MCF Rare Wine
Summer Delights from Germany
Today, we (hopefully) learn NOT to fear the tall, slender bottle.
Just because a wine is in a bottle that has that 'German Shape', doesn't mean it's sweet.
Today's three wines are all from Germany (and in the skinny bottle!) and all three are indeed very non-sweet...
Item number one is Clemens Busch's Riesling Trocken 2015. It's a live-wire glass of intensely-dry Mosel Riesling that will electrify your palate with all manner of racy sensations.
Yes, racy is the key word here, because this wine is the potable equivalent of an F1 car (an old F1 car, where the 20k RPMs SCREAMED, not one of the modern, low-pitched hybrids, of course).
A bright, flowery nose invites you into a palate that is so textured, so...impassioned (if you will) and finishes with such and edge that you'll instantly want to reach for an oyster.
The second wine is Knebel's Riesling Trocken 2015, which is always a great contrast to the Clemens Busch, especially in this vintage. Where the Clemens is a screamer, the Knebel is a bit rounder and juicier, but with a wonderful salty/savory streak underneath. It's juicy, but it's still bone dry.
The final wine is as perfect a Summer 'chiller' red as you'll find. Koehler-Ruprecht, known for their ultra-old school Pfalz Rieslings also makes lovely Pinot Noir and this 2014 Spatburgunder Kallstadter Kabinett Trocken is just flat-out delightful.
It's lightly-colored with a super flowery nose of pure, red Pinot fruit and subtle notes of earth and baking spice. On the palate, the light body and lively acids complement the wonderfully transparent red fruits and surprisingly well-developed secondary nuances perfectly. It also shows the complexity you expect from something with many more years under its belt, and does so all at under $20!
Even though it's eminently gulpable, the Kallstadter is also plenty serious for some high-minded dining as well.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
237 West 13th Street
New York 10011
mcf@mcf-rarewine.com
212.255.8870
www.mcf-rarewine.com
