In the Nahe Valley, the 2013 Germany Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy included 2 stops: A tasting with Riesling Guru Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doenhoff and visit of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Muenster-Sarmsheim.
At Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, we were received by Georg Rumpf, who has taken over the winery a few years ago. Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is one of Germany’s leading Riesling producer. In the US, it is in the Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Portfolio, as is Weingut Doennhoff.
See:
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has a great wine tavern, run by Georg’s mother, which includes a lovely deck. There, we sat down with Georg for a typical regional lunch and tasting.
In addition, there is an idyllic garden restaurant. Especially during the summer, the garden restaurant of the winery provides you with the opportunity to enjoy the evening in a cozy al fresco atmosphere with a hearty meal and a good glass of wine. In fact, we did the tasting with George in the garden restaurant.
See:
Winemaker Dinner with Georg and Stefan Rumpf and with Cornelia Rumpf at Weingut Kruger- Rumpf in the Nahe Valley, Germany
Wine Maker Dinner with Stefan Rumpf at Weinstube Kruger-Rumpf in Muenster-Sarmsheim, Germany
Before lunch, however, he took us with his truck into the vineyards in the Nahe Valley. We already had a couple of Kruger-Rumpf wines there. And we quickly toured the wine cellar of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf.
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf
“In our family, viniculture has been tradition since 1708 - a tradition that we have been cultivating in our vineyards as well as in our manor house which was built back in 1830” said Georg Rumpf. Stefan Rumpf, Georg’s father, brought Weingut Kruger-Rumpf up to where it is today: After completing his studies in agricultural sciences, including stints in Californian wineries, and conducting research at the Geisenheim research institute, Stefan Rumpf took over the estate from his parents in 1984. Up until then, the wines were sold almost entirely in bulk. Stefan Rumpf changed this and started to bottle his wines and to market the bottles himself. Less than 10 years later, in 1992, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf was invited to join the VDP, the about 200 German elite winemakers, a clear sign of what Stefan Rumpf had achieved over the course of just 8 years.
Today, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has 3 (of) 5 grapes in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland. It took 1st place in the DER FEINSCHMECKER Deutscher Riesling Cup 2008.
The vineyard area totals 22 hectares and the annual production is 14.000 cases. Georg Rumpf has taken over the winemaking aspect of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, while his father is now more focusing on sales and general management.
Weingut Krueger-Rumpf sells 70% of its production in Germany and exports the remaining 30%. Accordingly, “80% of the wines we produce are dry wines” said Georg “and 20% are fruity-sweet and noble-sweet wines.” In the US, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is imported by Terry Theise.
Cellar Tour
Georg took us on a quick cellar tour.
Vineyard Tour
Georg took us on a quick vineyard tour, where we already tasted 2 wines.
The top sites are: Münsterer Dautenpflänzer (slate with sandy loam); Münsterer Pittersberg (slate); Münsterer Rheinberg (weathered quartzite and sandy loam); Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen (Rotliegend and porphyry).
Grape varieties: 65% Riesling, 10% each of Silvaner and Weissburgunder, 5% each of Chardonnay, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. In fact, Kruger-Rumpf was the first estate in the Nahe region to plant Chardonnay.
We tasted 2 wines in the vineyard.
Quarzit, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Nice entry level wine, fresh and crisp, excellent.
Munsterer Rheinberg Riesling GG Trocken, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Terry Theise: Rheinberg is the steepest of the three GG sites, on weathered quartzite and dusty loam – “similar to Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck,” according to Stefan. It’s flavors are indeed virtually identical, though the Nahe wine has a grace and curvaciousness the more stoic Rheingauer lacks. Sweet apples and yellow fruits are paramount here, though the minerally terroir notes give a firm foundation. These are wines of true charm, not merely winning ways.
Lunch and Tasting at Weinstube Kruger-Rumpf
I love to wine and dine in the Kruger-Rumpf wine tavern. Towards the end of the year, after the harvest, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf always organizes two winemaker dinners. These are exceptional events, because of the wines, the food and the ambiance. When we are in Germany during that period, we always try to participate. This year (as well as in 2011), we made it.
For 2011, see:
Wine Maker Dinner with Stefan Rumpf at Weinstube Kruger-Rumpf in Muenster-Sarmsheim, Germany
As usual, the food was excellent. And George paired the food with a very nice selection of his wines.
Weisser Burgunder, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Weisser Burgunder S, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Georg Rumpf said that the Bourgogne varieties now account for 1/3 of the Kruger-Rumpf output. The first one is a nice entry-level wine. The Silberkapsel was fermented and aged in a large “Holzfass”. It is rounder, smoother, and more creamy.
Dautenpflanzer Riesling Feinherb, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Terry Theise: From the same raw material as the GG, but from a component that wouldn’t ferment dry; it’s every bit as “Grand” in a slightly different style, more exotic and Ali-Baba perfumed, tangy and salty, could even have been 5g sweeter (!). Münsterer Dautenpflänzer is composed of slate and sandy loam and is one of Kruger-Rumpf’s top sites. Multi-faceted and complex, this GG site is one of the leading Grand Crus of the lower Nahe, with a typical mélange of soil types within its borders.
Scheurebe Spatlese, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
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.
Munsterer Pittersberg Riesling Auslese, Kruger-Rumpf 2004
Munsterer Pittersberg Riesling Eiswein, Kruger-Rumpf 2012
Terry Theise: “The best in the history of the estate,” they said. And thinking back to `08 and `02, they have a case to make. 100% clean fruit picked December 15th; not a mega-must weight but swoony and elegant and essence-of-pear. Either I froth and spume to the bottom of the page or we leave it at: a nearly perfect Eiswein in a form you can drink down. Pittersberg is the other of the top Crus, and this site is more classic and less mischievous than its neighbor. Stefan refers only to “slate” and very often the wine smells just like Mosel wine – in fact just like Graacher Himmelreich. “In parts dusty loam over slate,” according to the textbook. Pittersberg is related to the Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg, which is just over the Rhine less than two miles north, though without the Taunus-quartzite of the Rheingau site. Diel’s great Pittermännchen is also on slate; I’m sure the similar names are not coincidence. Pittersberg gives firm, nutty Rieslings.
Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Trocken, Kruger-Rumpf 1989
Fresh and lively, a wonderful wine – Georg wanted to show us that dry wines can age.
Bye-bye
Thank you ver much Georg for the very exciting cellar tour, vineyard tour, tasting and lunch.
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