Kastaneinbusch Koppel
– A Separate Vineyard Next to the Famed Kastaneinbusch
– Wehrheim’s Kastaneinbusch Can Be Closed on Release (21 Was)
– Kastaneinbusch Koppel Is Wide Open and Shows the Brilliance of Wehrheim Riesling
– A Top 10 Riesling Producer in Germany
– I Begged for a Few Cases So You Can Try Them and See the Potential of the Wines without Waiting 3-5 Years
2022 Dr. Wehreim Riesling Kastaneinbusch Koppel GG
– 96 Points. Stuart Pigott
– A Grosses Gewachs / Grand Cru Vineyard
– The Platonic Ideal of Minerality
– An Absolute Reference Point Wine
– You Only Get This in the Pfalz in a Great Year, a Great Vineyard and from a Great Winemaker
– Reviewed, Under-Appreciated, Massively Underpriced
– Nose: A Gorgeous Complexity
– Mineral Powder Explosion
– White Flowers, Lemon Flowers
– Lemon Oil
– Dense but So, So Pretty
– I’d Put This Nose Up Against Any Chablis You Can Find
– Palate: Strength, Power, Intensity, Elegance, Finesse
– Palate Coating Minerality
– An Elegant Roundness
– A Perfect Acidity: Bright, Balancing but Not Too Much
– (Yes There Is Wonderfully Dense, Intense Citrus Fruit, But That Is Not the Point)
– Combines
. Elite Freshness
. Perfect, Classic Pfalz Minerality
. Elegant Richness
. Elegant Roundness
. Dense Yet Balanced Fruit
– Delicious But Very, Very Serious
– A Wine That Will Evolve, Improve, Define for Decades
– One of The BEST German Rieslings We Sell
– This is A Tier Grand Cru In My Book
Kastaneinbusch Koppel and Kastaneinbusch
We are all familiar with Kastanienbusch, made famous by Rebholz and one of the great riesling vineyards in the Germany. You have all had the 2021 Kastanienbusch from Dr. Wehrheim and while it’s clear that the stuffing is all there, the wine is sometimes closed and very young. For some reason, the wines from Kastanienbusch Koppel are much more open and drink wonderfully young. The Koppel vineyard has Buntsandstein soil versus the Rotliegend slate in regular Kastanienbusch, so that must be the reason. The poignant and classic Pfalzian acidity and minerality are integrated with the fruit and the wine shows its true potential. Obviously, this will age brilliantly but I wanted you all to see the potential of these wines today.
Dr. Wehrheim
We are beyond thrilled to be working with Dr. Wehrheim, now one of our most important German producers. They are the 4th generation pursuing a new, refined wine vision in the Palatinate aka Pfalz. Since the founding of the winery, Dr. Wehrheim has always remained true to their focus and produce Rieslings, Pinot Blancs and Pinot Noirs. Birkweile in the Pfalz offers unique conditions for this due to the high-quality locations and extremely heterogeneous soil structures.
- They have elite terroir in Kastanienbusch, Kastanienbusch Koppel and Im Sonnenschein.
- They are beloved by the top German critics. And the cellar is run by young superstar Franz Wehrheim.
- They make elite wines from Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir that have surpassed rRebholz
Some days the Gods shine upon us.
The wines are at once dense and mineral with stunning textures and freshness but also nimble and elegant. There is terrific intense acidity but also a wonderful mineral freshness that puts these wines on another level. They evolve open for days. The complexity is out of this world and they have the weight of a feather. It’s remarkable how profound these times and how dense yet elegant. These are elite elite wines.
The Wine
We are selling the 2022 Dr. Wehreim Riesling Kastaninbusch Koppel GG for $57.99 a bottle on a 4 pack. This is 97 points by Stuart Pigott who is the OG German wine critic.
Rebholz’s 2022 Kastanienbusch GG is $160 and got 98 from Pigott. So a 1 point differential. I’d say this is a remarkable steal.
Wow. What an insane complex nose. So, So floral. Just the most elegant white flowers that just hover above it all. Almost a dance with the lemon flowers that are intense but so elegant. Simply gorgeous. Citrus pith. I love the pretty mineral powder. Almost like a rock made of lemons was detonated into a fine mineral mist. If minerals can be beautiful, this is their reference point. Really what you are looking for in Pfalz wines. There’s so many more aromas I don’t quite have the vocabulary. But as it airs maybe they will become more clear. Nose now has more clearly defined and a bitricher fruit. Much more depth. Smells almost volcanic. Then it airs out. Watch out! Picture taking finely grained minerals and blasting them into your nose with aerated citrus peels. It’s simply an explosion of elegant minerality – the absolute Platonic ideal of minerality that you only get in the Pflaz in great years by great producers. There was also an incredible rainwater mixed with dripping pure citrus juice quality to the nose that just soared from the glass. It smells like nature. Like a vineyard. So, so floral. White flowers. So fresh. The depth and layering combined with the clarity of the nose is the best I have ever smelled in the Pfalz.
Palate is unreal. Where the regular Kastanienbusch is closed, this is wide open. When you first sip this, your head snaps back with the insane freshness. Almost makes every other wine you’ve had seem like it was sitting open in the basement for 10 years. There is an intensity about this wine that really makes it elite tier. What’s crazy is that you also get this gorgeous elegant richness. There’s also this elegant roundness to it. Wow! Wow, wow, wow!
Most wines of this style are all about the freshness and minerality and that’s it. This wine has this other rich element that just brings it all home. So dense yet light on its feet. Complex, deep with also a gorgeous pitter patter of minerals. Perfect balance. Unreal intense complex minerality that explodes on the finish. Wow. The finesse and complexity in the finish is unmatched. Just insane. Wow the palate has incredible focus now and the most incredible pink grapefruit ever. Wow. So good. This is elite GG.
The energy and purity are out of this world. So elegant and finesse-driven but with so much material. Finish is getting longer and fanning out. So complete and no extra flesh like. That’s 2022 for ya. It has such strength and power yet top levels of elegance and finesse. There is a precision and the density in the 2022 that raises the bar. There is a brilliant roundness that I only find in the best white wines yet it remains energetic, dense, high toned and super linear which is what one wants from an electric dry Riesling. Yes, there is also a huge backbone of dynamic fresh and very vivid fruit as well but even that has insane refinement. Incredible tension and structure. Super intense and bright palate, what a powerhouse, it is so packed. Pure. High toned. Explosion of tropical fruits. Massive structure, the cleanliness of this wine is stunning. What a finish of complex rock candy. Sweet saline. Citrus. Mineral sweetness. Lime blossom. Just a massive wine with huge extract, huge structure, huge texture, huge acids. Dramatic and coiled. Balanced, clean and elegant. Nice acid wash at the end. Cleans your palate. The minerality just coats the palate in an almost savory manner like few wines in the world. Almost a wall of flavor wine. There is a an herbal presence in this wine that I only find in German Riesling from great vintages. In a word, this is a stunning effort that will age 15+ years no problem.
Below please find Herr Pigott’s 96 point review for today’s wine.
“Lots of wild flower delicacy on the pristine nose. Wild rose even. Has a very sleek silhouette on the lithe and athletic body where the power is very underplayed. I love the intense wet stone minerality that shapes the very long and pure finish. Still very youthful. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2024.” – 96 Points Piggot
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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