On September 20th-2010 we went to Oberrotweil to visit Weingut Salwey. This winery has a history back to the middle of the 19th century. Today’s winery was formed in 1950 by Benno Salwey. His son Wolf-Dietrich Salwey bought an own winery in Glottertal, north of Freiburg, in 1964 at the age of 23. In 1985 Wolf-Dietrich also took over the family-winery in Oberrotweil. It is in this period that Weingut Salwey makes it’s fame and the wines find their typical clear and transparent style. Since 2005 Wolf-Dietrichs son Konrad has taken over the main responsibility as the winemaker. So there are two wineries behind Weingut Salwey with a total of 40 hektars of vines. In Oberrotweil on loess and volcanic soil. In Glottertal on gneiss. The best vineyards are Oberrotweiler Eichberg and Kirchberg together with Glottertäler Eichberg. It does not make things easier that there is also vines in Glottertäler Kirchberg and also Roter bur. Good wines are also made from Oberrotweiler Henkenberg and Käsleberg.
The vineyards of Oberrotweil. First picture shows the Eichberg. Second is the famous Kirchberg. Third picture shows the einzellage of Henkenberg and the last is Käsleberg.
We did a long and comprehensive tasting. The wines of Weingut Salwey are all very solid. It is a wide range of well made wines. Personally I found here the best grauburgunders in all of Kaiserstuhl. All three grosses gewächs-grauburgunders where of great class. And at the end we tasted a tremendous spätburgunder from Oberrotweiler Kirchberg. Quite large scaled for a spätburgunder, but with fine precision and balance. Expensive, but one of the best spätburgunders I have tasted.
Kaiserstuhler rivaner qualitätswein trocken 2009
AP: 06 10. 11,5% alc/vol. Aromatic and clean nose. Flowery with a touch of lime. Light, clean and aromatic, simple and dry style. Flowery, uncomplicated fruit. Mild acidity. A little short. Typical for the grape. Fair quality.
Kaiserstuhler silvaner 2009
More minerality here. Light leafs on the nose. Fuller in the mouth. Lightly mineral silvaner with some typical hints of leafs. Quite simple style. Fine acidity. Better length. Better than the rivaner.
Oberrotweiler Kirchberg Muskateller spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2009
Muscaty nose. Spicey and highly aromatic. Aromatic in the mouth too, but here this is vinified dry. Full and concentrated wine. Refreshing and aromatic mouthfeel. Spicey, muscaty fruit. But with some minerality there. Good acidity. Refreshing feel. Good length. This is very nice stuff. Very good dry muskateller.
Oberrotweiler Kirchberg riesling spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2009
Earthier and more coarser on the nose. Some lime and flowers. Slimmer and finer in the mouth with fine acidity. Refreshing and more structure. Shows flowers in the fruit. Some lime and minerality. Some earth. Good, but I like the muskateller better.
Glottertäler Eichberg Riesling grosses gewächs 2008
Finer on the nose. More minerality. Fine flowery hints. Fullbodied in the mouth. Quite elegant and cooler style. Lots of minerality. Good acidity and length. Fine wine with a minerality better suited for this grape. Very good.
Glottertäler Riesling kabinett trocken 2009
Riper notes on the nose. Sweeter flowers, Some minerality. Richer wine also in the mouth with riper fruit-notes. Lots of flowers. Some minerality. But simpler style than the GG. Good acidity. Fine smaller wine. Good.
Glottertäler Eichberg Riesling grosses gewächs 2009
This had recently been bottled. Finer minerality in this one. But clearly riper and sweeter fruit-notes than the ’08.lacking a little intensity, but that is probably due to the recent bottling. Fullbodied Riesling in the mouth, yet quite slim for this vintage. Lots of minerality. Flowery notes, riper and sweeter than ’08. Fine acids for the vintage. Young. Needs some time. Very good wine on par with the ’08.
Cuvee 9º rose 2009
From spätburgunder. Little nose. Some earthy hints typical of spätburgunder weissherbst. Quite powerful rose in the mouth. Lightly earthy fruit. Simple. Decent acidity. Could have used more freshness. Light tannins. Alcohol showing a little. Very modest quality.
Kaiserstuhler spätburgunder weissherbst kabinett trocken 2009
Fresher nose here. Still earthy, but with hints of flowers. Again fullbodied rose in the mouth. Finer fruit with more flowers. Decent acidity, this could also use more freshness. Little tannins. Fair quality.
