Richard Oestreicher: Sven Enderle without the Beard
– Certified Organic
– No Pumps Used at All
– No Temperature Controlled Fermentation
– Cult, Cult, Cult
– Sold to the Top German Collectors
– We Had to Beg for Puny Allocations
– Wines to Stun and Blow Away Even the most Jaded Drinker
– That Magical Quality that Sven Gets in His Wines
– Only 3 Hectares – Teeny Production
2021 Richard Ostreicher Spatburgunder Katzenkopf
– His Top, Top Wine
– One of the Cultiest, Hardest to Get Wines in Germany Bar None
– Presold to a Fanatical Customer Base
– Sven Enderle Is a Customer
– Much Better Density and Structure than the Rosen Which We Previously Sold
– One of the Greatest Pinot Noirs of Germany
– Nose: An Utterly Sensual Experience
– Among the Most Intense Noses of Any Pinot Noir I’ve Ever Sniffed
– Utter Magic
– So Different and Distinctive
– Red Roses
– Utterly Intoxicating
– Spicy, Some Lovely Herbs
– Palate: Like a Perfect Kiss
– Perfect Sweet Cherries
– Terrific Elegance
– So Juicy
– Beautiful Creaminess
– Incredible Structure
– So Sapid
– An Indescribable Element of Magic
– Finish – So Long
– Utterly Delicious
2021 Richard Ostreicher Chardonnay Rossbach
– One of the Greatest Chardonnays Made in Germany
– Dead Ringer for Very Good Grand Cru Chablis
– With a Touch of St. Aubin
– and Ostreicher Magic
– Definitely Its Own Thing in the High End Chardonnay Universe
– Nose: Beautiful Fresh Sea Breeze
– Terrific Concentration in a Tightly Packed, Elegant Way
– That Untamed Ostreicher Magic
– Palate: Starts off Classic Chablis
– Remarkably Dense Minerality
– The Elegant Richness of Grand Cru Chablis
– Amazing Purity – Like Drinking a Mountain Stream
– Firm, Direct and Precise
Richard Oestreicher: the Sven Enderle of Franken
Richard Oestreicher is one of those winemakers who falls completely outside of the “normal” way of doing things, which is quite unusual in Germany. It’s not a country that breeds as many mavericks as we do. I call him “the Sven Enderle of Germany” because he is willing, perhaps even excited to, disregard the normal conventions of winemaking. He uses no pumps in his cellar to transfer the wines from one location to another (I’ve heard Sven talk about the evils of pumps). He is certified organic. He doesn’t use temperature controlled fermentation, trusting the wine to arrive where it wants it to arrive.
In lesser hands, this approach can be very risky. The winemaker has far less control over the outcome than if everything is managed via a dial or a switch. But in the right hands… oh my God in the right hands this approach can yield wines of pure magic like no other.
Richard is a winemaker’s winemaker. While his lovely wife Kerstin deals with their adoring customers, Richard is happiest either in the fields or the cellar. Fortunately we got some face time to understand his approach. Richard was one of the new generation of winemakers who realized the potential of Pinot noir and Chardonnay on German soils. He grew up toiling on his parent’s farm making grapes and the white asparagus winemakers grow to supplement their income. While his friends were out having fun, Richard was stooped over asparagus plants. The first thing he did when he took over the winery was rip them all out.
This winery has critical acclaim and a fanatical customer base but is in a bit of an unheralded area so we never visited them. I wish I had known about them. We should have been selling them for 10 years. Shame on me.
The Wines
Today, we are offering one of the great pinot noirs of Germany. It’s the 2021 Richard Ostreicher Pinot Noir Katzenkopf for $73.99 a bottle each of a 3 pack purchase.
This wine comes from a very specific microclimate which makes it incredibly distinctive. The vines are southwest facing and get very good sun. The soil is stony shell limestone as compared to the Rosen which is sandy loam. It’s also higher on the hill. It has much better density and structure than the Rosen which we previously sold.
This is so hard to get, even if you’re a German billionaire, it’s not funny.
