August Kesseler Riesling - Silvaner Halbtrocken, Rheingau, Germany

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The Kessler 2009 Silvaner-Riesling displays luscious apricot and pineapple tinged with oregano, lemon grass, and salt, and seemingly underlain by wet stone. There is a striking sense of transparency to mineral underpinnings as well as of lift to the long juicy finish that is further accented by bitter hints of melon rind. This (as often) sensational value whose like one has to scour the world of wine to find elsewhere (Muscadet, anyone?) should be enjoyed within 2-3 years. (Beginning with the present vintage, the label on this for most Americans unfamiliar as well as recession-beating blend is the same as that of the estates other wines.) August Kesseler and his cellarmaster Max Himstedt promise great things from their 2009 Pinot Noirs but they were not yet ready to show them last September. In light of that allegedly outstanding quality as well as of the difficult market, they decided that their 2008 collection in red should culminate at the Cuvee Max quality level and not include vineyard-designated bottlings. In his usual conservative and market-sensitive approach, Kesseler also elected to bottle from 2009 one of his smallest Riesling collections in memory, inter alia forgoing any attempt to capture what little botrytis was present. Irrigation was critical during the late summer drought, insists Kesseler, “otherwise, we would have harvested grapes in the Rudesheimer Berg of only 80 or 85 Oechsle.”Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Until 2007 labeled solely as “Rheingau,” the Kessler 2008 Silvaner-Riesling was from its inception a cuvee of those two varieties, the majority being Silvaner from old vines in steep slopes of Lorch and Lorchhausen. (Given that Kesseler’s multiple projects with Riesling from these slopes are in part sincerely designed to salvage vertiginous, imperiled acreage and its small farmers, you can imagine the low esteem in which Silvaner from such slopes is held in the market. In fact, you just have to look at the price of this wine!) Herbal and subtly floral aromas, with suggestions of almond and raw, milled grain lend a slight aura of white Burgundy, but this wine’s lightness (despite palpable extract) and simply luscious, bright fruit confirm its very different origins. Riesling-borne citrus zest and salt add cut and invigoration. As in the past, this wine represents an excellent value to enjoy within a couple of 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