A seductive texture coats the palate, featuring notes of apple and green tea, with hints of oyster shell and salted butter. The acidity pierces through midpalate, bringing out energy and length on the finish. A very pure, minerally style. Drink now through 2028. 100 cases imported.??–AZ??Region: Germany / Pfalz Select to Add

A pure and rich white, with a tangy undertone, offering balanced flavors of peach, sweet corn, spun honey and citrus, ending with chalky hints on the well-defined finish. Drink now through 2023. 100 cases imported.??–AZ??Region: Germany / Pfalz Select to Add

The Koehler-Rupprecht 2009 Kallstadter Annaberg Chardonnay Spatlese trocken – from vineyards recently-acquired but long-farmed by Philippi for his friend Walter Henninger – hasn’t quite the fascination or knittedness of the corresponding 2008, nor the harmony of creaminess and fresh fruit elements that characterize the Koehler-Rupprecht Pinot Blanc. That said, the invigoration of salted fresh apple and the sense of creamy lushness displayed here are attractive in and of themselves, and chalk and bitterness of apple pit impressively extend this wine’s finish without cutting off the flow of primary juiciness. I would like to revisit it in a year or two and see whether things have better come together. 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 Annaberg Chardonnay Spatlese trocken – which was still in cask when I tasted it – represents a legacy of former owner and Sekt specialist Walter Henninger’s often striking cuvees from the Burgundian grapes as well as Riesling. Scented with almond, apple blossom, and buddleia; overtly chalky and brightly citric; it at the same time brims with juicy ripe white peach and apple. Iodine, charred wood, and apple pit lend piquancy to a refreshing finish. Along with Hans-Gunter Schwarz’s most recent release (see under “Villa Niederberger”) and the Knipsers’ Chardonnay – Pinot Blanc blend (also reviewed in this report), this Annaberg about as interesting and alluring as Chardonnay in Germany has ever gotten in my experience, and I long to re-taste it in bottle – perhaps even to serve it from a brown bag a few times! I wouldn’t be surprised if it proved quite versatile for half a dozen or more 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.