Carsten Saalwächter and the battle for the soul of the Rheinhessen.
From the northernmost vineyards of the Rheinhessen - many of which, in fact, slope delicately to the north - Carsten Saalwächter is sculpting some of the most powerful, yet also most delineated, white wines of what has to be called "the new Rheinhessen."
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This is "the new Rheinhessen" because it is emerging from a cold, limestone landscape that has, for the better part of the 20th century, been overlooked.
It is "the new Rheinhessen" because it has nothing to do with Riesling. It is in fact the Burgundian varieties that are best expressing the saltiness, the tense and vibrant vigor of the soil.
Today we present a Weissburgunder, a Pinot Blanc, that has few rivals in this place, or most others. At as low as $46.95 on the four-pack, this is a wine we'd recommend stocking up on. While it unfurls and sings with a good decant, it will develop in the cellar for 5-10 years easily.
Pinot Blanc with this rigor and almost shocking clarity has few precedents - perhaps the top single vineyards of Wasenhaus are comparable. Within the Rheinhessen, Keller's grand Silvaners seem to speak with a similar accent.
Yet for all this, it is in fact Chardonnay that seems like the closest comparison for Saalwächter's version of Weissburgunder. This wine is muscular, dense, pushing - yet quite compact. There is a base of oyster shell, marine notes that speak to a Chablisian sensibility. It is the bright, attenuated florality, the vivid high notes, green, minty and herbal, that keep the wine feeling effortless, light, refreshing.
This is a category that came, seemingly, out of nowhere. Still, for those paying attention, the wines have stormed the scene. Wine lovers and collectors are paying attention. Saalwächter, Keller, and Wasenhaus are redefining what the world thinks about German wine.
We have secured as large a parcel of Saalwächter's Weissburgunder as we could; we hope to satisfy as many reasonable requests as possible.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
