With the 2007 Spatburgunder trocken Cuvee Max, we are up in the more normal alcohol range for Kesseler Pinot Noirs, in this instance 14.5%. Fresh cherry, rhubarb, ginger, and cardamom in the nose lead to a surprisingly frisky, spicy, yet fundamentally extract-rich and full-bodied Pinot, with a sensually seductive texture thanks in part to high glycerin. Smoky black tea, bitter cherry pit, and pungent brown spices team up with ripe yet tart fruit for a long, sappy, invigorating finish that betrays not a hint of heat. Cellarmaster Max Himstedt said he and August Kesseler had decided they would de-acidity if the acids in Riesling did not drop below a certain level (not a problem in the Rudesheimer Berg, but a potential one in lesser sites of that village and in Lorch). In the event, it was possible to let the fruit hang long enough to avoid this, and after the significant tartrate precipitation of the winter, the measurable acid levels don’t even seem extreme on paper, although brightness is certainly a trait most of their Rieslings this vintage have in common. A sign of the internal assessment of any given vintage at this address is whether two, one, or no Erstes Gewachs bottling is essayed – and Kesseler’s record on that score has been very conservative. In 2008, he bottled two. On the other hand, no sweet wines – botrytized or otherwise – were attempted. The Kesseler 2008 reds were too immature to assess on the occasion of my last visit there, and as usual I have chosen (and he prefers) to offer an assessment of his finished wines, in this instance of 2007.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
