2015 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Riesling Trocken, Scharlachberg Grosses Gewachs, Binger Rheinhessen, Germany.
The gorgeous and understated Grand Cu Scharlachberg Riesling from Kruger-Rumpf was one of my favorite wines of my trip to Germany in October 2016, it is a beautifully detailed and brilliant wine, elegant, graceful and full of deep intensity. I gazed on this site from across the Nahe with Georg Rumpf, as he explained that side of the river was technically in the Rheinhessen, even though the influence is much more Nahe with soil and exposure, being a steep south facing hill with old vines, and a VDP Grosses Lage site of historic terroir. This 2015 is vibrant, crisply cool and lovely with zesty mineral complexity and a shiny golden hue, Rumpf has done a masterful job of harnessing the vintage’s power and turning out wonderfully poised and vital wines, all of his GG’s are fantastic and will merit near perfection scores without exception, as both the Pittersberg and Dautenplanzer Crus look close to 98-100 points in my notes, but I loved the lightness and generous Scharlachberg as it is now, and while it seems more open, it certainly will age fantastically and has potential to gain further with time. The Kruger-Rumpf’s 2015 across the board highlight the greatness of the vintage, and Georg’s diverse set of wines seem to have risen to new heights, especially the GG’s and in particular this Schalachberg with it’s bright green apple, lime, white peach and succulent tree picked apricot fruits, wild herb, saline/liquid stone, tropical essences and tangy lemongrass and rosewater. Heavenly textured, vivid and with a haunting perfume this wine has everything you’d want in a dry Riesling, the richness and depth here, held in check by youthful acidity, is refined with remarkable delicacy and charm, this beauty lingers on and on with mixed citrus, sweet and sour notes, a hint of flinty spice, a touch of wood, wet rocks and crushed white flowers. Honestly these Grand Crus from Rumpf took me a while to process, they were so good, getting my thoughts together took some time and reflection, signs of truly great and exciting wines, these are not to be missed, drink over the next 15 to 20 years! Bravo Kruger-Rumpf, this is a winery to follow, and don’t miss their darling and appealing Scheurebe and the lightly fruity Kabinett 2015’s, these are stunning values!
($45 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive
