Continuing with my report on the Weisbaden tasting of GG’s held at the end of August, this is a report on the Pfalz. This is a long one, as their were more flights of Pfalz Rieslings than in any other region.
With 11 flights of wines to taste, the Pfalz is clearly one of the largest and most important producers of GG Rieslings. Judging by the sheer number of excellent and outstanding wines, and the small number of merely good ones, it also seems to have been one of the most consistently successful regions in 2012. Several of my fellow tasters commented that virtually all of the wines were at least quite good, with many excellent wines to choose from.
The tasting proceeded by village, roughly north to south. One of the aspects that distinguishes the Pfalz from other regions is the number of vineyards with multiple owner showing their GG wines. While all the regions have a number of vineyards with perhaps two or three GG producers (e.g., Felsenberg in Nahe, Niersteiner Pettenthal in Rheinhessen, among many other examples.), Pfalz seems to have more multiple-owner vineyards from GG producers than most. Just in the village of Forst, for example, there were no fewer than six Pechsteins shown, and five each from Jesuitengarten, Kirchenstuck, and Ungeheuer, with several other vineyards having three or four different producers’ wines available. As presented at the tasting, the wines from each vineyard were grouped together, but for this report I’m going to group the wines from each producer together, roughly following the order presented at the tasting.
Perhaps better known as one of Germany’s best producers of Spätburgunder (to be covered in a later report), Knipser’s two GG Rieslings were good if not great. Dirnstein Mandelpfad was lean, rather acidic/austere with good minerality as well as some savory herbal notes, very tight in an elegant style with light body and good length. I liked the Laumersheim Steinbuckel better, a slight sponti nose with more depth, richness and balance than the Mandelpfad, very minerally and long, moderately rich. Philipp Kuhn’s three wines were quite good, even excellent. Of the two wines from Laumersheim, the Steinbuckel was bright and rich with good fruit and intensity, moderately rich but with good balance. The Kirschgarten was richer and a bit softer, more fruit-forward, heavier and more full bodied with riper flavors. Best of all was Kuhn’s Großkarlbach Burgweg, with excellent balance, seemingly a perfect synthesis of this other two wines, with the bright acids and precision of the Steinbuckel and the richness and depth of fruit of the Kirschgarten. I’ve always liked Pfeffingen, and although their wines are not typically the most complex or intense of GG’s, they are always delicious and often represent good value; I was able to sell some of his GG’s for under $40 when I was working retail. Pfeffingen showed two wines from Ungstein; his Weilberg showing bright acids and good fruit intensity, seemingly a bit tight right now with medium body, more racy and electric than rich or deep. I thought the Herrenberg was better, with more complexity and depth of fruit, good minerality, but still an emphasis on elegance more than richness. A very drinkable style that can be enjoyed young.
The next seven flights all highlighted wines from the top villages in the Mittelhaardt (Forst, Deidesheim, and Ruppertsberg), and most of the region’s top growers. I’ll discuss the wines by producer, starting with the “3 B’s”:
Bassermann-Jordan: Five wines, all excellent. Pechstein showed great complexity and minerality, very elegant with medium body, stony and long. Jesuitengarten had deeper fruit character, but also perfectly balanced minerality, also medium-bodied and racy. Kirchenstück showed the most intense mineral character with great complexity, persistent and long with that stony quality that’s very attractive. Quite similar was Kalkofen, maybe just a hair less complex or deep, but otherwise very close in character to the Kirchenstück. Finally, Hohenmorgen, had rich ripe fruit with excellent acidity and intense flavors, complex. All of these wines were outstanding, really impossible to pick a favorite here, just throw a dart.
Von Buhl: I’ve heard comment suggesting that this long-established estate was going through some difficult times, but you couldn’t tell that from their five 2012 GG’s, all of which showed excellent quality. Overall von Buhl’s wines are a bit larger-scaled and richer than Bassermann-Jordan’s, but not top-heavy or overripe. Pechstein showed some sponti on the nose, complex minerality with lemony/herbal fruit notes, showing good purity and elegance, not heavy, full of character. Jesuitengarten was quite rich with real depth of fruit, superb balance, very long, with great acid underpinning. Kirchenstück was also rich with good fruit intensity and also plenty of minerality, a full-bodied wine but very well balanced. Ungeheuer, was more racy, similar in style to the other wines, very well balanced and persistent on the palate. Reiterpfad was riper with a more exotic, tropical fruit character, a heavier, less minerally wine, not as racy and the biggest wine in the group, not my favorite but still very good.
