A wonderful dinner with Klaus-Peter Keller

So Klaus-Peter Keller of the great Keller estate in the Rheinhessen region of Germany was in town for some tastings and we arranged to have a lovely dinner at Trestle on Tenth which was fantastic as usual. Klaus-Peter is very passionate about his wines and I was frankly amazed he made it to New York and he spends most of his time in the vineyard. It was his first time here and it was definitely a whirlwind tour of the US with stops in SF, PA and NYC. He was in good spirits at the dinner and was traveling with Tino Seiwert of the great German retailer Pinard de Picard. As an aside Ralf has really cranked it up and the food was the best I have ever had there. Keep up the good work Ralf. The first wine was the 2007 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Spatlese. Yes that is 2007 as Klaus-Peter carried over many wines for this jaunt through the US. This showed the promise of the 2007 vintage. A return to classicism they are all saying in Germany. The Kabinet's taste like Kabinet's and the Spatlesen like Spatlesen. This wine was lovely. A touch yeasty as it was so young but oh so lovely. Lots of red fruit and wonderful sap and grip along with great acidity and volume on the palate. Not at eleven mind you but more like a healthy and restrained seven. Great long finish with a wonderful mineral core. So clean. As one person at the dinner said "this was too easy to drink." I concurred. Up next was the 2004 Wittman Scheurebe Trocken which was much better on the nose than it was on the palate. The nose was classic kinked out Scheu with pink grapefruit, sage, a gamey element and high-toned citrus fruits. The palate seemed a bit heavy and ripe with a bit much texture if that makes sense, As it warmed up the alcohol stuck out more. Maybe something that should have been drunk a bit younger?

Next up was a flight of Keller's two 2004 Grosses Gewachs, the Hubacker and the Kirchspiel. The 2004 Keller Hubacker Grosses Gewachs was fantastic. Seemed to be more evolved than when I had it six months ago which was no problem for me as it was singing. Lovely sap and extract with a deep core of minerality and a super structure. The concentration was fantastic as was the purity and flavors of citrus fruits. Very fleshy but very lithe at the same time. The finish just went on and on. And no I did not time it. On the other hand the 2004 Keller Kirchspiel Grosses Gewachs was all cherries dancing on your palate as Klaus-Peter said. This wine seemed alive and wanted you to get involved with it. So playful and silky with wonderful minerality. Very drinakble and pure with astonishing length, cling and did I say purity. This was clearly my favorite of the two but it's like choosing your favorite child which for most of us is very difficult.

Next up was a duo of reds. Bruce Schneider of Schneider Vineyards in Long Island was in attendance and brought a new wine he had just bottled. The name escapes me at this moment but it was fantastic and perhaps one of the better Long Island Wines I have ever had. Cabernet Franc from a great hotter growing season than LI experiences normally this had one foot in the Loire and one foot in Bordeaux. A nice wine with great fruit, structure and length. Wonderful balance. Everybody really liked this. Next up was a wine I was very looking forward to but ultimately dissapointed. It was the 2004 Thierry Allemand Cornas "Sans Soufre." I thought it would be funny to bring a wine that has no sulfur to a dinner with a German winemaker. The first forty minutes this was open it was fantastic. Rich and ripe with great purity. I mean stunning purity. Not a hard edge to be found. Beguiling aromas of spice, red fruits, black fruits, purple fruits etc. There was also great mint and menthol along with some lovely wet earth. A complete nose that just sucked you in. But after and hour this wine fell off a cliff and did not close but just went downhill. Rough tannins, dilute fruit, hard edges everywhere and alcohol dominating, Like the picture of 2004 Allemand Sans Soufre was burned in the other room and this bottle just aged twenty years in in twenty seconds. Maybe needs sulfur?

The final wine of the night was the 2006 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Spatlese and it was a nice crisp cleanser after those red wines. This was gorgeously forward and very very smokey with cherries and cassis galore. Decadent but with lovely acidity and purity. Crunchy red fruits and a silky mouthfeel. Young but still open and delicious. Lovely bottle of Donnhoff and I am not a Norheimer guy usually.

All in all a memorable night and a great opportunity to have a lovely, personal dinner with one of my favorite winemakers in Germany.