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.