Baden-Württemberg, Germany

[Joe H]

I go next weekend as part of a business trip (I "unretired...sort of").  With an afternoon to myself and staying near Freiburg this seems like it would be a fascinating place to visit.  Franz Keller is the hotel/restaurant/winery that I am focusing on.  Their "S" spatburgunder (pinot noir) seems to be one of the better ones in Germany especially from 2009.  Does anyone reading this have any experience with this area?  Colmar, France is across the Rhein, not too far away.  But the seven villages of Vogtsburg, on literal volcanic soil seem to have all of the character, all of the history of anywhere I could hope to visit.

Mark?  Banco?

[jparrott]

Dr. Heger has an excellent Silvaner (and a winemaker who speaks perfect English). Huber is known for their Pinot Noirs, but I found them overextracted and dull. Both Huber and Heger have excellent, dry grauburgunder (stark contrast to the sweet messes made of Pinot Gris on the other side of the Rhine) and very good weissburgunder (not muddled up with Auxerrois, as many are in Alsace).

[Joe H]

Dr. Heger has an excellent Silvaner (and a winemaker who speaks perfect English). Huber is known for their Pinot Noirs, but I found them overextracted and dull. Both Huber and Heger have excellent, dry grauburgunder (stark contrast to the sweet messes made of Pinot Gris on the other side of the Rhine) and very good weissburgunder (not muddled up with Auxerrois, as many are in Alsace).

Thanks, Jake.  Much appreciated. I will toast you!

[DonRocks]

Colmar, France is across the Rhein, not too far away.  But the seven villages of Vogtsburg, on literal volcanic soil seem to have all of the character, all of the history of anywhere I could hope to visit.

For whatever it's worth, I've stayed in Colmar, but I don't think that's going to help you any, as the two regions, while separated only by a river, are distinctly different. If you've never seen a stork's nest, you may just see your first.

[jparrott]

Bumping, only because I'd like to hear what the esteemed Mr. H. experienced in Kaiserstuhl.

[Joe H]

http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?/topic/32853-virginia-2014-governors-cup-winners/ Jake, I buried some comments in this thread around post #13 which featured VA wine, several bottles of which I opened at dinner one night near the Kaisserstuhl.  I drove all over it, stopping in Oberbergen which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  I brought back 11 bottles of '09 "A" spatburgunder from Franz Keller (including an "Eichberg" "A" pinot noir that was excellent).  Spent a couple of hours at the winery, had a mini tour and then walked four or five km around the countryside.  I went to Bernard Huber in Malterdingen (sp?) which is two exits south of Europa Park (where my business was) off of the A5.

It was closed.

In truth I had all of one Sunday afternoon to explore (Monday was an all day meeting for business) and it came down to what was open.  Keller is a beautiful winery in an incredible location whose "A" pinot I really enjoyed. One of those in the tasting room spoke perfect English and spent a great deal of time with me-I deeply appreciated the consideration. I stopped in a couple of other wineries but there was nothing approaching it's level.  I also found Keller's MIchelin starred restaurant in the middle of town and when I return later in summer on business will stay there.  But the Franz Keller winery worked well for Sunday. As for Oberbergen and the Kaiserstuhl-I fell in love with it.  I returned home on Tuesday and had some time Tuesday morning-I wanted to bo back to Malterdingen to Huber but it didn't open until noon and that would have cut it too close for me.  I ended up wandering through Heidelberg where I have spent a great deal of time in the past, even using it as a base for business.  FWIW I drive around the small town of Malterdingen and it has very little of the charm of the seven or eight villages of the Kaisersthul.

I have forty or fifty pictures on my I phone and no idea of how to link them to here.

This is the wine list from the Michelin starred Ammolite Restaurant at Europa Park's Bell Rock Hotel:  http://www.ammolite-restaurant.de/files/de/wine/1_Weinkarte.pdf  Keller, Heger and Huber are all on there.  locally, Huber's are thought of as their best.  The "Eichberg" "A" from Keller was E 55, "regular" A was E 42 and a magnum of the "regular" A was E 95.  I think I bought all of the '09 they had left of this which was an excellent vintage.  There was only one bottle of the Eichberg and there were layers of flavor, some complexity that really surprised me.  I didn't take notes but really enjoyed it.  It was not the kind of wine that I would typically go after but it was delicious.  I'm really not even sure of what i have drank here that would be similar to it.

Three days after returning I opened two of the bottles at Delaplane Cellars-a day when we were tasting a lot of wine.  (As I sent photos of tasting the VA wines in Germany to Delaplane, I sent photos of tasting the German wines in Virginia to Germany.)

The dinner in Germany was intended to feature the three VA wines which I brought ('08 RDV, '09 Barboursville Octagon and '10 Delaplane Williams Gap).  I've been going there since '99 and have explored everywhere within 50 or so km of Europa including Baiersbronn.  But this was my first visit to Obergbergen and the Kaiserstuhl.

Jake, I'd love to hear how you happened upon  this area.  I've never met another American who has been there.  In fact while at Franz Keller's I was told they might have "one American a month" stop in.

[Kanishka]

Has anyone been to Baden Württemberg recently?  The guide books are wanting.