A Striking Silvaner and a Solid Stopper

When last I wrote of Klaus-Peter Keller's Gruener Silvaner on these pages early this spring it was about his 2007 vintage, which I paired with simply prepared, fresh caught trout — a pretty classic pairing (even if I do say so myself). I've enjoyed the current release (2009) since then but I was surprised when hunting through my over-packed, under-organized wine closet for something to imbibe with dinner earlier this week to find a bottle of the 2006 vintage. My first thought was, "Oops, this one got away from me."

Mind you, I do realize that Silvaner can in some cases be quite age worthy. Consider Franconian Silvaners from producers such as Hans Wirsching, for example. But I've always thought of Keller's Silvaner as being intended for relative immediacy. For one, it's a basic level qualitatswein — a silly prejudice, I know, but one that's not entirely irrational. For another, it's fairly inexpensive; the current release goes for around $18, while the 2006, when it was still on the market, was closer to $15. Yeah, yeah, another silly prejudice; I do know better. And third, it's sealed with an alternative in-neck stopper, generally a pretty strong (if not universal) signal that, from the producer's perspective, the wine is meant to be drunk young.

Rheinhessen Grüner Silvaner QbA trocken, Weingut Keller 2006
$16. 12.5% alcohol. DIAM. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
Four years is hardly old by wine standards, but then one must bear in mind that plenty of wines out there, both white and red, start to sag, droop and develop age spots in as little as one or two cycles of the calendar. I didn't think it unreasonable to expect Keller's '06 Silvaner to have slipped into that kind of decline. And I was pleased to be proven wrong.

Certainly, there's been some development. The wine now shows yellow tones in the glass, darker than its hay-tinted mineral water appearance in youth. It's also taken on some richness, both of aroma and flavor, curving much more into the Riesling-esque end of the spectrum than when young; less forthright pear fruit and salinity, more dark minerality, truffle, and citrus oil characteristics. Still, though, it remains completely vital. What surprised me most was that the element of residual carbon dioxide, so typical of the wine in its youthful stage, still had not dissipated; morphed, yes, but completely dissolved, no. Rather than a refreshing prickle on the first touch, that CO2 now expressed itself via a sense of active energy, like a wave breaking gently across the rear palate. Now I'm left wondering how it would be another year or two down the road. Alas, as is so often the case in such scenarios, this was my last bottle....

On a related note, the alternative closure I referred to above was a DIAM. As I've mentioned here in the past, the DIAM is my favorite of the alternative in-neck stoppers on today's market. Again, while four years is hardly old by wine standards, at three-and-a-half years in bottle, this might be the longest "under-cork" DIAM sealed wine I've yet had the opportunity to sample. As should be obvious from the above note, the experience was a positive one. The stopper itself was in good shape and had not — at least not to my palate — imparted any discernible flavor to the wine, something I can't say for the various plastic/polymer closures currently in use. Also, though I have heard of a report or two from others, I've still yet to encounter a TCA-tainted wine sealed under DIAM.

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Silvaner Season

Trout fishing season opened today in Southeastern PA. My buddy Pete was first in line at his favorite local water hole, and the last man standing at the end of the day with not a single flippy fish to his line's credit. His friend's shared their loot though, and, magnanimous guy that he is, he shared it in turn.

So... dinner tonight: fresh caught trout, cleaned and butterflied (by Pete's buddies, I might add — I didn't even have to do the dirty work), stuffed with a couple of slices of lemon, a few sprigs of thyme, sprinkled with salt and pepper, brushed with olive oil and cooked outside on the grill. A side of slivered, sautéed Brussels sprouts. And a bottle of wine.

My first thought had gone to a Kabinett trocken or halbtrocken Riesling from Weingut Ratzenberger, partly as a tip of the hat to my day's monger, who visited Ratzenberger during a trip to Germany for Oktoberfest last fall, and partly because the wines are simply ideal with the clean, delicate flavors of stream fish. But then my thought went to a bottle that had been standing in wait in my fridge for far too long, just waiting for the proper meal that would summon it to its final reckoning.

