Visit and Tasting at Porto Cálem in Porto / Vila Nova da Gaia, Portugal

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller in Front of  Porto Cálem in Vila Nova da Gaia

As part of a pre-conference trip (before the 2013 Digital Wine Communications Conference in Logroño, Rioja, Spain) up the Douro Valley, from Porto to the Upper Douro Valley, close to the Spanish border, I participated in a tour and tasting at Porto Cálem in Porto / Vila Nova da Gaia.

Porto Cálem has been bought recently by the Sogevinus Fine Wines Group, which also owns other famous Port Houses. The tasting included ports from Kopke, Burmester and Barros.

Sogevinus Fine Wines Group

Sogevinus Fine Wines Group is a Portuguese holding company, owned by the Galicia Bank Nova Galicia, focusing on high quality Port wines and Douro D.O.C wines. Since 1998, Porto Cálem is part of Sogevinus, which also includes the famous brands Kopke, Burmester and Barros. The group also owns some vineyards, Quinta S.Luiz with about 125 ha in central Douro and Quinta da Arnozelo with some 200 ha in the more prestigious and difficult to access Douro Superior. Here, they also grow olives and other crop on the steep slopes of the river. The grapes for the Calem wines come from Quinta da Arnozelo.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller in Front of  Porto Burmester in Vila Nova da Gaia

Porto Cálem

António Alves Cálem founded the Port House Cálem in Vila Nova da Gaia in 1859. Cálem is a large producer. Porto Cálem main market has always been Portugal, but exports have maintained a high significance along its history. The brand logotype - the caravel in which Port Cálem was exported to Brazil - show exactly that importance. In 1880, Brazil represented 40% of total exports. Originally, Porto Cálem was exporting 100% of its port wine to Brazil in exchange of exotic woods and by means of its own fleet.

Pictures: Porto Seen from Vila Nova da Gaia

Tour of Cálem Cellars

We took a very interesting tour of the company cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where, after the winemaking process in Douro, the ageing of Porto Cálem wines takes place. Located next to D. Luiz I bridge, these cellars show perfect conditions to successfully age the Port wines, as per their cool and dry air, and little light.

Pictures: Tour of Porto Cálem

This way, Porto Cálem wines age in oak casks for years and years. It is also in these cellars, that Porto Cálem welcomes every year around 120.000 visitors and from where the Port wines are exported to markets abroad.

Calem Portfolio

White Ports

Velhotes Fine White

Porto Cálem Velhotes Fine White ages in oak casks and in wine vats. With a yellow-straw colour, reveals a floral aroma and a flavour of tropical fruits. It is smooth in the mouth, fruity and elegant.

White and Dry

Porto Cálem White and Dry ages in oak casks and in wine vats. With a green-straw colour, it presents floral and young bouquet. In the mouth it is delicately dry, smooth and balanced.

Lágrima

The name Lágrima evokes the “tears” (or drops) of alcohol that slither around and inside the glass, after drinking the wine. It ages in oak casks and in wine vats. With a golden colour, it presents a bouquet of honey and dry fruits. In the mouth is sweet, intense and complex.

Ruby Ports

Velhotes Fine Ruby

Porto Cálem Fine Ruby is young and full of energy. It is blended with young port wines and kept for little time in wood casks, which enhances the original grapes characteristics and ensures a deep ruby colour and a bouquet of red berries. It ages between 3 and 4 years in oak casks. With a ruby colour, it presents young, fruity aromas. In the mouth is smooth, elegant and balanced.

Late Bottled Vintage

Porto Cálem Late Bottled Vintages are produced from a single year crop, ageing between 4 to 6 years in oak casks and in wine vats. Our LBVs present the same deep, intense ruby colour, the same balance and rich aroma of bush fruits as the Vintage Port Wines. LBVs do not require ageing or decanting and can be enjoyed single or serving with roasted or smoked meat, strong cheese and dry fruits.

Vintage

Porto Cálem Vintages results from exceptionally good crops from a single year, such as the ones of 1983, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003, referred as to “Classical Years” due to the high quality grapes obtained in ideal climate conditions.

After 2 years in oak barrels, Vintage Port wines are bottled in our cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Douro riverside. The Vintage improve and age in the bottle for decades, and should be kept horizontally, in a dark, dry aired place, enhancing its true character through out the times.

