2010 Knipser Chardonnay & Weißburgunder trocken

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 89.5 points

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  6/25/2022 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points

  A sort-of "Gemischter Satz" wine of Knipser, made with Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc growing in the same vineyard, harvested and co-fermented together in stainless steel tanks. A small portion of Chardonnay is vinified separately and aged in oak barriques for added complexity, then blended with the base wine. 12,5% alcohol.
  
  Intense, slightly evolved neon-yellow color with faint youthfully green highlights. The nose feels somewhat sweet-toned, a bit tropical and slightly evolved with subtly concentrated aromas of ripe apricots and pineapple, some developed creamy tones, a little bit of beeswax, light stony mineral nuances, a hint of freshly pressed apple juice and a touch of something gaseous - perhaps a tad of SO2 showing here? Overall the nose reminds me a lot like aged Riesling, which took me by surprise. The wine feels lively, firm and quite crisp on the palate with a medium body and dry flavors of lemony citrus fruits and sharp Granny Smith apple tones, some beeswaxy notes, a little bit of ripe peach, light stony and steely mineral nuances, a hint of honeyed richness and a developed touch of creaminess. The wine comes across as very brisk and structured, all thanks to its racy acidity. The lengthy finish is crisp, fresh and lively with dry, palate-cleansing flavors of lemony citrus fruits and crunchy green apple, some honeyed tones, a little bit of beeswax, light evolved nutty nuances, mineral hints of steel and tangy salinity and a touch of ripe peach.
  
  I guess one might expect a Chardonnay-Pinot Blanc blend from Pfalz to be quite ripe and fruity in style, but this wine turned out to be wonderfully brisk, fresh and zippy with some beautifully evolved complexity adding great depth to the flavors. Although the wine was quite unlike what I expected - it actually came across as surprisingly Riesling-like, especially in the nose! - I was not disappointed one little bit. On the contrary, this was so much lighter, brighter and more complex than I anticipated! A terrific wine that is in a beautiful spot right now, but might even be able to evolve a little bit further from here. Drink now or within the next 10-ish years. At 46€ per three bottles (approx. 15,35€ per bottle), this was a superb purchase.

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  1/19/2020 - Alex Barbera Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Würdige Reife erreicht - tolles PLV - jetzt trinken

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