Philippi - Pinot Blanc
We drink two matured Weissburgunder from the Palatinate of Philippi from the years 2004 and 2005.
The Köhler-Ruprecht winery in the Palatinate is known above all for its Rieslings and their ageing potential. The style of the winery was mainly influenced by cellarmaster Bernd Philippi, who is also responsible for the wines we are having this time around. We drink two Pinot Blanc from the years 2004 and 2005. 2017, about 2 years ago, we already have had the opportunity to buy the wines from the winery for less than 10 Euros a bottle. Unfortunately, the 2005 vintage had a bottle fault at that time, but the 2004 vintage has remained in such good memory that I decided to buy them again when I recently had the chance.
The 2004 starts intensely in the nose. Canned fruit with barbecue, herbs of Provence. In the mouth however still a nice acidity and structure. Of course you can feel the ripeness, there is no primary fruit, but there is nothing tired. The wine is creamy, you can feel the wood, but with its maturity it is wonderfully integrated.
In 2005 the first nose is relatively alcoholic. Less wood than the 04. Calvados, lots of honey, beeswax. No herbs, but there is spice too. Overall lighter in the aromas. In the course of the evening the alcoholic note disappears. There comes cooked pome fruit, the honey remains. There is just enough acidity to keep the tension up.
It is difficult to take the nose out of the 2004 however. I wouldn’t want to drink it every week, but this first association of canned fruit in barbecue smoke remains and excites. The wine is deep, complex, you cannot stop.
Just out of interest, we didn’t empty the bottles completely and tasted them again a day later. The 04 has lost some of the fruit, more vegetable aromas develop, the smoke remains. The 05 also loses the fruit, it becomes acetonic, but gains in length. Nevertheless, it is better to empty them on the first evening. But when you do that it is a wonderful experience with two mature wines, which are still a lot of fun and for less than 10 Euro per bottle they are definitely worth trying.
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