Vintage Port should be drunk with a minimum of 8 years old, but it can be appreciated with more than 50.

When recent, Vintage Port is intense, with an impressive deep purple colour and reveals strong aromas of berries (especially, raspberries and blackberries), with firm tannins and a balanced structure. By ageing, it becomes smoother, but more elegant and complex, acquiring softer colours, distinctive aromas and body.

As Vintage Port Wines throw deposit, before decantation the bottle should be kept upright for some hours. It is perfect served with strong cheese.

Quinta da Foz Vintage

Porto Cálem Vintage Port “Single Quinta”: Quinta da Foz Vintage and Quinta do Sagrado Vintage are produced with premium quality grapes exclusively from each one of these “Quintas” (vine estates), located deep in the Douro region.

At present, our Vintages offer include Quinta da Foz 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997 and Quinta do Sagrado 1994 and 1997, produced in years of excellent climate conditions. After 2 years in oak casks, these Vintages were bottled to continue the ageing process lying down in a dark, cooled air place. Such as “Classic” Vintages, the “Single Quinta” start by being intense, strong and full-bodied, ageing to become more elegant, complex and mature.

Before serving, and as per its deposit due to the ageing process, the bottle should be put in the upright position some hours before decantation. It goes splendidly with strong cheese after meals.

Tawny Ports

Velhotes Fine Tawny

Porto Cálem Velhotes Fine Tawny is one of the most popular Port Wines in Portugal. It ages in oak casks for 3 to 4 years. With a brow-tawny colour, it reveals dry fruits and wood aromas. In the mouth is velvety, fruity and balanced.

Reserva Tawny

Porto Cálem Reserva Tawny ages in oak casks for 7 years. With a brown-tawny colour, its aromas are of dried fruits and spice. In the mouth is velvety, balanced and with hints of dry fruits.

Colheita

Porto Cálem Colheitas or Dated Ports are tawny Ports from a single year high quality crop such as 1961, 1988, 1989 e 1990, 1992 and 1994. Each year reveal special characteristics which are developing whilst ageing in the wood casks for a period not less than 8 years. Colheita presents a tawny colour, smooth touch in the mouth and a bouquet of vanilla, honey and dried fruits. Ready to serve single as the bottle is opened without need for decantation, are also ideal to go along with cakes and deserts.

Old Tawnies

10 Years Old

Porto Cálem 10 Anos results from a thorough selection of Port Wines aged in oak casks and blended to average 10 years old. With a tawny topaz colour, we can sense wood, dry fruits and chocolate aromas. In the mouth it is velvety, intense and with a persistent flavour.

20 Years Old

Porto Cálem 20 Anos is obtained by blending selected aged Port Wines, kept in wood for different periods of time, but that average the age indicated in the label. In orange-green tonalities, it reveals spice, honey and wood aromas. In the mouth is balanced and complex, with persistent and pleasant ending.

30 Years Old

Porto Cálem 30 Anos blends different aged Port Wines that in average reach 30 years. The organoleptic characteristics enhanced in wood casks while ageing, are the ones of the specific age indicated in the label. In a green tawny colour, it presents wood, spice and dry fruit aromas. In the mouth it is velvety, intense and with a persistent ending.

40 Years Old

Porto Cálem 40 Anos results from a careful selection of aged Port Wines, which spent in average 40 years in oak casks. With a tawny-green colour, it reveals hints of dry fruits, spice and honey. In the mouth it is involving, complex and presents a powerful ending.

Tasting

We tasted 4 Ports.

Picture: Tasting 4 Port Wines

Kopke White 30 Years

The German Family named Kopke came from Hamburg to Lisbon in 1636. Two years later, in 1638, Christiano Kopke established himself in Oporto, as merchant and exporter of Portuguese products, and he started the export of Portuguese wines already produced in the region, as part of his business. When the Wine - then known as Portwine - was recognized, the House of Kopke which is today the eldest Portwine's export firm, was one of the leaders in the field. Through many generations, the company was run by several members of Kopke's family, obtaining an excellent reputation for its wines, especially its vintage tawny.

