View 2011 German Catalog - Michael Skurnik Wines

Nahe
Kruger-Rumpf
Kruger-Rumpf Nahe // Münster Sarmsheim
vineyard area // 22 hectares
annual production // 13,750 cases
top sites & soil types // Münsterer Dautenpflänzer (slate with sandy loam);
Münsterer Pittersberg (slate); Münsterer Rheinberg (weathered quartzite and sandy
loam); Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen (Rotliegend and porphyry)
grape varieties // Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Scheurebe
This was the first year I went and Stefan wasn’t there. We couldn’t get our schedules to
mesh; he and Cornelia were in Normandy on a long-planned vacation, and the week they
were gone was the only week I was in the vicinity. But it was OK, because Georg got to be
Le Patron and take us through the wines.
I confess I was curious. Rumpf’s wines have been
best in years when the vintage texture was already graceful.
What would prevail, in the 2010 battle between density
and angularity? And many of you have noticed an uptick
in quality here, and it’s always fun when those go on. In
general, I think ’10 is admirably consistent here, except for
the dry wines, for which the vintage was often unsuited.
One might miss the highest notes of ’09 and ’08, but one is
reassured by the many generously ripe, lusty fellows in ’10.
Maybe it’s because his children are growing up and
helping out (kids have a way of giving their dads a kick
in the pants, don’t they . . .), and maybe it’s just simple
ambitiousness, but there’s no doubt Stefan Rumpf has
taken a significant step forward in each of the last three
vintages. I’m just guessing here, but I intuit a subtle kind
of competition between Stefan and son Georg. Dad has
an audience now, and he wants to show off a little, to earn
the boy’s respect. I saw them spur each other on while we
were tasting, and felt the frisky new energy.
It’s also worth pointing out the wines are
improving in matters of texture, of polish and gloss and
a finer mouthfeel. Fruit was always there, but the tones
have improved. In fact everything is improved yet the
prices have stayed the same. Hmmm. . .
Kruger-Rumpf at a glance // Up-and-comer the past few years, making more glamorous wines than ever
before. Deft, appley and minerally wines from the greatest sites of the lower Nahe. Priced quite reasonably for
blue-chip quality.
how the wines taste // They’re as sturdy as before but there’s more flesh on the bones. There’s more
mineral density, more complexity of texture, and they are invariably site-specific: The PITTERSBERGS are still
nutty and slatey, the DAUTENPFLÄNZERS are still complex and multi-faceted, with all the intricacies of real
Grand Cru style, but the fabric is finer now. You know the hoary old truism about Nahe wines being a cross
between Mosel and Rheingau? When you taste these you’ll see the truth behind the cliché.
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I do think a small tribute is in order for his
geniality. Many producers, especially young studs
in their twenties, can be quite the divas. “I make the
wines I like and he takes them or leaves them” is a typical
sentiment. And it’s reasonable enough on its face; it only
locks a door whereby collegial interaction might benefit
grower and buyer alike. But hey, I understand, having
been an insufferable twit in my twenties, and I didn’t have
to deal with boffo reviews before I was old enough to
handle them gracefully. All of which is to say that Stefan
Rumpf’s collegiality is becoming rare, which makes its
underlying gesture of respect and friendliness even more
precious. I am also delighted to see their willingness to
still use dosage as a means of fine-tuning, which is part of
a larger willingness to eschew dogma and surf all possible
options according to the needs of the wine. I’d like to hire
a plane and fly a banner over the Mainzer Weinbörse—
DOSAGE IS NOT EVIL, BUT DOGMA IS. A good dosage
from top-site Riesling, used to finetune just before bottling,
nearly always works better— which is to say tastes better—
than throwing in a BA or other sweet wine, which often
muddies the waters. This is out of tune with the Zeitgeist but
the zeitgeist is full of shit. Buncha smug young twits with their
holier-than-thou posturing and their purity tests. . .