A bit veiled by yeasty and otherwise fermentative overtones, the Kesselstatt 2009 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett nonetheless reveals scents of ripe apple and mango that presage a juicy, surprisingly soft palate. Bittersweet notes of citrus rind add some invigoration and counterpoint to a luscious finish well-supported by its sense of sweetness but a bit short on cut or vivacity. It's entirely possible that both in the nose and in its palate performance this will have improved significantly by the time you read my tasting note, and I would anticipate at least the better part of a decade's satisfaction.
Annegret Reh and her vineyard manager and cellarmaster Wolfgang Mertes place great importance on the combination of green harvest; of snipping away the lower half of clusters (especially in parcels destined for Grosse Gewachse); and of rigorous leaf removal (on the shaded side of each row and proximate to the clusters), all of which resulted in a 2009 crop of high, healthy ripeness, and slightly smaller than that of 2008. While acid levels are modest, in some instances even unusually low on paper, as Reh notes, "the wines taste higher in acidity than they actually are," a tribute in part surely to a high proportion of tartaric, but also to surprisingly relatively low pH levels, which – like other growers with whom I discussed this – she could not explain. The consistent quality this estate has achieved in recent vintages and the ongoing stylistic evolution of its wines – for more about which, consult my report in issue 187 – leave me optimistic for the future. Reh places considerable emphasis on spontaneous fermentation (at least during its initial phase), going so far as to assert that the results of (100%) "cultured yeast fermentations, at least for dry wines at our estate, are uninteresting." I remain convinced that to insist – for the sake of achieving Grosse Gewachse – on achieving dryness in the fermentation of the best healthy fruit from each of the estate's many top vineyards has its drawbacks. Not only does the team here, by its own admission, as just noted, prefer spontaneity to yeasting. In addition, alcohol can sometimes lead such ripe trocken wines in an inelegant direction (not, admittedly, a significant problem with these 2009s); low pH and aggressive phenolics sometimes cry out for residual sugar; and certain sites, in my experience, seem simply to be inherently less well-suited to relatively full-bodied, legally dry presentation. It bears noting as a matter of perspective that this estate is so richly-endowed in top-flight vineyards that the list of those from which in a given vintage they may elect not to bottle any single-vineyard lots (for instance, this year there is no Domprobst) would constitute a proud litany at many a small family domain.
Various importers including P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel. (918) 622-0424
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