2013 Weingut Pfeffingen, Scheurebe, Trocken, Pfalz, Germany.
The chalky sandstone and loamy soils are perfect and along with the Pfalz climate for beautiful and vibrant dry Scheurebe, a grape that, like Riesling can offer many different style choices from dry and tangy to rich, sweet and honeyed. This vivid and bright Pfeffengen has loads of acidity and mineral notes along with brisk citrus along with aromatic quality, this is one of the specialties of the estate, the Fuhrmann-Eymael family has been making wine for over 250 years and their winery in the Plalz is one of the top estates along with Muller-Catoir, von Winning and others. Pfeffengen and winemaker Rainer Gabel makes a great array of wines from dry table wines to powerful Grosses Gewachs along with some red wines as well, plus a top selection of sweet styles, but this dynamic and fresh Scheurebe is a great place to start and it is a wonderful Summer wine. The 2013 vintage in Germany is turning out in the bottle to be much better than anybody had hoped after two exceptional years and I think are real sleeper wines, and this wine is drinking great with pure flavors and nice extract, there is lots of energy and focus here and it is almost as exciting and intense as Riesling. The Weingut Pfeffengen Dry Scheurebe starts with a super pale hue with just a faint glint of gold/green in the glass and white flowers, herbs, verbena and tropical essences float up leading to a zesty palate of lime, grapefruit, unripe pear/apple, kiwi and peach pit with crystal clear mineral, sea salt and lemon grass. Even with air the Scheurebe maintains it’s impressive form and rush of acidity and vigor, this is a light bodied white that doesn’t disappoint and delivers on every promise, it is crisp and easy to enjoy, great with white fish, light picnic fare and wonderful on a hot day or evening just sipping by it’s self. There might be some more to come with age, but I would imagine it will be a better idea just to enjoy it young, over the next year or so. This is a winery to check out and explore, these are intriguing wines, especially this Scheurebe, drink from 2015 to 2020.
($18 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive
