2013 Chardonnay R

“There will be no Kastanienbusch Grosses Gewächs in 2013,” explained Hansjörg Rebholz as we began a vertical tasting of that site back to 2004. Known for taking risks, he harvested the Riesling from his upper plots in that site a few days later than his neighbors. “There was so much botrytis that I decided to make only an Auslese,” he said. That wine is exhilarating, and might in a blind tasting be placed on the Saar, but some of his traditional clients will certainly not be amused. Given the rains that fell here before and during harvest, it is almost a miracle that he made so many excellent wines in this vintage. After his severe selections, yields were minuscule but the results exceptional, with several of the wines ranking at the top of their class. It should thus come as no surprise that I consider this estate to be the best in the Pfalz and one of the top dozen or so producers in the country, excelling in many disciplines. Rebholz is not only one of the top producers of sparkling wines, he also makes elegant Pinot Blancs, rich Chardonnays and bracing Rieslings. Further, his taut Pinot Noirs, which he only releases after several years of bottle age, are always long-distance runners. As his style is a touch austere, his wines need time to unfold and thus are not always immediately accessible to the uninitiated. That said, they do reward patience.