Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Kabinett Trocken

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The Koehler-Rupprecht 2009 Kallstadter Weissburgunder Kabinett trocken – from the Steinacker, but no longer labeled as such – displays a soothing, juicy sense of nut cream and sweet corn with deep, toasty richness and an illusive but alluring garland of flowers. Salt, shrimp shell reduction and iodine convey intrigue and saliva-inducement in a long finish that captures the combination of richness and elegance (even at nearly 13% alcohol), creaminess and refreshment that is almost uniquely possible with Pinot Blanc. I would plan on savoring this beauty over the next 5-7 years. Bernd Philippi has a new cellarmaster, young Dominik Sona, who has his own fledgling winery amid the Pfalzerwald, well west of the Weinstrasse’s beaten track. Operating in Philippi’s long shadow could, one imagines, prove daunting, but Sona – who most recently worked for Ernst Loosen at the J. L. Wolf winery, and about whom the numerous Pfalz growers I quizzed all expressed enthusiasm – exhibits a fidelity to the established, highly-distinctive stylistic virtues of Koehler-Rupprecht, along with a wry humor and self-critical self-confidence that strike me as just right for his job. And the 2009 results certainly speak volumes not just for Sona’s aptitude but for Philippi’s promise when he sold his winery two and a half years ago that the wines as well as his own role would remain as before. Even though this estate is best-known for its dry Rieslings, Philippi has continued to render small volumes of residually sweet wine nearly every year. From 2009, though – he claims on account of vintage character not lack of demand – only two non-trocken Rieslings were essayed. (For an account of Philippi’s methodology, consult my previous reports. His “R” and “RR” reserve bottlings represent selected casks bottled at 10-11 months but cellared for years before release.)A new U.S. importer has still not been arranged, and it’s quite possible that Philippi will work with more than one.

The Koehler-Rupprecht 2008 Kallstadter Weissburgunder Kabinett trocken – from the Steinacker, but no longer labeled as such – smells of mothballs, pistachio oil, pumpkin, and sweet corn. Saline and root vegetable notes add to the wine’s considerable complexity on the palate, and the finish is strikingly suggestive of iodine and shrimp shell reduction. The conjunction of creaminess with refreshment that is a hallmark of this grape is rendered more striking by almost Riesling-like acids. This should prove intriguing and deliciously versatile over at least the next 4-6 years. For comments on the recent sale of this estate (the most important of which is Bernd Philippi’s insistence that “nothing will change”) and on other developments here, see my report in issue 185. The choice of Pradikat-designation (or of “Reserve” status) for his many dry Rieslings from the large Saumagen site, explains Philippi, was once again this year – as in many others – based on an assessment of phenolic ripeness (clues: are the grapes greener or deeper gold; how big and how numerous are they?) and ultimately on style, concentration, and perceived aging potential, rather than on must weight, since sugar levels in the grapes were relatively uniform. Philippi acquired the major vineyard holdings of his friend Walter Henninger – notably in the chalky Annaberg – after that estate was recently dissolved, so while he had been farming these parcels and making the wines for many years under Henninger’s label, beginning in 2008 they became Koehler Rupprecht wines.A new U.S. importer had not yet been selected as of press time.