyards by chance, or just using the old naming conventions again?
What do you mean by âold naming conventionsâ?
Lots of wineries in Germany have bottlings called âBundsandsteinâ, or âKalkâ or whatever soil is in their plots.
Iâve seen lots of Kalk and Kalkstein but donât recall seeing Buntsandstein from anyone else.
i believe buntsandstein means sandstone, so just another soil type to fit in with the rest of the lineup.
Let me regroup here. Just checked Cellartracker and yes, lots of Buntsandsteine.
But E&M made it central to the wines identity, elevating it to the largest type on the label. Yes I know they were all Landwein and not allowed vineyard names. But they made it large type like Clos in Chablis or Chambertin in you know where, making it the brand.
So hearing 1) E&M stopped producing, and 2) Sven is making wine now called Buntsandstein, makes me wonder if Sven is using the old vineyards again.
Got it. I believe someone reported in the spatburgunder thread that E&M is stopping as of 23 so I doubt if this vintage has overlap, but maybe moving forward sven will get some of the old vineyards. I also recall that the current? assistant? winemaker at E&M is launching their own label but unclear if theyre retaining the E&M vines or have other arrangements.
I think itâs time yet again for Chris to stand in the corner, facing the wall.
Thatâs what I was also told earlier this year, though hadnât had an issue myself.
Buntsandstein means red sandstone.
âAlles ist so schön bunt hier!â
-Nina Hagen
Keller Talfels 2023
A satisfying bottle, but ï»żdifficult to pin down. Round, smooth, somewhat subdued, but with a mineral core peeking through. Blindly I would go with Savoy/Bugey, something like Pelican or Manicle.
Becker Mineral 2015
Spicy, smokey, with drive and depth. You almost feel tiny particles of chalk on the palate. Deservedly ranked among top German Chards.
So wonderful to see that Eric Asimov picked the Carsten SaalwÀchter he tried at my Chardonnay dinner as one of his 10 wines of the year.
Carsten SaalwÀchter Rheinhessen Chardonnay R 2018
Early in the year I went to a tasting of German chardonnays. Yes, chardonnays. Germany is not just rieslings. It makes wonderful spĂ€tburgunders, as pinot noir is known in German, and where there is pinot, you will most often find chardonnay. Climate change is one reason we are seeing such great success with these wines, but the terroirs are superb, too. Of all the wines I drank that evening, I could not forget the 2018 from Carsten SaalwĂ€chter in Rheinhessen. You could say it was reminiscent of a Meursault, yet it differed as well. Was it perhaps typical of a Rheinhessen chardonnay? Time may tell. This was my introduction to the SaalwĂ€chter wines. Somebody who knew more about him said, âHis heart is in silvaner.â Canât wait to try one of those.
Very interesting to read everyones tasting notes on German Chardonnay. I started adding some to my import portfolio end of 2024 from Rheinhessen, Weingut Dreissigacker who is close to Keller and makes wines from the villages Bechtheim and Westhofen. I have his Bechthieim Chardonnay and Estate Chardonnay.
I also added a new producer from Baden to my portfolio. He is in the beautiful subregion Markgraeflerand. He focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and happens to be the âbiggestâ producer (the amount is tiny overall) of Chasselas/Gutedel from old vines.
Max Greiner is an all demeter/biodynamic certified winery (farming and production).
His Chardonnay is and-harvested, whole-bunch pressed, with a 12-hour gentle press cycle. Spontaneously fermented and aged for one year in neutral French oak barrels. Full lees contact for the entire aging time, no batonage. Bottled with little sulfur, unfiltered and unfined. Pale green in the glass with subtle yellow highlights, this Chardonnay immediately awakens the senses with aromas of pineapple, peach, lime, and lemongrass. These fruit notes are layered with a hint of bittersweet chocolate and a distinctive flinty spice. A lively acidity gives the wine a playful energy while maintaining poise and elegance. Reminded a lot of my customers I tasted the wines with of a Meurselt/white Burgundy.
Would love to hear some of your notes if you get to taste it.
Cheers to German wines!
I just ordered the Greiner. Looking forward to trying it. Baden is an ideal area for Chardonnay. Wasenhaus and older Huber are still the top for me in Baden. Excited to see that Huber is now imported to the U.S. I had an 09 Reserve from Magnum on my recent Mosel trip that was great.
Going to my cellar next month and Iâm very excited to try the Pinot Noir(20) and Chardonnay(23) from Jonas Dostert. Will be sure to report back here.
Sorry that Iâve been so bad at reporting my recent experiences, having tried the following German Chardonnay so far:
2022 Moritz Kissinger Chardonnay
2021 Seckinger R Chardonnay Pure
2022 Moritz Kissinger 0 Ohm
I can say that the 2022 Jonas Dostert is my favorite by a tiny margin over Moritz Kissinger
Absolutely love that Dostert! Thanks for trying and reporting. That is a nice group of the more natural leaning producers. I think they all straddle the line between natural and classic very well.
