I, Ralph, brought some white wines from a long weekend at the Kaiserstuhl. The Kaiserstuhl is a famous wine region for the Pinot varieties - Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). The wines were tasted blind in the MWC.
The Franz Keller 2018 Oberbergener Bassgeige Weissburgunder Großes Gewächs Im Leh is an archetypal modern Weissburgunder with nut, blossoms, some nutmeg, a full-body and a long finish. The wine is dense, fresh and elegant and has pleasingly little alcohol of 12.5%. 18.3/20 points.
The Salwey 2017 Oberrotweiler Henkenberg Weissburgunder Großes Gewächs has a lot of barrique and is very young. It has a lot of potential and will need time. The wine currently has a full-body, some acidity, mineral, citrus and a perfect balance. 17.5/20 points.
The Karl-Heinz Johner 2019 Weisser Burgunder SJ has a full-body and it is perfectly balanced, dense and creamy, with blossoms like lilac, salty-mineral, good structure and a long finish. 18.5/20 points.
The Reinhold & Cornelia Schneider 2018 Weisser Burgunder Auslese trocken C tastes more like a Chardonnay from California with its density and a lot of barrique. The wine has blossoms, nut, a full-body, mineral, some tar, long, density, power and a long finish. The barrique gives a slight vanilla sweetness. 18.8/20 points.
The Franz Keller 2019 Schlossberg Grauburgunder Großes Gewächs has mirabelle plum, some nutmeg, a medium to full-body, balance, a medium to long finish and density, but it lacks some complexity. 16.5/20 points.
Also this Salwey wine is too young and will need time: The Salwey 2017 Oberrotweiler Henkenberg Grauburgunder Großes Gewächs has nut and apricot, a full-body, density, balance, a long finish, mineral, some barrique and freshness. Currently 16.8/20 points, but potential for more.
The Karl-Heinz Johner 2019 Grauer Burgunder SJ has nut, apricot, nutmeg, a full-body, a medium to long finish and lots of substance. The wine is salty-mineral and dense with a high creaminess. 18.5/20 points.
Our conclusion: The trend is towards lighter, more elegant wines. Pinot Blanc is usually more interesting than Pinot Gris.
