Wednesday Night Newsletter 10-12-22

Keller is one of those wineries we can’t get enough of—the wines are fantastic and they don’t stick around very long once (if) they hit the shelves.  The recently arrived wines include the best-in-class-value Von der Fels, a (very) dry wine made exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards.  This edition is sourced mostly from Kirschspiel and displays true GG character at a much, much lower pricing.  We’ve also got the entry-level Estate Trocken Riesling, perpetual staff-pick Silvaner and our first ever allocation of their savory/salty vom Muscheligen Kalk bottling—all in stock and ready for your cellar.

“If I had to choose one wine to show how great dry German Riesling can be I would choose a Keller Riesling. Those wines are the German Montrachets” – Jancis Robinson, 2008

Newly Arrived and In Stock Now from Weingut Keller:

Weingut Keller Gruner Silvaner Trocken, Rheinhessen 2021 750ml $36 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott 91 points “The attractive yellow apple and green bean aromas are married to fine tannins and there is plenty of chalky character on the medium-bodied palate of this excellent “basic” dry Silvaner. From 35-45 year old vines in the Steingrübe vineyard of Westhofen on a chalky soil. Drink now.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!

Weingut Keller Limestone Riesling, Rheinhessen 2021 750ml $29 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Vom Boden importer note “This wine is all in the name—Limestone—an absolutely a salty, piquant delight of a wine.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Weingut Keller Westhofener Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Rheinhessen 2020 750ml $579 special, 2 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 98 points “Extremely expressive nose with deep white-fruit, herbal and smoky aromas. Enormously concentrated, but very cool and pristine, thanks to the super-racy mineral acidity that gives the finish great power. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2020er Morstein Riesling, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from 75-year-old vines and low yields (under 30 hl/ha) in one single old Fuder. It offers an aromatic, intense, and very complex nose of herbs, pineapple, grapefruit, mint, ginger, and a hint of camphor. The wine captures one’s attention as it proves hugely intense, compact, and dense on the palate. Notes of lemon and citrus are wrapped into plenty of spices and add to the feeling of razor-sharpness which emerges into the long and tight finish. There is also a light phenolic and powerful presence. This hugely impressive but still very primary dry Riesling will require a couple of years to fully show its potential. There is clear upside potential if it manages to gain finesse over time. 2025-2035+”

Weingut Keller ‘Vom Muscheligen Kalk’, Rheinhessen 2021 750ml $33 special, 24 bottles in stock now
Mostly Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with a splash of Silvaner.

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Love hard to find German wines? 

Shop our full list on our webstore now or browse highlights below!

Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Auf dem Hölzchen Riesling Kabinett Trocken AP21 2021 750ml $31.90 special, 14 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “The 2021er Krettnacher Auf dem Hölzchen Riesling Kabinett Trocken comes from 50-60-year-old vines above the Ober Schäfershaus. It offers a beautiful and still slightly reduced nose made of cassis, tobacco, smoke, and herbs. The wine proves racy yet still subtly creamy in the long finish. The aftertaste is zingy and packed with herbs and flintstone. This will need a few years to integrate its firm acidity but will then be a great dry Kabinett made for lovers of the steely expression of the genre. 2026-2041.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Weingut Donnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml $59 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
John Gilman 94 points “The 2018 Felsenberg GG is also absolutely outstanding this year. The bouquet is impressively expressive at this early stage, soaring from the glass in a blaze of pear, tart orange, a beautiful base of slate minerality, wild yeasts, a touch of fleur de sel and a potpourri of floral scents in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and seamless, with outstanding mid-palate depth, powerful mineral drive and great cut and grip on the long, perfectly balanced and youthful finish. This will be show stopping juice in the fullness of time. 2028-2070. 94.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93+ points “Bottled in July, just two days before I tasted the 2018 Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling trocken –GG– for the first time, the nose was ripe and generous but fine and flinty-mineral. Lush and salty-piquant, this is a full-bodied, rich and powerful yet vital Riesling with lots of body but also tension, purity and grip. Tasted again in August 2019.”
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Huckleberry, crushed coriander seed and zesty lemon on the nose anticipate the piquancy, pungency and citricity that dominate on a firm, full, glossy palate. Stony and alkaline notes tug in an austere direction, though the gripping, penetrating finish conveys ample refreshing juiciness as well as an uncanny sense of energy. “Whatever might be your favorite from among these vintage 2018 Grosse Gewächse,” remarked Dönnhoff, “you can recognize the [taste of the] site, and that’s the goal.””