Toro Wines and Spirits: Amber color with greenish nuances. Intense nose of great complexity, standing-out the dried fruit aromas, harmoniously combined with vanilla and honey touches. In the mouth, it is wonderfully balanced, unctuous and extremely concentrated. Sublime and endless finish.

Burmester Tawny 40 Years

Burmeister: This 40-year-old Tawny is obtained from wines that have been carefully aged in small oak casks and later blended in a small upstanding oak vat dating from 1864. The final mix, in small oak casks, is a vivacious example of the art of "blending", which CASA BURMESTER has perfected over the years.

Pictures: Panos Kakaviatos and Annette Schiller

Barros Vintage 2011

Robert Parker: (88-90) The 2011 Barros has a high-toned, forward bouquet of violets and iodine that is fresh and lively, displaying both lift and a sense of animation. The palate is very smooth on the entry with a core of sweet, spicy black fruit. Granted, it is not the most complex 2011 Vintage Port, although it is nicely balanced and there is a pleasant fieriness towards the finish. Tasted May 2013.

Kopke Colheita 1940

Kopke: The oldest house of Port celebrates its 375 years, with the presentation of a very limited and exclusive edition of Kopke Colheita Port 1940. The company completes almost four centuries of existence in the world of wine, especially Port wine. 375 years of work is an accomplishment of only few companies worlwide. To celebrate, the company launched a very special wine, Kopke 375 - Special Edition Harvest Port 1940.

Picture: Kopke Colheita 1940

The '375' marks not only the anniversary, but also the number of existing bottles. Wine has been produced during World War 2, and has been resting for 73 years in hull No. 10053, inside an oak barrel of 580 litters. Each bottle comes in a wooden case of rosewood, with black on the inside and with golden printing. The package includes the certificate for "The Oldest House of Port Wine". Each 0.75 liter bottle will cost around 680 Euros.

schiller-wine: Related Posting

Meeting Up-and-coming Winemaker Rita Ferreira Marques from the Douro Area in Portugal at Screwtop Winebar in Clarendon, Virginia

Meeting Rupert Symington from the Symington Family - One of the Oldest Families of Port Producers

The 2013 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) in Logroño, Rioja, Spain

A Douro Valley Tour from Porto Upstream to the Upper Douro Region, Portugal

Food Tour of Porto with André Apolinário from Taste Porto Food Tours, Portugal

Visit and Tasting at Porto Cálem in Porto / Vila Nova da Gaia, Portugal

Wining and Dining at the Reborn Quinta de Covela, Vinho Verde Region in the Douro Valley, with Owner Tony Smith and Winemaker Rui Cunha, Portugal

Tasting 2011 Vintage Port at Quinta da Boavista, Douro Valley, Portugal

Tour and Lunch at Quinta da Léda in the Upper Douro Valley, with Winemaker Luís Sottomayor, Portugal

2014 Open That Bottle Night with Founders Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in Washington DC

Picture: Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, Annette Schiller, Ombiasy PR and WineTours, and Christian G.E. Schiller in Washington DC

I was a loyal follower of the husband and wife team Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, when they were in charge of a weekly wine column – Tastings - in The Wall Street Journal. An African-American woman and her white husband writing for the – I would guess mostly towards the Republican Party leaning - bankers, investors, entrepreneurs that make up the readership of The Wall Street Journal! I was sad to see them leave The Wall Street Journal in 2009, after having jointly written the column since 1998.

Picture: Annette Schiller and Christian G.E. Schiller in Washington DC at the iCi Urban Bistro in Washington DC

In 1999, Dottie and John launched Open That Bottle Night (OTBN), a celebration of wine, memories and friendship. Since then, my wife Annette Schiller and I have celebrated OTBN many times, always at home, typically just the two of us. This year, we went to a restaurant, the iCi Urban Bistro in Washington DC, for the OTBN. The reason was: Dottie (now the food & wine editor for France Magazine) and John had invited! We brought two wines to share: 2012 Doennhoff, Estate Riesling, Trocken and 2008 Chateau Lafon-Rochet, St. Estephe.

Open That Bottle Night

Dorothy J. Gaiter: The last Saturday of February is Open That Bottle Night, a celebration of wine, memories and friendship that John and I founded almost 15 years ago. The idea is simple: All of us, whether we have one bottle in the house or 1,000, have that special wine that, for one reason or another, is just always too special to drink.

