From the highest portion of the Kastanienbusch – otherwise planted by Gies in Riesling – his 2007 Birkweiler Kastanienbusch Taschberg Weiser Burgunder Spatlese trocken displays a different classic aspect of Pinot Blanc from those exhibited by its stable mates, namely toasted hazelnut, allied to an especially imposingly creamy richness, but with close to 14% alcohol also cashing out as a hint of heat and abrasion. A bottle that had been open for four days had smoothed out remarkably, though, and while the inviting and invigorating aspects of fresh fruit and mineral that characterize most of the best 2007 wines at this address are marginalized here, there is certainly (along with slight cyanic bitterness) an imposingly chalky, nutty, low-toned persistence. Volker Gies took over his family’s domaine in 1999, and is relentlessly and successfully pursuing quality and site-specificity while offering (at least, based on ex-cellar pricing) some of the finest values I have tasted in German wine over the past several years. Some potentially exciting new vineyard sites have recently been cleared for planting it is clear that, as impressive as these wines are, there will be much more excitement up ahead. Although it had been in the bottle 18 months when I tasted it last September, Duppel’s well-concentrated but rather awkwardly woody, rough 2005 Pinot Noir represented at that time his current offering. But red wines represented the only disappointment of any sort at this address, and even here there is promise. Like his more famous neighbors Rebholz and Wehrheim, Giess renders a range of site-specific Pinot Blancs.Importer: Tartaglione Fine Wines, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 216-3356