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*** Trocken (WK), Mosel WK 2019 750ml $119 special, 13 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2019 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (White Capsule) offers a deep, ripe and highly intense yet refined and noble bouquet of ripe (tropical) stone fruits such as mango, golden passion fruit and persimmon, finely crushed and flinty slate as well as iodine notes. Rich and intense yet highly refined and crystalline on the palate, with vibrant yet finessed acidity and lots of elegant or even subversive power, grip and tension, this is a highly elegant, multilayered and endlessly salty as well as frisky Sonnenuhr that delivers all the charm and complexity we may expect from this praised grand cru but rarely had in our glasses as perfectly as it comes here. This is a sustainable Sonnenuhr that I have rarely tasted with such a firm and serious structure and initial austerity. The wine has salt and tannic grip on the finish, but it has to be aged for another 8-10 years at least. One day this might be another giant from the Molitor category of “physical drinking.” Tasted from AP 52 20 in May 2021.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese Long Goldkapsel, Mosel 2017 750ml $189 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese Long Goldkapsel, Mosel 2017 375ml $99 special, 10 half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt – Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2017 Bernkasteler Lay Auslese (Long Gold Capsule), AP 18 18, is very clear, intense and generous but precise on the nose, with lots of mango, ripe peach, mirabelle and honey aromas. On the palate, this is a generously rich but refined, finessed and lush Auslese with a salty-piquant finish that is intense, complex and long. Honey-sweet but still crystalline, transparent and really kicking, this is another gorgeous 2017 Auslese from the Prüm family. Tasted in March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2017er Bernkasteler Lay Auslese lange GK delivers an almost exuberant nose (at least f or Joh. Jos. Prüm standards) of mango, ripe pineapple, acacia honey, caraway, gingerbread, star anise and pear puree all pepped up by a fleeting touch of volatile acidity. The wine proves lusciously generous and slightly oily on the palate driven by flavors of almond paste, candied exotic fruits and honey. This small BA in the making is quite impressive. 2027-2057.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Dr. Crusius Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Beerenauslese Goldkapsel 2015 375ml $135 special, 7 half-bottles in stock now
A Johannes Selbach handpicked selection for Vinopolis!
Mosel Fine Wines 98 points “Harvested at a full-on 153° Oechsle (i.e. sugar levels technically qualifying for TBA), this auction BA starts off on the primary and discreet side at first before rapidly exhibiting huge finesse, complexity and depth with honeyed notes of apricot, pineapple, mango, vanilla cream and other exotic fruits. The botrytis gives the wine a great exotic, luscious and unctuous texture with plenty of juice, creamy viscosity and smoothness on the palate. The wine is, of course, still very sweet at this stage (it has no less than 229 g/l of residual sugar), but the interplay with some gorgeously playful acidity makes for a superbly clean and focused feel in the long finish. The only drawback of this little masterpiece of a BA is that it is still a good decade away from maturity. Patience is required! 2030-2085.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

 

What they lack in centuries of history and breadth of portfolio is a head-turning, traditionally-styled wine experience in the wines on offer. With a “magnificently mustachioed Joël Saurel at the helm,” to quote Joe Czerwinski of the Wine Advocate, this humble, family-owned domain creates head-turning, traditionally styled old-vine Grenache-based blends. The wines show deep, earthy flavors and superior style due to their intensely rigorous quality standards and exceptionally old vines.

In Stock Now from Saint Damien:

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Rosé, Rhône 2021 750ml $28 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 89 points “The medium salmon-hued 2021 Gigondas Rose features scents of pink grapefruit, guava and melon. A blend of 50% Cinsault, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache, it’s medium-bodied, with a lovely, silky texture and a long finish that echoes of crushed stone and paraffin.”
Importer note “From the lieu dit “La Moutte” this tiny production rosé is from mostly 45 year old Cinsault planted in 1970, and 10-15 year old Mourvèdre and Syrah. Cold maceration for 6 hours in the press and slow pneumatic pressing. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks with occasional lees stirring. 70% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre. Soil: Red sandy clay soil with broken round stones (cailloux). Organic.”

 Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes, Rhône 2019 750ml $31.90 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “Moving to the 2019s, this is a great vintage for this estate, and all of the wines showed brilliantly. The 2019 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is its usual 80/20 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre and has awesome dark fruits, ground pepper, licorice, truffle, and earthy mineral-like aromas and flavors. I love its mid-palate, it has elegance as well as power, ripe tannins, and a great finish. I finished my note with ‘Wow.'”

