Weingut Wittmann and two aged Arbois
Tom S., the great Jura enthusiast and old wine drinker, had originally planned his annual Jura blowout known as the "Hobbits Dinner" (I do not know why he calls it the Hobbits Dinner) for the spring but moved it to the fall. We've also been exchanging e-mails about the wines of Philipp Wittmann who, along with Keller, are helping to raise the profile of the Rheinhessen.
We met at Tom's favorite restaurant last night for a sort of Arbois/Wittmann mashup. Tom supplied the two Arbois wines which were both quite old and from a now defunct négociant named Louis Cartier. Such disparate wines can be a challenge for any restaurant to cook to and Chef Kulik and his staff at The Boiler Room did a great job of adjusting the menu so the wines would show their best.
We tasted the 1949 Louis Cartier Arbois Blanc first and decided to roll with it for the first course: crudo of escolar, radish and lovage. While this was not such a successful pairing, the wine on its own was simply spectacular. Very fresh with an oxidative profile that seemed to be harmonious and complete rather than a distraction. Very complex with a distinctive black truffle quality that I've only previously encountered in very old and well-stored top-quality white Burgundy.
The 2007 Wittmann Riesling Aulerde Grosses Gewächs was my wine of the night. Stunning structure and length. Gorgeously complex with something Beth described as an orange oil flavor and Tom S. described as pink grapefruit. Grosses Gewächs wines like these are some of the most exciting dry white wines being produced in the world today and I am completely flummoxed by the lack of attention they receive in the United States.
The Wittmann was paired with croquette of tête de cochon with mustard seed and an English pea purée. A jaw-dropper of a dish and a fine pairing.
The 2001 Wittmann Riesling Spätlese Aulerde was paired with Fusilli pasta with botarga and mint. A constant theme throughout all of the Wittmann wines was a certain herbal note and this was really set off by the mint in this dish. Though a bit weird, this pairing ended up working really well on a lot of levels.
The final savory pairing was a 1945 Louis Cartier Arbois Rouge. I am really surprised that a wine like this (we believe it was mostly based on Poulsard) can have this much color, sweetness of fruit, and weight at over 60 years of age. Floral, complex and a pleasure to drink. Paired with rabbit leg and spinach sformato with a dusting of dried and smoked morel mushroom powder. A dish that had a few too many ingredients for my taste but was really seamless with the wine.
Wittmann and Klaus-Peter Keller share some of the same vineyards in the southern part of the Rheinhessen near Westhofen in the Wonnegau region. Westhofen is a few kilometers inland from the banks of the Rhine and far from the famed Roter Hang area where Gunderloch long producer their fabulous Nackenheimer Rothenberg Rieslings.
One specialty particular to Wittmann is his Albalonga. The 1998 Wittmann Westhofener Steingrube Albalonga BA was our final wine. Albalonga is a Silvaner and Rieslaner hybrid which is rarely seen. It makes outstanding sweet wines with very high acidity and lush texture. It is a wine that is way too young to consume but way too delicious not to drink.
