With Dry January barely over, we gathered for a legendary Ten Years After tasting! This time, it was all about 2015—a vintage that was hailed as excellent at the time. But how have the wines developed? As always, the answer to this question was found at the Marmion Bar in Frankfurt's Ostend district.
Big names, big wines
With 24 bottles – including two Pirates (one from Austria, one a local wine from KP Keller) – the lineup was impressive. The atmosphere? Highly focused, yet exuberant. Beforehand, there were some delicacies from Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle: sausage, cheese, pickles, bread – and after the 10th flight, a well-deserved break with the house's legendary grilled cheese sandwiches.
The stars of the evening
It quickly became clear: Rheinhessen, especially Westhofen, is currently setting the tone! Keller, Wittmann & Seehof from the Westhofen vineyards impressed with brilliant energy and prancing precision. Wittmann's Brunnenhäuschen and Keller's AbtsE clearly had the edge – incredibly profound and incredibly easy to drink.
But there was also competition from the Rheingau: Kühn's Schlehdorn (Blackthorn) impressed with a rarely experienced saltiness and complexity, while Adam's Goldtröpfchen (Gold Drops) scored with playful elegance. The usually highly rated giants from the Nahe region fell somewhat short of expectations this time – not quite as precise and balanced as usual. Time will tell where this journey takes them.
A real stunner from the Palatinate was the Kastanienbusch, which boasted tremendous energy – a wine that will surely be a giant in five years. The disappointment of the evening? Unfortunately, a magnum of Breuer's Schlossberg, which apparently had a bottle defect.
The line-up
- Seehof Morstein Old Vines Magnum
- Seehof Steingrube
- Schäfer Fröhlich Stromberg Magnum
- Shepherd Fröhlich Felseneck
- Christmann Idig
- Rebholz chestnut bush
- Clemens Busch Marienburg rock terraces
- Wittmann Morstein
- Wittmann parish
- Wittmann fountain house
- Emrich-Schönleber spring cookies
- Bürklin-Wolf Church Piece
- AJ Adam & Haart Golddroplets
- AJ Adam Hofberg
- KP Keller Parish
- KP Keller Hubacker
- KP Keller AbtsE
- Peter Jakob Kühn Blackthorn
- Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle
- Dönnhoff Felsenberg Magnum
- Breuer Schlossberg Magnum
Conclusion and outlook
An evening full of aha moments and exciting developments. Anyone who thought 2015 was a given was proven wrong. The next wine tastings will focus on Piedmont and Chardonnay – details to follow soon!