2018 Koehler Ruprecht Pinot Noir Kallstadt Kabinett Trocken

Sourced from a mix of sites in Kallstadt and one vineyard in Bad Dürkheim where the soils here are light and sandy. The grapes were handpicked, destemmed and fermented in stainless stee. The wine is pale, succulent and nervy with terrific cran/cherry fruit, fresh soil notes and very little oak in evidence. These are extremely old-school wines from an estate making trocken (dry) wines before it was trendy. In fact, the estate cleaves to the old labeling practice of putting both the pradikät and the trocken designation on each wine (e.g., Auslese Trocken), which the VDP no longer allows; it was one reason they left the consortium after 80 years of membership! Koehler-Ruprecht’s wines are released conspicuously late and are best enjoyed with bottle age, particularly the “R” reserve wines. It is safe to say there are no other wines like these made in Germany—or anywhere.