Grand Cru /GG Style Kastanienbusch Pinot Noir
- Achingly Beautiful, Finesse-Driven
- Exquisite Fruit, Deep Berry, Gamey, Mineral
- One of My Absolute Favorite Vineyards in Germany
Single Vineyard Grosses Gewachs Style Riesling
- Kastanienbusch's Geeky Cousin
- Dense Aromatics but Profoundly Mineral
During this recent sale I had more requests for Klundt than any other German producer. A ton of clients said give me the rest of your Klundt. I wish I had that much left but the end of bin sales are as advertised.
Today though I have managed to wrestle away 2 semi-decent allocations of one stunning 2015 "GG"
Sven Klundt crashed upon the scene when his 2012 Kastanienbusch Riesling finished 7th in the Berlin Cup tasting of the top dry white wines of Germany. Klundt placed ahead of Keller, Dönnhoff, Wagner-Stempel and even Rebholz. For many of you who were not on the list back then, you owe it to yourself to try his wines today as the 2015s are even better.
Sven's wines in 2015 are not measured and careful, they are stunning. And I mean stunning. He has taken a leap this vintage. Like Garaudet took a leap in '14, Murat in '11, Caspari in '14, Sven has taken a leap in 2015 and made, by far, the greatest wines of his short but esteemed career. When I emailed him to see how the 2015s were shaping up, he cold barely hold it together via email, which is unusual for him, as I have said he is a measured and mellow guy. Opposite of me. But he said the growing season was perfect and he would not change a thing, the grapes came in perfectly and as soon as he tasted the first fermented juice he knew he had greatness on his hands. As I've learned more and more about Sven, his terror, his wines and his style I can say I love all his vintages but I find the ones where there is an extra bit of ripeness to be where his wines truly excel. These wines remind me of his 13s (which were amazing) but supercharged and with an extra special thing that separates them from his 13s and any other vintage he has made. While the 2012 was the early work of a prodigy,the 2015 is a masterpiece of an established master.
Up first is the 2015 Sven Klundt Hochborn Riesling (formerly Steinweg in 2014) for as little as $24.99 on a 4-pack. This is just a no brainer for how good this is. The vineyard is near Godramstein and is called the Steinweg (Hochborn from 15 on) which translates to "Stoneway," which as soon as you get to the vineyard, it becomes obvious why. There is so much white limestone in this vineyard it looks like shells on an endless beach of vines. The vines are an average of 34 years of age. It is remarkable and grand terroir, and from it comes this remarkable counterpoint to the great Kastanienbusch. If Kastanienbusch is tropical, baroque and spicey, Hochborn is stoney along with tropical but also there is a fascinating, unique smokey minerality that makes this wine so sedcutive. This also blew my mind for how high the quality is and how low the price is. GG style for $28. Sven Klundt is doing amazing things in this sleepy area of the Pfalz. This wine has majorly dense aromas, with tons of tropical fruit and herbs and that distinctive smokey minerality. In 2015 aromas can be off the charts and just as layered and dense as the wines. This is one of those nose. The nose is just beyond. You can sniff it for minutes on end. Then the 2015 thunder hits you on the palate. Layer after layer of firm and intense mineral expression. The palate is all minerals with a lovely and distinctive, smokey and gorgeously saline aftertaste. Terrific power concentration and sap. This is an incredible wine for the money. Only the 2nd vintage, but it is very obvious Sven has a handle on the terroir. The wine is very young now but this is an amazing wine with a great future. Buy by the case.
Up next I've got a very special wine and this will be allocated and is extremely exciting for me to offer. Sven has saved me the last bottles of this wine because I adored it so much and he knew it was important for me to sell it as I've got a good cross-section of the top producers in this category. I am honored to offer the first ever 2014 Sven Klundt Kastanienbusch Pinot Noir for $26.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. As I said before straight up criminal pricing for a wine this pretty. This is like Chambolle meets Gevrey and it also harkens back to various much more expensive versions by Hansjorg Rebholz. The Chambolle part is the aching beauty and finesse of it and the Gevrey is the flavor profile which is meaty and gamey just like good Gevrey can be. This tells me that Kastanienbusch creates Gevrey like wines as both producers (Klundt and Rebholz) make Kastanienbusch Pinot Noirs and both have a specific gamey/meaty quality. But the difference is you gotta wait 10 years to drink Rebholz. With Klundt's Pinot you can drink on release and it will age 7-8 years. The wine has wonderfully complex nose with aromatic minerals, deep red berry fruit, game, smoke and such unreal refinement. Really compelling nose. An aromatic rock star. The nose announces itself that this is a special wine. The palate has beautiful and exquisite fruit that is polished and so refined. Really fine just amazing tannins. Beautiful sappy fruits extend on the finish. This is really great.
2015 Sven Klundt Riesling Trocken"Hochborn" - $26.99 ($99.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
2014 Sven Klundt Pinot Noir "Kastanienbusch" - $28.99 ($107.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
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