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes, Rhône 2019 750ml $34.50 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes, Rhône 2019 750ml $199 special (that’s only $33.17/bottle!)
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “Lastly, the 2019 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more classic, with pure dark, peppery fruits as well as garrigue, cedar, and leather notes. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it has impressive tannins and will benefit from short-term bottle age. As with the other Gigondas here, you should expect 10-15 years of prime drinking. This cuvée is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, aged all in foudre.”
Grapelive 96 points “The fabulous and sultry Grenache based 2019 Saint-Damien Les Souteyrades Gigondas has layers of black raspberry, boysenberry, plum and grenadine on the full bodied palate along with that anise, floral incense, baked cherry, chalky stones and peppery spices. This vintage is less gamy/earthy than the prior couple of years and there is a thrilling sense of energy and an exceptional sense of purity in this dark purple/garnet Rhone red. The good dose of Mourvedre does add a meaty and savory dimension to this outstanding version, making for wine that way over delivers for the price, competing with Chateauneufs that go for three times the cost of this Saint-Damien single Lieu-Dit bottling. This winery has become a must have to satisfy my personal Grenache and Rhone habit, along with Saint-Cosme’s legendary Gigondas. The aromatics and mouth feel are really seductive, and air only brings more excitement and complexity here with a heady mix of dark florals and grenadine going to the fore. The underpinning tannin is sweet, but there is some serious structure to this Les Souteyrades. This wine has tremendous potential for long term cellaring and is a savvy buy for bargain hunters…The Vieilles Vignes Gigondas lieu-dit “Les Souteyrades” sits on a small hill with the vineyard being a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre (and the wine here is the same percentage) with the main plot consisting of old Grenache Noir vines that were planted back in 1948 and 38 year old Mourvèdre vines that are set on an outcropping of pure grey clay soils with a scattering of stones. This cru site makes for deep fruit intensity and rich concentration, which this gorgeous 2019 shows with flamboyant hedonism in the glass. The Saint-Damien “Les Souteyrades” Gigondas is fermented traditionally with old school techniques with a long maceration, lasting for between 6 to 8 weeks on the skins, in concrete vats before moving to large oak foudres for about a year. This unfined and unfiltered and native yeast fermented cuvée sees all from organic grapes that are carefully handpicked and sorted to best show off the terroir here. While hefty and close to 15% natural alcohol, this Les Souteyrades doesn’t feel hot or flabby, in fact the balance is fantastic. This entertaining and rewarding Southern Rhone wine deserves a big robust meal to allow all its pleasures to shine through, and this vintage never puts a foot wrong. It is close to perfection in every way. I highly recommend these Saint-Damien 2019s, especially this one, along with their “La Louisiane” that has become their signature wine.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
The average price nationally is $37

This is the only listing in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes, Rhône 2020 750ml $33 pre-arrival special
Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points “Looking at the Gigondas releases, the 2020 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes doesn’t give anything to the two single vineyard releases and offers awesome aromatics, full-bodied richness, a round, lush, yet pure mouthfeel, and ripe yet certainly present tannins. It’s loaded with Provençal, garrigue, and peppery goodness, and it’s going to be a brilliant value. This cuvée is an 80/20 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre raised all in foudre.”

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas La Louisiane Vieilles Vignes, Rhône 2020 750ml $36 pre-arrival special
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 points “The 2020 Gigondas La Louisiane is also just about overflowing with Provençal charm and character, offering full-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, ground pepper, violets, and orange blossom. It too is seamless, has ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. The blend is 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault and Syrah.”

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas ‘Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes’, Rhône 2020 750ml $36 pre-arrival special
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 points “The 2020 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more structured, with notable acidity as well as tannins. Full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackberries, cassis, ground pepper, and violets give way to a rich, concentrated, focused Gigondas that’s going to benefit from a handful of years in the cellar. All of these 2020 barrel samples are brilliant.”

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas ‘Clovis Saurel’, Rhône 2020 750ml $44 pre-arrival special, only 11 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 94-97 points “All Grenache aged in demi-muid, the 2020 Gigondas Clovis Saurel is certainly more modern in style, but it never loses its Southern Rhône soul. It has complex Provençal garrigue, spice box, cherry, and peppery aromas and flavors as well as a deep, rich, broad mouthfeel.”