Koehler-Ruprecht R Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese Goldkapsel, Pfalz, Germany

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Due for release in 2013, the Koehler-Rupprecht 2009 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese trocken R displays a nutty richness; polished texture; and generosity of ripe pit fruit flavors (subtly tinged by their pits and by fresh ginger) that goes well beyond those of the corresponding “regular” bottling. Suggestions of corn shoot on the nose as well as the palate add pungency and an illusion of sweetness (though of course the wine is analytically dry). Complex inner-mouth esters typical for Koehler-Rupprecht Riesling add intrigue without going overboard in volatility. This finishes with a striking sense of transparency to alkaline and chalky notes as well as abundant sheer refreshment, yet the longer it’s open the more an alluring sense of textural creaminess emerges. Look for at least a dozen years of vigor from this bottling. It represents, incidentally, the third consecutive vintage in which Bernd Philippi has chosen to bottle a Saumagen Spatlese “R,” and two consecutive bottlings was already a record. 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.

After having bottled reserve Spatlesen in 1990, 1998, and 2001, Philippi has now bottled two back-to-back with his 2007 and now 2008 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese trocken R, which he intends to sell in 2012. Chenin-like fresh quince, heliotrope, rowan, and high-toned herbal distillates waft irresistibly from the glass. This is brighter, more penetrating, and above all more transparent than the corresponding “regular” Spatlese trocken, offering vistas of scintillating florality and shimmering, crystalline minerality. Of course, it wouldn’t be authentic Philippi Saumagen reserve if there weren’t some decidedly wacky elements, such as in this instance the aura of fresh, seeded rye bread, and a sort of sourdough, saline, caraway, and fruit pit amalgam that positively sticks to the gums. This amazing wine should be worth following for at least a dozen years. Incidentally, Philippi told the follow story about his inaugural “R” Spatlese of 1990: There were 2,500 bottles. By the time I got around to selling any, 1,000 of them had already been drunk up. I sold 1,000. The remaining 500 are still here. 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.