2012 Riesling “Alte Reben” Trocken, Weingut Philipp Kuhn, Pfalz ($32)
The “Alte Reben”—which means “old vines,” and comes from 60-year-old vines—is a thoroughbred, very dry, packed with mineral and fruit concentration. Peach-mango-papaya ripeness on the nose, big-wine impressiveness on the palate. I love it with many foods…but you might want to concentrate on sausages and white meats (like pork!) for this big boy.
-David Rosengarten
The “rock star” of my portfolio is Philipp Kuhn, who took over his family’s centuries-old winery in 1992. Just 40 years old, Philipp is a famous face in German wine media and a frequent recipient of “best of the best” awards. I am lucky to be his importer! The winery is in the Pfalz, that remarkable German region with more sun than the Mosel and the Rheingau. Pfalz wines are richer, sometimes fatter—but the best producers, like Kuhn, keep a properly Germanic delicacy inside the larger Pfalz frame. Kuhn makes crystalline Rieslings of outstanding concentration and cut, that are delicious in youth but last for years in the cellar.
