August Kesseler Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken

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The Kesseler 2008 Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spatlese halbtrocken is based on fruit that does not qualify under the Rheingau VDP classification as potential Erstes Gewachs, a category that Kessler bottles only in optimal vintages anyway. Honeysuckle with fresh peach and lime in the nose usher in a succulent, bright palate that perpetuates the themes of ripe fruit and heady florality, and in which 16 grams of sugar are essentially irrelevant to the wine’s sense of sweetness (it tastes dry) but highly relevant to its inner-workings, and to supporting the flavors and engendering a buoyant, wafting, alcoholically-unburdened finish. This should prove a delight over at least the next 8-10 years. 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