August Kesseler Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatburgunder Qba, Rheingau, Germany

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Kesseler’s 2007 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatburgunder trocken is intensely, slightly bitterly black-fruited, with suggestions of huckleberry as well as cassis. Expansive and quite full on the palate; with firmer tannins than the corresponding Hollenberg, but no hardness; it does suffer from slight heat and drying engendered by nearly 15% alcohol. Still, that is a handicap this wine has sloughed off in past vintages with some time in bottle. These ancient vines and their exceptionally tiny fruits live in a world of their own. As the wine opens to the air, smoke, iodine, crushed stone, and roasted meats lend depth and intrigue. This is probably going to be worth holding for more than a decade, but I doubt it will ever be a Pinot characterized by finesse. 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