2015 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Riesling Kabinett, Munsterer Rheinberg, Nahe Germany.
The delicately sweet Kuger-Rumpf Munsterer Rheinberg Kabinett is pure and classic Riesling, but with the lovely markings of this great vintage that shows in complexity and charm throughout this pretty wine, and throughout the whole Kruger-Rumpf lineup. Sitting at Kruger-Rumpf with Stefan Rumpf in October of 2016, while Georg, his son, rushed around the cellar overseeing grapes coming into the winery and taking a moment to play with his infant daughter, I got to take my time and admire the whole range of wines here and got to see the transition behind father and son with my own eyes and with my palate as I sampled wines and enjoyed their company. The Kruger-Rumpf winery located in Bingen, where the Nahe flows into the Rhein, is one of my favorites and I have long been a fan of the authentic and traditional wines here, and I love where the style and focus of the current releases, especially these 2015 Rieslings, which look set the rise the bar for what we expect from Kruger-Rumpf. The 2015 Munsterer Rheinberg Kabinett is a very serious example of terroir drive, mineral loaded Riesling that has a light semi-sweet body that makes for a wonderfully pleasing wine and balanced with elements that hide the sugar level, but allows for a generous fruity character that goes great with various cuisine choices. This Munsterer Rheinberg from very steep slopes and with veins of quartzite and sandy loam shows a forward personality, but has a core of energy and intensity that really gets your heart pumping, and this wine wears it’s origins on it’s sleeve with a bright golden pale hue in the glass and sexy yellow fruits in the mouth with layers of green apple, peach, lemon/lime and yellow roses starting you off along with saline rich stones, steely mineral and exotic tropical notes. With a bit of time in the glass it opens and expands with refined creamy detail without losing it’s vitality and verve, this is a sleeper in the Georg Rumpf’s lineup and well worth searching out, for those that need more intensely dry should look for Rumpf’s Binger Trocken, it’s a killer value as well, but for flexibility and grace this Munsterer Rheinberg Kabinett is the real deal! I love this vibrant and refreshing Riesling, it will only get better too, drink from 2017 to 2028.
($20 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