The nose is remarkably and unusually sensual. Like a slow, romantic kiss. I’m sorry I wish I could be more precise and less metaphorical, but that’s what this smells like. I would say one of the most intense noses of any pinot noir that we’ve sold. Incredibly floral. Just brilliant red roses. Some lovely spiciness. Elegant herbs. But the presentation is of an incredibly intense and beautiful perfume. You can pretty much smell this from across the room. Tremendously explosive. What a nose. Deep, penetrating, wild cherries, forest floor, and so, so perfumed. An earthy sweetness is just overwhelming. Amazing. So elegant and delicate. Yet so deep and vivid. Amazing purity to the fruit. High quality here. The deep cherry fruit is constantly changing between dark and light cherries. So detailed and vivid. Just a pleasure to sniff and sniff. Oolong tea, minerals and subtle spices add to the aromatic lightshow. Wow!
The palate is simply wonderful. Again, just a sensual experience. You get intense red fruits. Perfectly ripe cherries. A hint of red currants. Really intense sweet cherries (not the tart ones). Terrific elegance. Palate has energy and purity for days plus awesome sappy texture and grippy but sweet tannins and wonderful sappy cherries. Brilliant freshness and texture and very nimble. This has serious structure and will age very very well. This wine is so haunting and ethereal and subtle. The palate though is where this really picks up steam, unreal texture and just so stunningly beautiful. Wow. Opulence on the mid palate then this gorgeous, cleansing mineral finish. So finessed and filigreed. Nimble and energetic. Decadent sweet cherry fruit awash in minerals. So refreshing but also complex and deep. This is excellent. The energy, stunningly pure and unique fruit and how the minerality presents itself this is really stand out. Superb wine. After air it only gets better. Palate is so juicy and silken with just explosive mid and early season cherry fruit. A supple and alluring texture and sweet but just sweet fruit that really stakes a claim on your palate But is intermingled with spice, leather and stunning minerality. Very sapid – you just want to drink more and more of it. You get that integrated minerality that just balances it incredibly well. It has a wonderfully elegant creaminess.
If I’ve written this properly, I’ll need to allocate because I only have 60 bottles of this wine. So please be understanding.
The second wine is easily one of the most distinctive white wines we sell. It’s the 2021 Richard Ostreicher Chardonnay Rossbach for $69.99 a bottle each on a 3 pack. The best comparison I can make is Elite Grand Cru Chablis but maybe with a touch of very good 1er Cru St. Aubin and some Ostreicher magic. This is one of those wines that is definitely its own thing in the high end Chardonnay universe. There’s nothing really like it in the world of Chardonnay that I’ve had.
The nose on this is on one hand, classic, well made Grand Cru Chablis. The most beautiful fresh sea breeze. Imagine standing on a bluff at sunset with the wind coming in and you get that fresh ocean air. Sea salt. Just that freshness that opens the nose. Wow. Terrific concentration but in a tightly packed, elegant way. But you also get some of the Ostreicher magic. It’s a bit untamed. You can almost hear the echoes of Sven Enderle Auxerrois in this wine even though it’s not a skin contact wine.
The palate is fantastic. Again – you get classic Chablis. So beautifully salty. So, so mineral. Just a remarkably dense minerality. The elegant richness that you get with Grand Cru Chablis or even a very well made elegant St. Aubin. Just amazing purity on this wine. Almost like you are drinking a mountain stream. So firm, direct and precise. Wonderful mineral acidity.
But again there’s just something just so different about this wine. A bit of magic here.
This is, on one hand, just incredibly well made Chardonnay from limestone soils. Easily Grand Cru quality. But if you like Chardonnay, I highly recommend trying at least a bottle. It just has this something indescribably and magically extra about it.
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.
|
|
A Word about Fass Selections and Social Media
I am big into certain social media and I want people to take pictures of the wines they have received or will receive and tag me in them and share their thoughts. I a am on Instagram. Please tag me there. I also am on Delectable which I love a lot. It is Iphone/Ipad only, but it’s like Instagram meets Facebook for wine. Tag me there and find me there as well. I want to know if you liked the wine, were not moved by the wine, hated the wine or the wine gave you a religious experience. I want to know it all. Feedback is key and I will answer all feedback e-mails as quickly as I can.
For all billing and invoicing inquiries please contact Nick at accounts@fassselections.com or 646-498-6078