That you have 3 top German winemakers at one dinner table does not happen too often, at least not in the USA. We were very lucky and thankful to have Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch, Mosel, Gernot Kollmann, Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel, and Dominik Sona, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, pouring their wines at a lovely dinner prepared by Chef Bart Vandaele at the trendy BToo on 14th Street NW in Washington DC. At the initiative of Gernot Kollmann, Annette Schiller, who organizes wine tours to Germany, Bordeaux and the Bourgogne, put together the event.
See: Announcement: Dinner with Star Winemakers Clemens Busch, Koehler Ruprecht and Immich-Batterieberg at Restaurant B Too in Washington DC on February 25, 2016, Germany/ USA
Why were they together in Washington DC?
Why were they together in Washington DC? Clemens Busch, Immich-Batterieberg and Koehler-Ruprecht are imported in the US by Louis/Dressner (“We do have a group of often fanatical growers who are doing their best to make wines that are original because they are honestly crafted”) and there was a Louis/Dressner trade tasting earlier that day in Washington DC.
The following day, they were heading, with many other winemakers mainly from Europe, to New York's very first natural wine fair “The Big Glou” that took place on February 27 and 28. Featuring winemakers from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Canada, the weekend-long event celebrated the thriving, artisan practice of natural winemaking with a wide range of producers making wines through sustainable farming practices and “non-interventionist” techniques in the cellar.
Three of them (Gernot Kollmann and Dominik Sona with Franzi Schmitt) came down from New York, where they had participated in the 2016 Rieslingfeier. Rieslingfeier is an annual event in New York City that celebrates German Riesling. The cornerstone event is the Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner. Inspired by Daniel Johnnes’ famous Burgundy fête “La Paulée,” it is very likely the greatest German wine "BYOB" dinner in the world, with both winemakers and guests bringing special bottles from their cellars to share. Rieslingfeier is orchestrated by Stephen Bitterolf of the vom Boden wine importing company.
Clemens Busch came directly from the Mosel.
Annette Schiller and I participated in the 2016 Rieslingfeier in New York and I have reported about it on schiller-wine: A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2016, USA
ombiasy WineTours by Annette Schiller
All three wineries have already been visited or will be visited this year by ombiasy WineTours. See:
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Koehler Ruprecht in Kallstadt, Pfalz, with Franzi Schmitt – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Clemens Busch– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
Louis/Dressner Selections
Louis/Dressner Selections: Louis/Dressner Selections is a portfolio of over 100 vignerons hailing from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia and Chile. We are a partnership of Denyse Louis, a native Burgundian, Joe Dressner and Kevin McKenna. Collectively, we spend nearly nine months a year in Europe working with our growers and selecting wines for importation to America.
We have no brands. We are not looking for them. We do have a group of often fanatical growers who are doing their best to make wines that are original because they are honestly crafted. These might seem old-fashioned, but in the present context it is almost revolutionary....
There are no gobs, no exaggerations, no over-this and over-that. We don’t have fruit bombs. What we do have is a group of growers who work their vines and make their wines with honesty, passion and humor.
In that sense THE BRAND is the convergence of these crazy growers and their American importers. Working together to produce and market natural products that follow several principles.
Weingut Clemens Busch
The Big Glue: Since taking over his family winery in 1984, Clemens Busch and his wife Rita have shaped it into one of the most iconoclastic estates in the Mosel. A firm believer that natural practices in the vines and cellar lead to the ultimate expression of terroir, Clemens exemplifies the balance between tradition and forward thinking we so look forward to when seeking out new producers. The majority of Clemens's production is grown on the extremely steep Pündericher Marienburg, a 25 hectare vineyard that spans and entire hillside facing the village of Pünderich. Exposed full South/Southwest and right on the edge of the river, it is widely considered amongst the very best sites in the Mosel.
16 of the Clemens' hectares are here, with only 2 hectares originally inherited from his father. 80% of the wines are fermented and aged in very old 1000l barrels; the youngest are 48 years old, and many were built by Rita's father. Nothing is ever added to the wine, save a low dose of sulfur at bottling. The wines are never fined. For the sweet and noble sweet wines, Clemens prefers halting the fermentation with a deep freeze followed by a filtration, allowing him to drastically reduce sulfur, which again is only added at bottling. Pay attention to the capsules on the different bottlings, as their color (red, grey, blue) indicate the soil type of each vineyard.
