Stunning Dry German Riesling By Peter Jakob Kuhn: A Perfect Summer White

It's no secret that I'm a champion of the quintessential German grape: Riesling. It has nothing to do with the fact that my last name is Schneider, which I've been told is one of the most popular last names in Germany (and it means "tailor" so if I translated it I'd be a violet-eyed, recently deceased celeb). It has to do with the fact that this wine is extremely delicious, versatile, and fascinating. It's a perfect expression of how terroir shows itself (listen to the podcast for more details on this!).

Given that I'm a big fan of this misunderstood, ragged on grape (people ALWAYS think it's sweet and cheap, mostly because of the brand to the left), it should be of no surprise that I'm on the mailing list for Destination Riesling, a marketing program to help elevate the grape in the US. Most of the wines that they send me are good, but some are really outstanding and I'm happy to tell you, we've got a live one here.

For Father's Day my dad was in town. He's a Sauvignon Blanc guy who, for some unknown reason, refuses to buy a dry Riesling, despite my repeated suggestions that he would love it. Given this, I had no choice but to bust out the Peter Jakob Kühn Quartzit Trocken (means dry in German) sent to me courtesy of Destination Riesling with our Brie and baguette. It was unreal.

The wine is from the great winegrowing region of Rheingau, which is situated between the Taunus Mountains in the north and the Rhine River to the south. Why do these topographic features matter? Because in this steeply sloped land, vineyards that face south capture a ton of warmth and sun from the reflection off the Rhine and with a northerly mountain border, the area is über protected from nasty storms from the north. Vineyards this far north could never grow such awesome grapes without this precise positioning. Rheingau is a gem for sure.

But it's not like this new news. Charlemagne (yes I did just whip out a name from your 7th grade history class. Deal with it) planted the first vineyards here near Johannisberg (if you've heard of Johannisberg Riesling, this is the origin). And of course, no great European vineyard area was left untouched by the monks -- there's evidence that three orders had their hands on Rheingau, including the Cistercians who made two major contributions -- studying the best sites and plots for vines and documenting them, and bringing Pinot Noir to the area.

Yup, I said Pinot Noir. Although cold climates usually can only support white wine grapes because red grapes can't get enough sun to ripen, 12% of Rheingau's grapes are Pinot Noir or Spatburgunder (SHPATE-burg-under), as it's known here. Because I'm so immature, I'll point out that the town of Assmannshausen (I laugh EVERY time I read that) makes lots of Pinot and apparently it doesn't taste like what the town sounds like -- it's fruity and delicious and not at all like ass.

The Pinot factoid aside, 80% of the grapes grown in Rheingau are Riesling and the producers here don't mess around. The VDP, a quality growers association that denotes membership by a black eagle on participating wineries' labels, has classified the vineyards of Rheingau in a way similar to Burgundy. There are the top quality first growths, which are called Erste Lagen and other classified wines in something called the Erste Gewachs system (I bring this up so you can look for it on the bottle, and know that it's a quality designation, don't worry about memorizing it though!).

The wine we were lucky enough to have was from Peter Jakob Kühn, a top notch producer in the area. The Weingut (winery in German, and not to be confused with beer gut, a truly American phenomenon) been around since 1786 -- 11 generations of winemaking. The property is in the prestigious Oesterich area on the right bank of the Rhine, on a steep slope with clay soils that hold moisture and create acidic Riesling that can age for decades. Kühn's vineyards are Biodynamic and organic and the winemaking is hands off -- they let the grape express itself.

Kühn is so focused on quality that they have their own ranking system. The label has zero, one, two, or three grape bunches on it, indicating basic wine (zero) to outstanding wine (three). Details, details -- very German indeed.

The wine we had the pleasure of trying was a two grape rating and was absolutely amazing. If you like dry Riesling, make sure you look for "Trocken" on the label when you're buying German...it always means dry and usually guarantees that you're going to get something special!

The Wine: Peter Jakob Kühn Trocken Riesling, Quarzit
Where It's From: Rheingau, Germany
The Grape: 100% Riesling
Alcohol: 11.5% (I love that German Rieslings are always low in alcohol -- great for sipping because they don't get you sloshed!)
Vintage: 2008
Price: $46 (a worth-it splurge)

Color: Much paler than I expected, it was almost clear with just a light straw tint to it. I expected high acid, which is right on with what I've read about the 2008 vintage in Rheingau -- it was a little less sunny than other vintages, so the acid was high and the alcohol was low (not a lot of sugar in the grapes because they were less ripe, so lower alcohol). There were small bubbles, probably from a last minute squirt of sulfur into the bottle before they capped it with a screw cap, my favorite closure for a white wine to keep it fresh.

Smell: This is a benchmark for what dry German Riesling should be like. Unmistakably there was the smell of a crashing waterfall -- minerals and wet rocks, with a very typical note of what wine dorks call petrol (my dad pointed out that this sounds unappealing, but somehow in the wine this gasoline-type thing is interesting not nasty. Look for it in German Riesling and you'll see what I mean!). Awesome sweet lemon, peaches, and clementines (sweeter than regular oranges) with a white jasmine smell that was so intoxicatingly delicious.

Taste: If you love dry Riesling, you will LOVE this wine. If you don't know if you like dry Riesling, this should be your litmus test! A great wine. That mineral smell carried over in the taste and was so interesting. The quartz soil was apparent in the flavor -- terroir matters so much here! There was searing, tooth-enamel stripping acidity -- a great match for the fat in the Brie we had because it lightened up the double creaminess of the cheese. The lemon combined with a bread character and made the wine a little like a cookie (although not sweet).

As an aside, I think it's important to note that the winemaker used a process called sur lie aging, where after the yeast eat the sugar and turn it into alcohol, they die and settle to the bottom of the tank. If the winemakers don't remove the wine from the yeast, the yeast cells break up over time and create a richer, nutty, yeasty taste. The contrast of that flavor against the acid and mineral flavors was such a sensory treat (hence the cookie thing).

Pairing: You couldn't do much better than to match this with a white food that's got some fat. The Brie was a great match, but anything that has cheese, or a butter sauce should be great. Salads, flaky fish, light chicken dishes, pasta with cream sauce or primavera -- all would be ideal.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink! I know it's expensive and a little hard to get, but I think it's well worth seeking out on the internet if you have the cash. It won my dad over instantly and I think he'll be seeking out more dry Riesling now. Again, this is a benchmark for Rheingau Riesling and it's one of the most delicious ones I've ever had.

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