Following the morning event at Weingut von Hövel with owner and winemaker Maximilian von Kunow, we drove over to Morscheid to have lunch cum wine tasting with Annegret Reh-Gartner, the owner of the prestigious Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt.
Annegret Reh-Gartner is married to Gerhard Gartner, who was a top chef in Aachen, Germany. His restaurant Gala was a 2 star Michelin restaurant for over 10 years. After taking his final curtain call on the gourmet stage, he devoted himself to his second passion – wine.
The lunch cum tasting with Annegret Reh-Gartner was the final event in the Mosel area and we moved on the Nahe Valley, where we had events at Weingut Dönnhoff, Schlossgut Diel and Weingut Kruger-Rumpf.
Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
First documented in 1349, Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is one of the most traditional estates in the Mosel region. The von Kesselstatt dynasty immigrated to the electorate of Trier in the 14th century.
Following secularization by Napoleon in 1802, the von Kesselstadt family purchased between 1854 and 1889 four monasteries of St. Maximin Abbey and their vineyard holdings.
Since 1983, Annegret Reh-Gartner’s has directed the estate, which her father Günther Reh acquired in 1978.
Today, the estate today cultivates 36 hectares of vineyard land, consecrated exclusively to Riesling. Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is unique in that its vineyards are equally divided among the three river valleys that form the Mosel appellation: the Mosel River valley itself, and the valleys of its two contributories, the Saar and Ruwer Rivers.
From 1746 until 1999, estate headquarters were in Palais Kesselstatt in Trier, one of the most beautiful baroque palaces north of the Alps. It was built between 1740 and 1746 by Johann Valentin Thomann, a student of Balthasar Neumann. Palais Kesselstatt, with its historical vaulted cellars and idyllic courtyard, was lovingly renovated by Günther Reh. Today, it is the site of the estate’s wine pub, Weinstube Kesselstatt.
In 1987, after extensive reconstruction and building, the estate moved its winemaking facilities to Schloss Marienlay in the Ruwer Valley (where we had lunch with Annegret Reh-Gartner and Gerhard Gartner), which has also has served as the estate’s headquarters since 1999.
Achieving high quality has always been the focal point of Annegret Reh-Gartner’s endeavors, just as her wines have always been subject to high standards. The conscious decision to reduce the size of the estate to 36 hectares was an important step, for it enabled the estate to work more selectively in its vineyards and further improve quality.
In the cellar, Annegret Reh-Gartner’s approach is to interfere as little as possible at the winemaking stage, underscoring the individuality of the terroir of each valley. Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is one of the region’s first estates to successfully offer Grosse Gewächse wines, the new category of ultra-premium dry wines.
The Vineyards
Mosel: Josephshof in Graach with 8 ha (20 acres) of vines (acquired by the von Kesselstatt family in 1858) and Domklausenhof in Piesport with 8 ha (20 acres) of vines (acquired in 1858).
Saar: Abteihof in Oberemmel with 21 ha (52 acres) of vines in (acquired in 1889).
Ruwer: St. Irminenhof in Kasel with 8.5 ha (21 acres) of vines (acquired in 1854).
The Wines Annegret Reh-Gartner Poured
Annegret poured a most-interesting selection of wines for us, ranging from Trocken, including a GG (the ultra-premium dry wines of the VDP members) to a delicious 2002 Scharzhofberger Auslese.
Dry
2013 Graacher Riesling Trocken
2012 Wehlen Sonnenuhr Riesling GG Trocken
Harmoniously dry to fruity
2013 Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett
2013 Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett
2013 Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
Fruity-sweet of 2 different vintages – ripeness is beautiful
2013 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese
2008 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese
A great wine of a great vintage
2002 Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese Long Goldcapsule #10
Lunch
Following the wine tasting, we had lunch, with more Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt wines.
Bye-bye
Thank you very much Annegret and Gerhard for a wonderful tasting and lunch.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
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