Pictures: Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, with Christian G.E. Schiller in Washington DC

We may have brought it back from a wonderful vacation or it might be the last bottle of Champagne from our wedding or a gift from a sweet, departed friend. We always mean to open it, but weddings have happened, babies have arrived, graduations and bat mitzvahs have been held—you name it and yet those bottles have remained dusty.

Pictures: Bob Harris and Lynette Harris, with Karen Taylor, Editor of France Magazine, and Dorothy J. Gaiter

Price is not significant. OTBN is about the memories inside the bottle. The important thing is to share those.

Pictures: John Brecher and Annette Schiller

So all over the world, from Tacoma to Thailand, people have observed OTBN, sometimes with just one other person and sometimes with a small group of friends. Sometimes it’s an affair with hundreds, as it is for the Bivona Child Advocacy Center in Rochester, N.Y., where it is the organization's signature fundraising event and has raised more than $1 million. Rabbis and ministers have talked to their congregants about OTBN and, in 2005, it was a $200 question on Jeopardy! Some restaurants waive their corkage fees that night.

Pictures: Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher Talking with Guests

2014 Open That Bottle Night at iCi Urban Bistro in Washington DC

Sofitel’s Executive Chef, Franck Loquet, prepared a four-course dinner with an optional cheese course, for two seatings, at 6:30 and at 8:30. We chose the late seating. Here is what we ate:

Amuse Bouche

Starter: Duck Foie Gras au Torchon

Starter: Wild Mushroom Ragout

Main Course: Seafood Marmitte

Main Course: Moulard Duck

Selection of Imported and Domestic Cheese

Raspberry Mille-Feuille

Our OTBN Wines: Bordeaux and German Riesling

Annette and I had two wines and shared them with our friends Bob and Lynette.

2012 Doennhoff, Estate Riesling, Trocken
2008 Chateau Lafon-Rochet, St. Estephe

Both wines brought back wonderful memories from last year’s Bordeaux Wine Tour and German Wine and Culture Tour, both organized and led by Annette Schiller (Ombiasy PR and WineTours) and created an happy anticipation of meeting the winemakers again later this year during the forthcoming 2014 Bordeaux Wine Tour and 2014 German Wine and Culture Tour (North).

Weingut Doennhoff

Annette Schiller’s 2013 German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy included a tasting at Weingut Doennhoff with Helmut Doennhoff - 3 most entertaining and fascinating hours. We went through 16 wines.

Helmut Dönnhoff was described by Hugh Johnson as having a "fanatical commitment to quality, and a remarkable natural talent for winemaking" and as a "superstar" of the region by Robert Parker. Helmut Doennhoff was named German Winemaker of the Year in 1999 by the Gault Millau WeinGuide.

The Dönnhoff family first came to the Nahe Valley over 200 years ago. The Dönnhoffs were a mixed farm up until the 20th century, with cereal crops, vegetables, fruit and livestock in addition to grapes. Helmut's grandfather Hermann made the transition from mixed farm to focus entirely on winegrowing. Helmut Dönnhoff took over day-to-day responsibility from his father in 1971. From the initial 4 hectares of land Helmut Dönnhoff expanded the estate to now 25 hectares. Today, his son Cornelius works alongside in the winery; in fact, ownership and responsibility has been formally transferred to Cornelius Dönnhoff.

Pictures: Tasting with Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff

“Most people in wine today make it for business”, Helmut Doennhoff said. “I make it for me, myself”. Helmut Doennhoff compared his winemaking with music and cooking. “There are many wonderful scores, but only a few people can interpret them well. Or it is like a chef: people have the same ingredients but each chef brings another taste to them”.

See:
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

Château Lafon-Rochet

The 2013 Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours included a tour of and tasting at Château Lafon-Rochet. The tour was conducted by winemaker Lucas Leclercq. For the tasting, we were joined by owner Basile Tesseron. Basile’s father, Michel Tesseron, who had been our guide during the 2012 Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours was out of the country.

Château Lafon-Rochet is a 4th Grand Cru en 1855 in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Medoc. It is one of the 5 classified properties in the appellation of Saint Estèphe. Its grounds are separated from those of Château Lafite to the north by the width of the road and from Cos d'Estournel by a dirt path.

The history of Château Lafon-Rochet starts in the 16th century, when a portion known as Rochet (because of its rocky terrain) eventually passed by marriage to Etienne de Lafon, who established Lafon-Rochet. The estate then passed down through the Lafon generations for almost 300 years.

When Guy Tesseron became the owner in 1959, it needed a serious restoration and Guy Tesseron did restore it to its former glory. Guy Tesseron was from a Chanterais family, specializing in the Cognac production.

Pictures: Tasting at  Château Lafon-Rochet with Owner Basile Tesseron and Winemaker Lucas Leclercq

Guy Tesseron first put the vineyards back in order. He then built new chai, and a new château, in the style of the 18th century. Also, some 25 hectares were added to the vineyard.

In 1975, Guy Tesseron also acquired 5th growth Chateau Pontet-Canet from the Cruse family. Both châteaux subsequently passed to the next generation with Lafon-Rochet coming to Michel Tesseron. Currently the property is in the good hands of Michel’s son, Basile Tesseron.

It was Michel Tesseron who oversaw the painting of the château yellow in 2000. At the same time, the bottles were redesigned and matching yellow labels and capsules are used now.

Lafon-Rochet's vineyards covers 45 hectares and are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon 54%, Merlot 40%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 2%.

To match the 40 different vineyard parcels, the estate has 40 stainless steel, temperature controlled vats. The wine is kept in new oak barrels for 9 months before it is moved to one year old barrels, where it remains for an additional 9 months. The final blending takes place 3 months before bottling.

The Grand Vin is Château Lafon-Rochet (11000 cases per annum), the second wine is Pélerins de Lafon-Rochet (also 11000 cases per annum and once known as Numéro 2 de Lafon-Rochet).

Basile Tesseron took over with the 2007 vintage and he now has full control. He is steering Lafon-Rochet towards biodynamic viticulture, following the example of his uncle at Pontet-Canet. But Lafon-Rochet has not yet been certified.

See:
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy
A Tour and Tasting at Château Lafon-Rochet in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, with Winemaker and Owner Basile Tesseron, France (2013)

Dorothy J. Gaiter: The People and Stories from a Memorable Open That Bottle Night 2014

Dottie has already released her account of the evening and it includes a reference to Annette and me. Not a reference to our wines, but to a comment we made on an Alsatian wine somebody else had brought.

Pictures: Annette Schiller Telling the Alsace Story

Dorothy J. Gaiter: One group brought a 1998 Alsace Riesling that proved, once again, how beautifully these wines can age. The postscript: When John mentioned the wine to Christian Schiller, a former economist with the International Monetary Fund and now a wine blogger, Christian asked to see the bottle. He took one look and broke into a wide smile. He and his wife Annette had gone to that vineyard for a wedding a number of years ago and, as the guests were waiting, they were told that the wedding was off. So they stayed on the grounds of the winery and Annette took a midnight stroll through it with their German Shepherd, who goes everywhere with them. The wine was lovely, fragrant, rich and round. Wine -- what a wonderful world, both so large and so small at the same time.

schiller-wine: Related Posting (Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours 2013)

Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy

An Afternoon at Château Pape-Clément (in 2013), Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Visiting a “Holy” Construction Site: Château Angélus in Saint-Emilion, France

Dinner at Château Canon La Gaffeliere, Appellation Saint-Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé, France

Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Organic Château Beausejour in AOC Puisseguin-St.Emilion, France

Lunch at Château Le Bon Pasteur with Winemaker/Owner Dany Rolland, Pomerol, France

Visit of an Ultra-premium Non-mainstream Bordeaux Producer: Tertre Rôteboeuf, with Owner and Winemaker François Mitjavile

Visiting and Tasting at Château Climens, with Owner Bérénice Lurton, Bordeaux, France

Lunch, Tour and Tasting with Owner Catherine Thibault d'Halluin (nee Boyer) and Winemaker Julien Noel - Château du Cros, Château Mayne du Cros, Château Courbon and Clos Bourbon, Bordeaux, France

Visiting an Oyster Farm at Arcachon Bay, Bordeaux: Raphael Doerfler at Earl Ostrea Chanca , France

Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Château Léoville-Poyferré, with Didier Cuvelier and Anne Cuvelier, France   

Tour and Tasting at Château Pontet-Canet, with Owner Alfred Tesseron, Bordeaux

A Tour and Tasting at Château Lafon-Rochet in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, with Winemaker and Owner Basile Tesseron (2013), France

A Tour and Tasting at Château Coufran, Haut-Médoc, with Co-owner Frédéric Vicaire, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Lynch-Bages in Bages, Bordeaux, France

Tour at Tonnellerie Berger et Fils: How is a Barrique Made? Bordeaux, France

Wine Dinner at Château Haut-Bailly, Cru Classé de Graves, France

schiller-wine: Related Postings (German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours 2013)

German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013

Weingut Pawis in the Saale Unstrut Region - A Profile, Germany

Tasting at Weingut Balthasar Ress, Hattenheim, Rheingau, with Stefan Ress, Germany

Impromptu Winetasting with Alexander Jung, Weingut Jakob Jung, Erbach, Rheingau, Germany

A Tasting at Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn, Rheingau, with Angela and Peter Jakob Kühn, Germany

Tasting with Rita Busch at Weingut Clemens Busch in the Mosel Valley, Germany 

Ernst Loosen Presented his Wines at Weingut Dr. Loosen, Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel Valley, Germany

Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley, Germany

An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

The World Meets at Weingut Weegmueller, Pfalz, Germany

Tasting with Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Weingut Thoerle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen, Germany

Impressions from the Mainz Wine Market 2013, Germany   

The Annual “New German Vintage” Tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) led by Phil Bernstein - 2012 Vintage, Germany/USA

Picture: Phil Bernstein and his German Wines

The annual “New German Vintage” tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) around February/March, led by Phil Bernstein, is always a highlight for the German wine aficionados in the Washington DC area. Phil Bernstein is very entertaining and knowledgeable about German wine. He knows more about German wine than many of my wine friends in Germany. He is in charge of German wines at MacArthur Beverages, one of the best German wine retailers in the country.

For previous years, see:
German Wine: Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages the 2011 Vintage in Washington DC, USA
The 2010 Vintage Tasting of the German Wine Society (Aaron Nix-Gomez)
Phil Bernstein’s Third Annual German Riesling Tasting with the German Wine Society, Washington DC Chapter - Rieslings With a Touch of Sweetness

Of course, in contrast to the wine consumption pattern in Germany, consumption of German wine in the USA is heavily tilted towards fruity-sweet wines. Accordingly, this year’s tasting – as always – was dominated by fruity-sweet Kabinett and Spaetlese wines. But, as in the years before, Phil paid tribute to the emerging group of lovers of dry wines from Germany and presented 2 “trocken” wines, including a Grosses Gewaechs from super star Klaus Peter Keller.

Pictures: "Professor" Phil Bernstein

There is a red wine revolution going on in Germany. About 1/3 of the German wine production is red wine. Germany is the third largest Pinot Noir producer in the world and can compete now with the best red wines in the world, but Phil Bernstein did not go that way. Although he has red wines in his portfolio, he did not present a German red wine.

I know that Phil Bernstein is a Riesling fan and he thinks, Germany should focus more on Riesling (“because this is what they do best”) and less on other grape varieties. But he also included a non-Riesling flight in the tasting, with two most interesting Scheurebe wines.

Picture: The Tasting

Lastly, the tasting ended with an ice wine – a true ice wine, as Phil Bernstein said (with the grapes frozen in the vineyard and not in the fridge, as is legal in some other countries). The about 50 attending German wine lovers were very thankful. Reports from Germany indicate that there will not be any ice wine in 2013, i.e. in next year's "New German Vintage" tasting.

German Wine and Culture Tours 2013 and 2014

My wife Annette Schiller and I were very pleased to see wines of Weingut Klaus Peter Keller, Weingut Doennhoff and Weingut Kruger-Rumpf included in the tasting. Visits of the latter two wineries were among the highlights of the German Wine and Culture Tour 2013 by Ombiasy PR and WineTours, organized and led by Annette Schiller. We will again visit them on the 2014 Tour, as well as, for the first time, Weingut Klaus Peter Keller in Rheinhessen.

Picture: Annette Schiller, Ombiasy PR and WineTours, Phil Bernstein and Christian G.E. Schiller

See:
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley, Germany
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

The 2012 Vintage

2012 has been widely lauded as an outstanding vintage.

