Peter Jakob Kuhn - Blanc de Blancs Sekt Brut Nature 2019 750ml (12.5% abv)

bone dry champagne method Riesling-dominant blanc de blancs from an under the radar producer in the Rheingau

Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Auxerrois grapes from the estate’s higher & relatively cooler elevations (including top sites like Doosberg, Lenchen and Klosterberg). Terroir consisting of phyllite slate and Taunus quartzite.

lemon, apple, wild herbs, sophisticated, complex, drinks like a pricier cremant

Peter is the 11th-generation proprietor of his family's 1786 estate, having taken over in the 1970s. But it was not until the 1990s that he began to separate himself from everyone else. At the time, while others in the Rheingau remained committed to sweet cuvées, Kühn moved towards making dry Rieslings from his best sites. But he didn’t stop there, removing the “safety net” of conventional farming and enological products to maximize the purity and expression of his noble lagen.
 
Through his willingness to take risks, Kühn is today making singularly profound Rieslings that explore their terroirs in a way previously unheard of in the Rheingau.

Kühn tends his vineyards biodynamically, having become certified in 2005. In the cellar the wines are made as naturally as possible, with a short pre-fermentation maceration on the skins for aromatic complexity. The fermentation with native yeasts and extended aging is in large oak fuder. Although the estate has been a cornerstone of Rheingau winemaking for around 230 years, it wasn't until the 11th generation that a sea change was introduced: the conversion to organic and then biodynamic viticulture helmed by Peter Jakob and Angela who took over in 1979. One of the few estates in Germany to be certified biodynamic, the conversion was gradual and started at home: unhealthy food was banned – no white sugar, white flour or processed foods of any kind. Then, they abandoned herbicides and insecticides, anti-fungal sprays, and cultured yeasts; in 2001 they took the plunge and became biodynamically certified. The wines are now made by son Peter Bernhardt and wife Viktoria, although as witnessed during my visit, the winery is still very much a family affair with all hands on deck. 

 immense passion and creed for biodynamics, showing me sites for making compost and their cosmic energy stone pyramids with a triangle of poplars at each vineyard.

region: Rheingau, Germany

varietal: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Auxerrois

style: sparkling

farming/cellar:Harvested entirely by hand. Biodynamic agriculture Soft pressing for several hours. During the first (ambient) fermentation only a very low alcohol per mille production. The first summer after the harvest the second fermentation in the bottle where most of the alcohol and mousse is created. After this fermentation is finished, the sparkling wine to mature sur-lies for 30 months. Without additives and not clarified.

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