2011 Riesling “Vom Kalksteinfels” Trocken, Weingut Philipp Kuhn ($26)
The “Vom Kalksteinfels”—as the name indicates in German—comes from a limestone mountain vineyard. Medium straw-yellow. Wonderful spicy, fruity, minerally notes that will only grow with time. A tingly wine on the palate, leaning towards citrus fruits (grapefruit, in particular). Reasonably weighty, but graceful nevertheless. Great food wine: picnics, shellfish, smoked salmon, grilled fish and white meats, light sauces galore.
-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.