Bürklin-Wolf: A remarkable collection of seven wines from this highly-regarded producer, and based upon my impressions, probably the most successful of the 3-B’s in this vintage, which is saying something considering how good the other two are. The only wine that was less than impressive was Pechstein, which had good minerality and deep fruit, but also a bit of heat and lower acidity, less energy than B-W’s other wines, very good still but just not as interesting as the others. Considering the quality of this vineyard, maybe this wine is just a bit off from bottling? No such problems with the other wines in this portfolio. The Jesuitengarten was similar to von Buhl’s, rich with even more of a fresh fruit emphasis, good depth, a bit less racy but still good acid balance. The Kirchenstück was exceptional, very minerally, stony and long, amazing precision that is racy but still with good richness and depth—superb. Ungeheuer was full of bright fruit and minerality, racy and intense, not a deep wine but showing great energy. I really liked the Kalkofen, intensely mineral with piercing stoniness and great cut, sizzling acidity that flirts with austerity but pulls back just in time, great potential for development. Hohenmorgen seemed almost gentle by comparison, but a nicely balanced wine with good persistence and depth and fruit showing an apple/citrus character. Finally Gaisböhl had generous fruit and good minerality as well, superb balance, very deep and long, impeccable. Really an outstanding collection here.
There were plenty of excellent wines in this part of the Pfalz beyond the 3 B’s, which I’ll cover in alphabetical order by producer:
Acham-Magin: I know nothing about this producer, but their three wines were solid. Pechstein was a bright, crisp, straightforward wine of medium depth and richness, a leaner style but full of energy. Jesuitengarten had deeper fruit with excellent acid balance, rich and round with a racy core, quite delicious now. Kirchenstück was similar but with more minerality and also opulence, a fairly rich, round wine with good length.
A. Christmann: Four wines here, and although I’ve heard good things about this producer, none of their wines wowed me. Langenmorgen was rich but seemingly lacking a bit in the fruit department, rather soft mouthfeel (almost oak-like in feel if not flavor), deep and good length, but not my style. Königsback Idig showed some slightly bitter phenolic-tasting notes, lowish acidity and some bitterness marring the minerality; an austere, hard tasting wine. Gimmeldingen Mandelgarten had better acidity and more fruit character without the bitterness; stony/apple fruit, rich but still seems austere without any generosity. Reiterpfad also showed some bitter notes intruding on the rather austere fruit, hard with a bitter aftertaste. Either these wines were simply not showing well at the tasting, or they are not my style.
Bergdolt-St. Lamprecht: Just one wine from this producer, but it’s a good one. Ruppertsberg Reiterpfad had nice spicy fruit quality with stones, firm acidity, good richness and depth, a seamless wine with impeccable fruit/mineral/acid balance. Excellent.
Mossbacher: Five wines from this producer showing good overall quality if not among the most exciting. Pechstein had excellent fruit intensity and good acid, racy but overall a more fruit-forward character, hints of herbs, but the finish is a bit short. Jesuitengarten was also quite fruity and very well balanced and longer. Freundstück is similar with that herbal quality also present with good minerality, less opulent than the Jesuitengarten, but good length and depth. Ungeheuer also emphasized its fruit character over minerality, racy but with good richness, and some oily/phenolic notes that don’t detract from the fruit. Kieselberg is quite ripe and rich, but seems a bit heavy and lowish in acidity compared to the others, with a hint of sweetness, round but a bit short.
Siben Erben: Another producer that is/was unknown to me, the two wines were good, not great. Best was the Deidesheim Grainhübel with very bright acidity, full of fruit, not so minerally but racy acidity and intensity. I liked it better than the Ungeheuer, which was round with hints of tropical fruit, good depth and fruit intensity, but a bit short.