Terry Theise: The wines are amazingly dense and full, materially rich in substance, yet not even slightly fat. You’re going to have to call this an outstanding vintage.

Phil Bernstein: Another terrific vintage. Germany has been blessed with good vintages recently. Production was relatively low and the growing season long. It produced wines than are already very approachable now, but also wines than have a good aging potential.

Starter Wine

2012 Doennhoff, Riesling Estate ($18.99)

Terry Theise: So, as always this is from the porphyry site, Oberhäuser Felsenberg and the gravelly site Oberhäuser Kiegelburg, and so it’s a mini-Grand Cru. It’s another in a string of beauties, barely perceptible sweetness, literally incredible class, and in my opinion the single greatest white wine value in the world. And if you want to, you can age it for twenty years or more.

Phil Bernstein: Not dry – not fruity sweet, the perfect balance. This is the best vintage of this wine Doennhoff has ever done.

Pictures: Helmut Doennhoff Receiving the 2013 Ombiasy Group

See:
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

First Flight

2012 Wagner-Stempel, Riesling Vom Porphyr Trocken ($25.99)

Phil Bernstein: This is a superb producer in the Rheinhessen. While the nearby Weingut Keller gets all the attention, I think Daniel Wagner is giving them a serious run for the money. This is awesome dry Riesling for the money.

2012 Weingut Keller, Westhofener Kirchspiel Grosses Gewaechs Trocken (not available)

Jancis Robinson: Introvert nose and some real structure. Made for the long term. Intense and layered. Far from simple. Citrus on the finish. A little more astringent than the other Keller bottlings at this stage. 12.5% (JR)

An ultra-premium dry wine, i.e. a Grosses Gewaechs. Grosses Gewaechs is a new term in the German wine vocabulary: A Grosses Gewaechs is a dry wine from a Grosse Lage vineyard (which is also a new term). The news is only slowly arriving and being absorbed in the USA, but Germany’s elite winemakers - the VDP winemakers - have introduced a new wine classification system.

Following their colleagues in the Bourgogne, the terroir principle has taken center stage in the VDP classification. Effective with the 2012 harvest, the VDP classification has the following 4 quality layers (In brackets, the equivalent quality classes in the classification system of the Bourgogne):

• VDP.Grosse Lage (Grand Cru in Burgundy)
• VDP.Erste Lage (Premier Cru in Burgundy)
• VDP.Ortswein (Village level in Burgundy)
• VDP.Gutswein (Bourgogne régional in Burgundy)VDP Classification

In the new VDP classification system, the top wines are wines from a Grosse Lage vineyard (like a grand cru vineyard in Bourgogne). And if the wine is dry, it is a Grosses Gewaechs. If the wine is fermented in a fruity-sweet or noble-sweet style, it is labeled as Kabinett, Spaetlese or Auslese and Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenausles, according to the sweetness level of the wine. Importantly, in the new VDP classification, the predicates have been relegated to indicators of sweetness (and are no longer indicators of quality).

Second Flight

2012 Kruger-Rumpf, Scheurebe Spaetlese ($24.99)

Terry Theise: I happen to have learned these grapes are a mixture of Würzburg and Alzey clones. There’s a piece of otiose information with which you can bamboozle your wine friends. As often this wine’s a lot like Riesling with chef’s-special-sauce, some mix of papayas, vetiver and sage; slinky and slithery but not as id-suffused as the kinky `11. Don’t know Scheurebe? It’s why you can ignore all but the very best Sauvignon Blancs, because this grape does much the same dance, but far better.

Pictures: In the Vineyard and at Lunch cum Tasting with Georg Rumpf during the 2013 German Wine and Culture Tour

See:
Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley, Germany 

2012 Darting, Duerkheimer Fronhof Scheurebe ($17.99)

Terry Theise: You could surmise this is a spicy Grüner Veltliner with residual sugar; there’s some Scheu-typical sage, but it’s subtle all in all, more apple and grapefruit than overt cassis, but `12’s fülle and spice are there, and the wine is long and dense, if not especially kinky.

Phil Bernstein: The wines of Weingut Darting are honest wines at good prices. This wine, at less than $20 is a very good deal.

