Kastanienbusch!
Kastanienbusch!
God... I love this vineyard!
Kastanienbusch is one of my favorite vineyards in the world. Alas, I rarely amfeeling flush enough to shell out $90 for Rebholz's brilliant Grosses Gewachs/Grand Cru Kastanienbusch. I've been looking for a Kastanienbusch that I could sell for $50 for a couple of years. Well - I've found one and
because almost no one has heard of the winemaker, it's under $30. I'm laughing as I type this. This is from the exact same Grand Cru vineyard as Rebholz and it's under $30 for single vineyard Kastanienbusch. If you like dry Riesling, I suggest you buy a decent amount as this will age wonderfully for decades. Sven is no dummy and as the word spreads about his wines, prices will increase to the $60-$90 range at traditional retail ($40-50 at Fass Selections direct from the estate prices).
I discovered this wine thanks to my good friend - one of the nicest guys in the world - Martin Zwick.
If you just guessed I'm guessing you would say 60-80 a bottle as that is roughly what those above go for. Okay, ready. I am thrilled (and somewhat surprised) to offer the 2013 Sven Klundt Kastanienbusch for as little as $29.99 on the 4 pack. Even at the normal 3 tier distribution price of $50, this wine is a ridiculous steal. This is a deep wine with just incredible precision and that amazing 2013 acidity which you will see in the Fall when I deliver the 13's to you. The minerality is so vivid and detailed and this wine is packed and dense like Kastanienbusch should be. The fruits tends to be more on the side of pithy nectarines and tangelo with amazing aromatic fruit/mineral complexity. It lasts and lasts on the palate. It is everything that you expect from a German Grosses Gewachs/Grand Cru (except the name as you have to pay to be in the VDP to use Grosses Gewachs and as a young winemaker, Sven is not yet a member). This will age for decades.
I arrived at young Sven Klundt's humble winery at around 7pm on a rainy late February night. It was a long, exhausting day of tasting in the Pfalz and this was out last stop before a long drive to Baden. My co-conspirator was too tired and used this for nap time in the car. I entered the small tasting room and we tasted.
Sven is a brilliant winemaker, very smart and incredibly nice and polite. It was evident from the first taste of his basic wines that he is an incredible young talent. But then we moved to the 2013 Kastanienbusch which was in barrel and very early in its life. Sven did not want to taste me on it as it needed tons of coaxing in the glass and was not clarified so it was cloudy. I sat there with a small glass of the 2013 Kastanienbusch and sniffed and swirled and tasted until it finally got to the place I wanted it to go. I was thrilled - we finally have our Kastanienbusch and at a price 40% less than I thought I would have to charge. It's about 1/3rd the price of Hansjorg Rebholz's you get a wine from a young up and coming grower from one of the greatest terroirs in Germany.
I just love discovering a new winemaker and bringing their wines to the United States for the first time. Don't get me wrong, I love selling the established wineries in my portfolio. The winemakers in their 40s continue to get better and better. But there is something incredibly exciting about discovering someone new and introducing their wines to my list of Riesling experts for the first time. Seeing their reactions to a new, fresh voice with a distinctive style.
Sven Klundt - welcome to America.
This will be limited as this is a tiny estate and he only has started making wine in the past 5 years.
2013 Sven Klundt Riesling "Kastanienbusch" - $33.99 ($119.56 4-pack) (Limited)
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