Description
Koehler-Ruprecht is one of the oldest, most distinctive wineries in the Pfalz region, Germany. This historic estate, once managed by the legendary Bernd Philippi, was acquired in 2009 and has been under the dedicated leadership of Dominik Sona since 2011. Sona, alongside his cellar master Franziska Schmitt, works tirelessly to preserve the estate’s long-standing commitment to traditional winemaking practices. Together, they honor the centuries-old techniques that define the character of the cellar, producing wines that reflect both history and craftsmanship.
Koehler-Ruprecht is renowned for its bold, rich, and minerally Rieslings, Pinots, and Chardonnays, sourced from two prime Kallstadt locations: the Steinacker and Saumagen vineyards. These wines are spontaneously fermented using native yeasts and aged in large, neutral casks, without any additives or manipulations. Koehler-Ruprecht adheres to an old-school philosophy, producing trocken (dry) wines long before it became fashionable, and continues the tradition of labeling wines with both their pradikät and trocken designation, even after the VDP discontinued this practice. These wines are intentionally released later and benefit from bottle aging, particularly the exceptional “R” reserve wines, making them unique among German wines.
About this wine from the winemaker: 100% Pinot Noir. “Sourced from a mix of sites in Kallstadt and one vineyard in Bad Dürkheim where the soils here are light and sandy. The grapes were handpicked, destemmed and fermented in stainless stee. The wine is pale, succulent and nervy with terrific cran/cherry fruit, fresh soil notes and very little oak in evidence.”– Dominik Sona
Dominik Sona aims for a light-bodied, traditional Pfalz Spätburgunder here – ripe but with modest alcohol and good acidity. Soils are limestone, red sandstone and gravel. The clones are a mix of German, Swiss and French.
The fruit is destemmed and then wild fermented in stainless steel and oak vats for about three weeks with its own yeast. Punch downs two times a day, gently. It was then destemed beforehand and pressed off after malo on the skin. Barrel aged for about two years and bottled then. Natural malolactic conversion. After 20-26 months the wine is racked, given a light filtration and bottled, with free SO2 down at 40ppm. The calcareous terroirs in Kallstadt are absolutely perfect for Pinot Noir.
RRP $57 Our Special Price $47.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