Von Winning: This very high-end, sought-after producer is rather controversial. Many of von Winnings wines have a toasty/savory component from exposure to new oak barrels. Terry Thiese writes that the wines are not aged in barriques, but in new large oak casks which von Winning did not steam to reduce their new oak character. I’ve also heard (but cannot confirm) that at least some of von Winning’s wines are put though malolactic fermentation, although I must say that the quality and character of the acids on the wines I tasted did not suggest any ML had been employed. As a result of their elevage in new oak casks, these can be very untraditional Rieslings, quite different from those of any other producers. I could see how some might not care for their style, but I like the wines, both for their quality and for their unique character. And the oakiness that clearly marked most of the 2011’s was much less apparent this year, with several of the wines showing little or no obvious oak influence. It’s possible this is because the barrels are gradually losing their oak flavor, and/or because the underlying material in 2012 was strong enough to integrate the oak more effortlessly, but regardless I liked quite a few of these wines a lot.
Pechstein showed excellent fruit intensity with no obvious oak flavors in evidence. Bright, complex, with deep fruit and strong minerality, superbly balanced and very long, this is excellent. Kirchenstück showed more obvious oak flavors on the nose with a hint of vanilla, and although oak is clearly in evidence on the palate it doesn’t dominate. More fruit than minerality, a bit softer than Pechstein, the oak adds a note of umami but is perhaps a little too obvious today; this could be excellent if the oak integrates more completely with time. The oak is better integrated today on the Ungeheuer, adding complexity and an umami character without screaming “oak” or vanilla. Excellent balance of acid and fruit, a rich wine with a mineral core, I’d give this wine some time to blossom. Kalkofen is strongly mineral with no obvious oak influence, very deep and full of stones, quite rich, the most approachably delicious of the von Winning wines for drinking now. Kieselberg seems the most obviously oaked of the wines tasted here, with plenty of vanilla dominating a bit too much. The oak is a bit overwhelming today, but the underlying fruit seems strong, so perhaps with time the oak will integrate better. Langenmorgen has good acidity and some oak is apparent although not as much as Kieselberg, with good depth of fruit. Spiess has racy minerality, no obvious oak character, a more austere wine than the others with a very stony character, medium bodied but all stones and structure today.
Leaving the Mittelhaardt, there are a number of good producers working in the more southerly portion of the Pfalz. The standout in this area (and in the entire Pfalz, or even all of Germany for that matter) is Ökonomierat Rebholz, who showed his three consistently excellent GGs. I usually prefer the Kastanienbusch, and this wine did not disappoint in 2012. Like all the Rebholz Rieslings, there is great purity, definition and perfect balance of all of the elements: fruit, acid, minerality, richness. Kastanienbusch has a seamless quality and depth of fruit that’s very impressive. As good as it is, I thought the “Ganz Horn” from Im Sonnenschein was perhaps even a bit more complex this year, with crisp lemon/stones and savory herb notes in harmonious balance with the other elements of minerality and precise richness. The straight Im Sonnenschein was very much in the same league, with great purity, complex high-toned fruit, tremendous depth and very long. I’d be happy to have any of these in my cellar, they were some of the best wines of the entire tasting, regardless of region.
Rounding out the Pfalz, another producer with holdings in Kastanienbusch is Dr. Wehrheim. His regular wine from Kastanienbusch is rich, in a riper style than Rebholz, more rounded and not as transparent, ripe fruit dominates. The Kastanienbusch “Köppel” is a bit less ripe, more intense and minerally, with excellent balance and length, and closer to Rebholz in both style and quality. The Burrweiler Schäwer from Meßmer shows a bit of sweetness along with rich fruit and good acidity, quite intense with good focus in a full-bodied package. The Gleisweiler Hölle from Minges is drier, more racy/minerally in style, showing stones, chalk and good depth of fruit, racy but not austere. The highly regarded producer Müller-Catoir showed one GG, the Haardt Bürgergarten “Breumel in den Mauern” has deep fruit and a bit of what smelled like botrytis with a hint of residual sweetness; rich, full bodied and with good minerality and length, an extracted-feeling wine that is probably right at the sweetness limit for a GG. Finally, a couple of good but not noteworthy wines from Münzberg and Kranz.
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