August Kesseler Lorcher Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben

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Kesselers 2009 Lorcher Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben Kesseler represents his attempt to capture the very best dry-tasting wine possible from these steep, slate slopes. He explains that it isnt an Erstes Gewachs because “those submitted get tasted in the context of the major leagues (Budesliga)” and with standards arguably also more appropriate to sport, “so that a wine a wine like this with 12.5% alcohol on two occasions stood helplessly between two wines of 14 or 14.5% and was rejected as insubstantial.” (I cant repeat the rest of Kesselers characterization of this situation!) In the final analysis, the well-meaning peers who reject a wine of this sort are only making themselves and their great region look silly and proving my repeated prediction that certain German vintners will be the last in the world of wine to still insist that “bigger is better.” As far as I am concerned, this Riesling with 12.5 grams residual sugar and a personality that cannot to my knowledge be replicated anywhere else save in Germany, also offers delicious evidence for the wisdom of the Rheingaus sugar-permissive parameters for Erstes Gewachs. It is remarkable what a little less alcohol and a little more sugar have largely accomplished when one compares this directly with its Spatlese trocken counterpart. Luscious white peach and apricot are accented with lime zest, mint, almond, fruit pit, and resin. A silken texture and profound underlying richness are here perfectly compatible with levity and irresistible primary fruit juiciness and mouthwatering salinity. This finishes transparently with wet stone and subtle floral suggestions adding to its interactive whirl of complexity. I expect it will be a joy to follow for at least a dozen years. 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