Third Flight

2012 Selbach Oster, Zeltinger Schlossberg Kabinett ($24.99)

Terry Theise: ZELTINGER SCHLOSSBERG is mineral to the MAX! I think it's time to give this vineyard its due: it's a great Grand Cru site, fully deserving the status of a Wehlener Sonnenuhr or Erdener Prälat. The pity is most of it is worked by the small growers of Zeltingen, amoung whom standards aren't particularly high. Flavors are borealis of slate, buttressed by lime and grassy aspects. Mosel-apple is present but discreet. Medium bodied. If you love Mosels for their cussed Mosel-ness, grab these wines and hang on for dear life!

2012 Merkelbach, Uerziger Wuerzgarten Kabinett #11 ($18.99)

Terry Theise: From an old, steep vineyard planted “some time before the war,” and of course ungrafted. The wine is again not only flawless but actively and tangibly perfect. Tingly brilliant and with gauzy cirrus lightness, but this “flyweight” (as Schildknecht calls them) is both infinitely more complex and will live many times longer than bigger, more ostentatious wines. Absurdly vivid slate and sassafrass.

Fourth Flight

2012 Willi Schaefer, Graacher Himmelreich Spaetlese ($37.99)

Terry Theise: Utmost purity of apple and slate, and the solidity and charge are remarkable. I don’t remember Mosels like these. As dense as paperweights yet as transparent as glass. Himmelreich comes Celtic word for "small hill"; later the name received its Christian meaning - "kingdom of God". It’s a very steep, perfectly southwest facing site of pure blue Devonian slate. It produces elegant but powerful Rieslings with a huge potential for ageing.

Phil Bernstein: Willi Schaefer is one of my favorite German winemakers. His son has taken over and is maintaining the extraordinary quality level of his father. Willi Schaefer wines age very well.

2012 Selbach Oster, Zeltinger Schlossberg "Schmitt" ($52.99)

Terry Theise: In steel this year; not deliberately, just logistics, what was available at which time. But this wine has everything, an herbal aloe fundament of Schlossberg, fabulous mintiness and an absurd equipoise of richness and cut; as digital as Dönnhoff ’s Hermannshöhles, it resolves into a verbena-like finish that starts sweet and gets more green-tea like as it spreads and glows. Schmitt is a micro-parcel in Schlossberg. It is steep and has a perfect southern exposure, and it's subsoil is deep of crumbly, broken slate, mixed with organic matter and loam. The vineyard is more distant from the Mosel and gets less of the effect from the wide water surface but sits smack behind the church and the warm bodies of the village houses beneath which radiate warmth back into the vineyard (a privileged situation akin to that of the Bernkasteler Doctor).

Fifth Flight

2012 Weingut Keller, Westhofener Kirchspiel Spaetlese ($59.99)

Interestingly, Phil Bernstein presented two wines (in the first and fifth flights) that came from the same vineyard, made with grapes probably harvested at the same sweetness level(Spaetlese). But one was fermented to dry and was a Grosses Gewaechs, an ultra-premium dry wine (first flight), and the other was stopped so to produce a sweetness level in the Spaetlese category (fifth flight).

Phil Bernstein: You can see two takes on the same wine.

2012 Doennhoff, Norheimer Kirschheck Spaetlese ($41.99)

Terry Theise: This vintage is dancing, giddy, pretty and snappy; the girl has her wits about her, and will, with impeccable charm, tear you a new one if you misbehave. Signature flavors run towards cherry blossom and lady-apples. The oldest recorded vineyards of the Nahe are located in this part of Norheim. Kirsche means "cherry", so the old name of the site suggests that wild cherries grew among the vineyards. The soils of the purely south-facing site are composed largely of grey slate, mixed with sandstone.

Pictures: Tasting with Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff

See:
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

Final Wine

2012 Selbach Oster, Zeltinger Himmelreich Eiswein ($89.99)

Terry Theise: Picked 12/12 at 8-below zero Celsius; poised and articulate and as focused and clear as Selbach’s Eisweins always are; a verbena liqueur, nervy and quivering and divine. Zeltingen's Himmelreich is a site with variable exposures and steepness, but the best of it offers "1er Cru" quality in a green-apple and kiwi style, more fruit driven than mineral.

Thanks

Thanks Phil for a very educational and entertaining tasting.

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