Freddy Price – death of a wine trade gentleman and Riesling defender

Freddy Price 

I was very sorry and sad to learn that Freddy Price had died on Wednesday 27th June. He had dementia and had been in a home for more than a year. Otherwise he was physically fit, so his death was unexpected.

Freddy played multiple roles in wine – including importing, writing and lecturing. His great passion was German wines in particular Rieslings. His book Riesling Renaissance covered Rieslings around the world and featured photos by his wife, Janet, who is an excellent photographer. Both Freddy and Janet were long time members of the Circle of Wine Writers. 

I remember Freddy with great affection – a gentleman in the true sense of the word, for his kindness, knowledge and enthusiasm. 

Our thoughts are with Janet and family.

  

Profile of Freddy from Wines of Germany site

2017 Le Tour de France starts tomorrow in Düsseldorf

 The route of the 2017 Tour de France 

Starting on 1st July in Düsseldorf 

and finishing in Paris on 23rd July

Stage 1: 14km individual TT 

It's that magical three weeks of the year again – the Tour de France starts tomorrow with a 14 kilometre flat time trial in the centre of Düsseldorf. At 14 kilometres it is a least twice the distance of most prologues and long enough to create some gaps between the favourites for the Yellow Jersey.

The Tour is often not as exciting as the Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta but even so as the biggest bike race and sporting event in the world it has its own magic.

Overall
Yellow
Will Chris Froome win his 4th Tour? He is yet to win a race this year and his time trial in the Dauphine was disappointing. However, form in the Dauphine isn't always real indicator to how riders perform in the Tour. If Froome is back to his best he might get a flying start from tomorrow's TT, at least over Nairo Quintana and Romain Bardet but unlikely to gain time over Alberto Contador or Richie Porte. 

Froome's rivals include Romain Bardet, who was second last year. Bardet will look to win this year but will the curse of French expectations in not having a Tour winner since Bernard Hinault won the 1985 edition. Richie Porte is strongly fancied this year after winning the Tour Down Under and the Tour of Romandie. However, he lost the Dauphine on the last day when he was left isolated by his team, although he fought hard to have his first place just losing out to Jakob Fulsang, who could be a contender if he can hold his form. Also Porte has yet to really perform over the full three weeks of a Grand Tour but this year could be different. And what of Fabio Aru, Fulsang's team mate? At 28 he should be in his prime and he was very impressive when he won last Sunday's Italian Road Race Championship.

Nairo Quintana nearly won this year's Giro d'Italia losing to Tom Dumoulin in the TT on the last day. We will have to see if he has fully recovered from the Giro. With only 34 kms of TTs this year he should not be in danger of losing important time on his rivals but that has to be set against there only being three mountain top finishes. Alberto Contador had the bad luck to crash on the opening stage last year. Although, he can be counted on making the racing exciting does Contador, at 34, have the form to win the Tour once again.  

Could it all come down to the final time trial on 22nd July in Marseille which includes the sharp steep climb up to Notre Dame de la Garde?    

Green 
Peter Sagan. 

Stage 1 contenders   
Will look at this in a post tomorrow.  

KSK Vintage Winery – 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

 KSK 2014 Sauvignon Blanc 

This Sauvignon Blanc from the KSK Vintage Winery in Stuttgart-Rohracker is the first wine that I have come across from this winery. Hardly surprising as I follow German wine occasionally and from a distance plus this winery was only established in 2013. 

Given to me as a gift I have to say that I was impressed by their nicely understated 2014 Sauvignon Blanc. It has an attractive mineral quality and doesn't scream 'I'm Sauvignon Blanc' whether it is reeking with cat's pee from an oversexed tom or full of asparagus notes. There is much discussion over the use of minerality. Frankly I find the term minerality useful to describe a style of wine and I don't care much whether the the minerals in the soil translate into what you find in your glass. I fancy it doesn't – but what do I know?

Whatever I am very happy to recommend this KSK Sauvignon Blanc – incidentally sensibly sealed with a screwcap.  

The Rheingau: memories of July on 2014's shortest day

 Views of the Rüdesheim vineyards from the ferry across the Rhine.

Back in early July a little after the longest day of 2014 I spent several hours visiting Weingut Josef Leitz at Rüdesheim on the Rhine.

We were shown round by Tobias Fiebrandt, the general manager and who is responsible for exports to UK and Canada.

Johannes Leitz took over in 1985 from his mother when the family had 2.8 hectares. Apparently his ambition then was to expand up to around eight or nine hectares. He has, however, rather overshot this target as the domaine now has 43 hectares with 98% planted with Riesling small amount of Pinot Noir. 

The Rhine runs for 30 kilometres east-west, so south facing slopes. The Upper Rhine has more loamy soils, here at Rüdesheim more quartz and slate. Biggest growth in the Leitz vineyards has been surface in Upper Rheingau. The Leitz estate has 350 different parcels. 

 

2013 Eins-Zwei-Dry Rheingau Riesling Trocken Upper Rheingau
Ripe texture lemon and lime, grip in finish. Attractive easy drinking. 7 gms residual sugar about 7gms acidity.

2013 Rudesheimer Magic Mountain Riesling Trocken 12% 7.2 rs, 6.9 acidity.
Mid-yellow, more volume good texture, good balance. Wine from steep slopes – second wine of the best sites. Deeply rooted vines.

Birthdate of Magic Mountain was 2003. 85% is sold in Germany.

2013 Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Trocken Katerloch (prone to powdery mildew). Vines on quartz. Mid-yellow, quite peachy, clean, conc, good austere finish. (Cask sample)

Top 2013s need to time develop similar with 2012.

Leitz wines that are vinified and matured in wood are closed with a cork, while those made in stainless steel.

2013 Rudesheimer Berg Rottland, Riesling Trocken,Hinterhaus
From a site close to river. Botrytis pressure, red slate, quartz.
Tight, good potential, bigger presence, steely, stony character. Marked acidity in finish.

2013 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg, Riesling Trocken Ehrenfels Quartz
My/lg, silky concentration, lemon and lime, potential needs time as austere acidity in finish.

 

  Tobias, the general manager at Leitz

 Tasting@Leitz

 Not one of the Leitz vineyards which are organic – 

looks as though it might have been weedkillered –  if so it's an odd decision 

to weedkiller on steep slopes due to the risk of increased erosion 

(above and below)

 Steep slopes and the Rhine

 2014 ripening grapes

 Leitz Vineyards (above and below)

Leitz Vineyards above the fortress by the Rhine 

 Straight down to the Rhine

Masters of Riesling trip: Fürst quality Pinot Noir

Looking down through the vines to the Main  

Although the trip, organised by Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies, was billed as the Masters of Riesling and we did taste some very fine Rieslings, Pinot Noirs from three producers – Jean Stodden, Karl Heinz Johner and Fürst – got nearly equal billing.  

The last visit on our trip was to Weingut Rudolf Fürst in the western part of Franken. We started by visiting the steeply sloping, terraced vineyards of the Schlossberg Klingenberg. Just one of many steeply sloping vineyards we visited during our short Monday to Thursday trip. Indeed vines perched on steeply sloping hillsides was perhaps the strongest leitmotif of our trip.

The Fürst Pinot Noirs were as impressive as those from Jean Stodden but different – more sensuous, more Burgundian.  

Monorail system that assists cultivating the very steep slopes 

 2014 Pinot Noir

'There's a Red House over yonder' 

 Stone terraces 

 Sebastian Fürst on the Schlossberg

At the Fürst winery in Bürgstadt

 Sebastian Fürst explains

 Sebastian checking a bottle

View from the Fürst winery@Bürgstadt