Betsy is in NH for some concerts, so Tuesday I just raided fridge for
leftovers. Wine was the 2007 Keller Kabinett (Rheinhessen).Keller has
been getting lots of buzz, this is my first try. I quite like. Fruit
is an interesting blend of peaches, cherries, and lime zest. There's a
mineral note, a little more flinty than say a Mosel slatiness. Good
length for level, straightforward clean acids, clean and pure. B+

Wednesday was warm, but gorgeous with low humidity. I put together a
couple of salads (caprese and green), some cheeses, soppresata and
bresaolo and headed for waterfront. One of those nights where everyone
seemed to come out- I was meeting 2 friends at concert, but our group
expanded to about 2 dozen. Lovely night, and we sat around after
concert for more than an hour, till it was total darkness. Lots of
sharing and laughter, only needed Betsy to be perfect. Some wines were
of course sampled:

2007 Chivite "Gran Fuedo" Rosado
I've quite liked this in past, this vintage came across as a little
bigger and sterner. Framboise flavors with moderate acidity, ok value
at $9-10 (this used to be alovely light rosé for $5!). B/B-

NV Cleto Chiarli "Vigneto Enrico Cialdini" Lambrusco Grasparossa di
Castelvetro
I'm a fool for Lambrusco and cured meats. Blackberries and a little
Concord grape, just a hint of sweetness, light froth. Ripe tannins, a
nice bitter edge to the finish. B+

2006 Crossroads "Destination" Sauvignon Blanc
Very SBish, gooseberry/catpee and a little hint of hot pepper. A bit
short on finish, not much depth. B-

2006 Ch.Soucherie Rosé de Loire (producer- Soucherie/Tijou- is only in
tiny print)
Very fragile, gentle strawberry fruit in a lightweight package. A nice
apertif
B

2006 Cézin Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Apple fruit with a little edge of clover honey. Light to midweight,
not a lot of length, but clean and tasty. B-/B

Ruggeri Spago Prosecco
A little residual sugar, bright apple fruit, not complex but certainly
drinkable. B-

Fun night.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
*

Interesting notes, particularly on the Keller. I had one of his
Spatlesen from one of his better regarded vineyards (Dalsheimer
Hubacker) and still didn't see what the fuss was about. Price for the
wine wasn't too bad (found it at a huge sale, paid about $17, so no
complaints) - but given the hype I'm hearing about Keller (with people
going as far as to put him on the pedestal of Donnhoff, Schaefer and
co.), I wonder what I'm missing...

Salil > wrote in news:e34f4ad2-ea71-4722-9740-
:

> Interesting notes, particularly on the Keller. I had one of his
> Spatlesen from one of his better regarded vineyards (Dalsheimer
> Hubacker) and still didn't see what the fuss was about. Price for the
> wine wasn't too bad (found it at a huge sale, paid about $17, so no
> complaints) - but given the hype I'm hearing about Keller (with people
> going as far as to put him on the pedestal of Donnhoff, Schaefer and
> co.), I wonder what I'm missing...

For once, I think that Keller deserves all the fuss he gets (if not more).
But it is not the classical Pradikat wines what you should look for.

Not that they are bad, but the master pieces are the basic Keller Trocken
(a QbA), the Riesling von der Fels Trocken, the RR Trocken and, obviously,
the Grosses Gewachs.

Please have a look at them and if you have the chance to get a bottle of
Von der Fels 2007 (goes for 21 euro in Spain), you will get a taste of the
real thing. Not that they need more promotion, btw.

All the best,

s.

DaleW wrote:
[]
>
> 2006 Cézin Coteaux du Loir Blanc
> Apple fruit with a little edge of clover honey. Light to midweight,
> not a lot of length, but clean and tasty. B-/B
>

Hi Dale,

Glad you got a chance to try this. It's the entry white that Fresneau
makes,
but a real work horse at ~3 EU. We use it for one of the house whites,
from cooking to
quaffing. Still on the 2005 here which is more structured as you would
imagine.

The Jasnieres are more complex, again as you'd expect.

Got to make a trip down there soon, it's only about an hour in the car
from here.

-E