Rheinhessen Grüner Silvaner, Weingut Keller 2007
$16. 12% alcohol. DIAM. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
The yeastiness that often accompanies Keller's Silvaner in the months after release has shed its veil, revealing a wine still in the full stride of freshness, perfect for spring drinking. Crackling with acidity, dripping limey minerality and still sporting a light prickle of CO2. And yes, it tasted as good as it felt — full of white floral aromas, crisp green pear fruit and nuanced with a whiff of mace-like spiciness. Like Chablis on happy pills. Or for those of you that prefer a more concrete, pears-to-pears comparison, not nearly so fleshy and rich as Wittmann's Silvaner, but just as equally rewarding in its own right.

Thanks for sharing, Pete!

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Four for the Fifth

On the Fourth of July, I was far too busy wishing I was in Monaco to give much thought to what’s probably the biggest backyard BBQ holiday in America. A relaxed Sunday brought the opportunity to at least give tradition a nod, with some easy cheeseburgers and asparagus on the grill along with a potfull of early season corn on the cob. What we chose to drink seemed appropriate enough to the food if not the holiday.


Rheinhessen Grüner Silvaner trocken, Wittmann 2006
$28. 12% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY.
Glowing medium yellow in the glass, with aromas of corn, fresh pressed linen and crisp green pears. At once rich and nervy on the palate, ever so slightly pétillant and showing a few graciously handled grams of RS. My first tasting impressions were hazy but one thing was certain right away: the wine has amazing length. Spätlese-like extract levels stain the palate, the wine’s flavors clinging with great tenacity. There’s also a great mineral depth lurking behind the up front pear and garden-fresh flavors. Much richer and more intense than Keller’s estate Silvaner trocken, and correspondingly more expensive.


Saumur-Champigny “Terres Chaudes,” Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain) 2006
$25. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Vos Selections, New York, NY.
This displayed the side of Loire Cabernet Franc that still sometimes leaves me scratching my head, showing aromas that nudge right up against those often associated with TCA though absolutely not corked. It’s little wonder that so many people have a hard time coming to grips with Cab Franc. In the end, just to be clear, I did like the wine. It showed lots of pepper – both black peppercorns and bell peppers – balanced by juicy plum and blackberry fruit. With a little time in the glass, it showed more aromatic depth: sweat, blood, pencil lead and some animal character. Firmly tannic, slightly low on the acid front and a little bit awkward, this needs some more time in the cellar to find its harmony though I expect it will always be more intriguing than elegant. It also needs meat on the table, so was a happy match with our burgers.

After an incredibly rainy June, the weather 'round here's been delightful of late. A fine night for dining al fresco, complete with patio flames as tended by Fireman Bill.


Rioja Crianza “Viña Cubillo,” R. Lopez de Heredia 2002
$22. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: USA Wine Imports, New York, NY.
65% Tempranillo, 25% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. Medium red, with faint garnet, brick hues. Its nose of forest floor and dried cherry tobacco hints at the beginnings of maturity yet the wines was juicy and sprightly as could be on the palate. This is Heredia’s “everyday wine” – and a really tremendous value. Beef jerky and dried cherries develop on the nose, as does a leathery streak on the mid-rear palate. But above all, the wine has energy and spirit. It’s as if you can taste the striations of the vines – sinewy, cut and fully detailed yet with no sense of clinical precision. I’ve heard of some bottle variation with this vintage – the last bottle I opened was corked, but that’s another story. This one was singing.


Moulin à Vent “La Réserve d’Amélie,” Domaine Gérard Charvet 2002
$16 on release. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.
This we opened just to check in on its progress. My notes read something like this: “Pepper eau de vie, pepper juice, black pepper tea, brined green peppercorns….” You get the idea. Either I was wrong about this one when it was released or it’s going through an extremely strange stage. I’m heavily inclined to think the former is the case. When young, this was delicious and showed what I though was great potential. Now, though, it’s not exactly shot but it’s far from becoming. My last bottle is going into the experimental bin for a final examination a few years down the road. You’ll find slightly less disappointing notes on the 2004 vintage here, though my dining companions on this Fifth of July related that their last bottle of ’04, opened recently, was in a less enjoyable state than was this bottle of ’02. A never ending mystery….

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