The Koehler-Rupprecht 2008 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese halbtrocken smells of sweet corn, quince, apple, lime, fennel, and ginger, which also inform its silken-textured palate. It’s always fascinating at this address to witness how sensitive are the aromas, flavors, and textures of Saumagen Spatlese to small amounts of residual sugar. In particular, there is a dominance of orchard fruits and the emergence of site-typical ginger spice once a mere 15 grams or so of sugar are applied. That said, pungently yeasty and faintly flor-like notes wafting about this wine. A wonderfully refreshing and energetic amalgam of fruits and herbs tinged with chalk informs a long finish. This should prove versatile and delightful for 15 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.

The Koheler-Rupprecht 2005 Kallstadter Saumagen Muskateller Spatlese is misleadingly labeled, since it definitely tastes dry, and in fact only transcended the legal sugar limit for “trocken” by 0.1 grams. Sage flower, lightly-roasted coffee, and dried apricot on the nose lead to a satiny, lees-enriched palate, and a finish of invigorating pungent herbal and saline savor. There are so few outstanding examples nowadays of truly dry genuine Muscat (one looks to Alsace largely in vain) and this is a genre whose versatility at table is so underappreciated, that we have an opportunity for a voyage of discovery over the coming 3-5 years. Bernd Philippi is making plans to sell his winery – as has long been expected given there is no one to inherit it – and says he has found a suitable buyer. Details – including all of those for which lovers of Koehler-Rupprecht wines (which seem inseperable from the person of Bernd Philippi) are waiting with baited breath – have yet to materialize. It has always been difficult to cover Koehler-Rupprecht Riesling in the context of a vintage report, because the dry wines are seldom released for at least a full year after already late bottling, the top examples are released years later as “R” or “RR” reserves. When I sat down with Philippi in August, 2007 we as usual tasted through a range of wines including many long ago sold-out, but what follows are notes on a few favorite or still upcoming releases. Unperturbed by the botrytis of the vintage, his 2005s are proving to be almost consistently outstanding.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2004 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese halbtrocken smells of sweet corn and apple jack laced with herbs and brown spices. The palate displays juicy sweet corn, plum and apple as well as brown spices, with the hint of sweetness perfectly deployed to support and enhance those flavors. Chalk, salt, lime peel, concentrated maize and orchard fruits, and alluring spice combine on the long finish. Bernd Philippi is always late to assemble the individual barrels, much less bottle most of his dry Rieslings from the Saumagen vineyard, so a proper overall assessment of 2004 here will have to wait another year. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2004 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese smells of corn mash, pralines and ginger snap cookies laced with lemon zest. The palate exhibits a plummy, peachy, nutty richness, gingery spiciness, and salty, chalky nuances. Vis a vis its halbtrocken counterpart, this is just slightly muted by its sweetness. If it follows estate-typical patterns, one can expect this young Spatlese to become more expressive over the next few months and to age interestingly for two decades. Bernd Philippi is always late to assemble the individual barrels, much less bottle most of his dry Rieslings from the Saumagen vineyard, so a proper overall assessment of 2004 here will have to wait another year. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300