Weingut Immich-Batterieberg
The Big Glue: Immich-Batterieberg is one of the oldest wineries in the Mosel traced back to the year 911. In 1495, the Immich family purchased the property, producing traditional dry and off-dry wines under their name for almost 500 years. After filing for bankruptcy in 2007, the estate was reacquired in 2009 by Gernot Kollmann and two Hamburg based investors. Since taking over, the wines are once again produced in a dry or off-dry style, with sugar levels depending on each site, each vintage. All of the Cru wines are once again being vinified separately in old oak barrels; spontaneous fermentations are the norm and chaptalization, re/de-acidification or any other intervention during vinification is forbidden. Sulfur is added in low doses and only before bottling. 80% of the vines are un-grafted and over 60 years old, and everything is worked organically (though not certified).
4 Cru bottlings are produced:
Steffensberg is on a side valley behind the village of Enkirch, and is characterized by deeper, softer soil composed of copper heavy red slate.
Batterieberg is a 1.1 h monopole within the Zeppwingert, and also the place that gives the estate its namesake: it was Carl August Immich's decision to dynamite this hill between 1841 and 1845 which permitted him to create terraces and plant vines (Batterieberg translates to Battered Mountain). The slate here is grey and very rocky, with a heavy amount of quartz.
The Zeppwingert parcel is to the right of Batterieberg. The soil is darker here.
Ellergrub is 150 m to the right of that. Gernot considers this his best vineyard. Here, you find the classic blue slate of the middle Mosel.
Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht
The Big Glue: Koehler-Ruprecht has existed since the 1700's. In the cellar, long spontaneous fermentations occur in large, old German oak barrels with extended lees contact. Nothing is ever added or subtracted to the wine, and sulfur is only added moderately after alcoholic fermentation and before bottling. Since 2008, viticulture/cellar duties have been directed by Dominik Sona. The estate consists of 10.5 hectares of vines, principally in Riesling (50%) but also in Pinot Noir (20%), Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Scheurebe on three separate terroirs: Saumagen, Steinacker and Annaberg.
Saumagen, which translates to "pig's stomach", is named after the shape of the vineyard and also happens to be the region's most famous local dish. Established as a vineyard in 1810, this area used to be a limestone quarry in Roman times. The soils here are heavy in chalky marl and full of tiny individual limestones that reflect heat onto the grapes. Because of a government expansion in the 80's, 46 h are designated as Saumagen- including a conversion of north-facing orchards into vineyard sites- but Koehler-Ruphrecht's 4 h are on the original South-East facing slope. A small part of the Saumagen is designated as Terra Rossa, with the limestone taking a red hue due to a heavy presence of iron oxide. Steinacker is wine-growing region characterized by chalk and sandstone. The Rieslings and Scheurebe grown here tend have residual sweetness. Finally, at 120 years old, Annaberg is the youngest vineyard site and characterized by a high proportion of sandstone. The western part of the region features a chalk substrate where the Chardonnay grows. All grapes are hand harvested, with the team doing up to five passes each vintage to pick at optimal maturity. Pünderich, Mosel
BToo
Since its opening a couple of years ago, B Too, sister restaurant of Belga Café on Capitol Hill, consistently receives high acclaims for its creative cuisine. Fresh, local, seasonal produce and continual creativity in the kitchen make every meal exceptional. The following menu was prepared by Chef Bart Vandaele to match the earth profiles and flavors of the German wines.
Winemaker Dinner
AMUSE
FIRST COURSE
A La Minute Smoked Sturgeon
red beet cannelloni / apple / herb puree / sour cream
2013 Riesling Trocken, Weingut Clemens Busch, Mosel
2013 Riesling C.A.I. Kabinett, Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel
SUITE
Sweet Breads
porcelet belly / crispy zucchini / eggplant puree / maitake
2012 Kallstadter Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Wengut Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz
2012 Enkircher Steffensberg Riesling, Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel
MAIN COURSE
Pan Seared Partridge
green garlic / endives / fois gras & amaranth / ‘vin jaune’ sauce
2011 Enkircher Ellergrub, Riesling, Wweingut Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel
2011 Kallstadter Saumagen, Riesling Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz
2011 Marienburg Falkenlay, Riesling GG, Weingut Clemens Busch, Mosel
DESSERT
whipped Muenster foam / dried berries / roasted nuts / roasted pumpkin oil
2010 Kallstadter Annaberg, Weisser Burgunder, Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz
2010 Marienburg Falkenlay, Riesling, Weingut Clemens Busch, Mosel
schiller-wine - Related Postings
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Koehler Ruprecht in Kallstadt, Pfalz, with Franzi Schmitt – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Clemens Busch– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Winemaker Dinner with Château LAFON-ROCHET Wines and Winemaker Anaïs Maillet at Chef Bart Vandaele’s Hipp B Too Restaurant in Washington DC, US/France
Announcement: Dinner with Star Winemakers Clemens Busch, Koehler Ruprecht and Immich-Batterieberg at Restaurant B Too in Washington DC on February 25, 2016, Germany/ USA
A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2016, USA