Glottertäler Eichberg spätburgunder weissherbst spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2008
This shows a lot fresher nose. Hints of nettle, citrus and earthy flowers. It smells fresher than the two previous weissherbst. And it is a lot fresher in the mouth. Fine light fruit. More citrusy notes and hints of nettle. Good acidity and a refreshing finish with little tannins. Good.
Glottertäler Eichberg spätburgunder weissherbst spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2009
This is a little deeper in colour. On the nose it shows sweeter fruits. Almost red fruits and sweet flowers. A little strawberry. Dry and fuller in the mouth. Again this is earthier styled. Some minerality. A lot riper and more concentrated than the ’08. But lacks a little of the pure and refreshing quality of the previous wine. Good acidity herer too, although riper and little tannin. Good quality.
Cuvee 11º weiss 2009
From weissburgunder, grauburgunder, chardonnay and riesling. Leafs and citrus on the nose. Light earthy note. Light and refreshing style in the mouth. Neutral and not very focused style. Citrusy, lightly earthy fruit of fair concentration. Decent refreshing quality. Fair quality.
Kaiserstuhler weissburgunder kabinett trocken 2009
13,5% alc/vol. Some sulphure on the nose. Typical hints of leafs. Powerful kabinett in the mouth. Good concentration. The fruit shows a little neutral weissburgunder. Quite leafy, some minerality and citrus. Medium acidity and length. Good, but no very exciting.
Oberrotweiler Käsleberg weissburgunder spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2009
13,5% alc/vol. The nose lacks a little intensity. Some fine mineral hints. Some ripe fruits. Quite good concentration in the mouth. This shows more than on the nose. Fine minerality. This is from loess, but I find light volcanic hints. Some ripe fruits, but this remains quite slim in style. A little low acidity. Good wine.
Oberrotweiler Henkenberg weissburgunder grosses gewächs 2009
Mineral nose with light hints of oak. Not much aromatic weissburgunder-hints. Powerful in the mouth. Light oak and minerality. A bit closed and muted? Not showing much of the fruit. Medium acidity. Decent length. Quite weighty, but closed wine. Need to retaste later.
Oberrotweiler Kirchberg weissburgunder grosses gewächs 2009
Prettier minerality. White fruits. Very fine nose. Fullbodied in the mouth, but slimmer than the Henkenberg. Light oak-notes above a fine mineral background. Fine acidity and length. A fine and young weissburgunder. Tight and in the need of time. Very good.
Kaiserstuhler grauburgunder kabinett trocken 2009
Lightly leafy grauburgunder on the nose. Touch of minerality. Light volcanic hints. Medium bodied grauburgunder in the mouth. Dry style. Fine lightly leafy and mineral wine. No ripe notes here. Good acidity and length. Fine standard-grauburgunder. Good wine.
Oberrotweiler Käsleberg grauburgunder spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2009
Pretty nose. Riper aromatic notes of banana, leafs. Fine minerality, some volcanic hints. Fullbodied in the mouth. More minerality than the kabinett. Deeper wine. Fine fruit. Light leafy light yellow fruits and a touch more sweetness in the fruit showing the ripeness of the vintage. Medium acidity. Good length. Very good grauburgunder.
Glottertäler Eichberg grauburgunder grosses gewächs 2009
Richer style with more ripe fruit. Banana, leafs. Aromatic. A more stoney minerality. Fullbodied in the mouth, yet it feel slimmer in style than the Käsleberg with a finer acidity. More stoney fruit. Fine minerality – very different from the Kaiserstuhler wines. Aromatic hints of banana and leafs. Good acidity and length. Very good wine.
Oberrotweiler Henkenberg grauburgunder grosses gewächs 2009
This seems riper on the nose with a touch of botrytis? Some oak. Rounder and more creamy style in the mouth. Powerful wine with more volcanic minerality. Seems warmer, but fruit is not that ripe. Fine fruit and fine depth. Medium acidity and length. Very good, but on par with the cheaper Käsleberg.
Oberrotweiler Eichberg grauburgunder grosses gewächs 2009
Mineral nose. Even more volcanic than the Henkenberg. Deep and dark mineral notes. Light aromatic grauburgunder-notes. Rich and round wine in the mouth. Lots of concentration. Lots of volcanic hints, lots of minerality. The aromatic grapey-notes are in the background. Fine acidity and length. Great wine and my favorite among the young whites.
Grauburgunder M beerenauslese trocken 2009
Very ripe nose. Kirsch, alcohol, some botrytis. Extreme power in the mouth. Creamy, fat and rich style with lots of alcohol. Some botrytis showing. Still this has a very fine and deep minerality that shines through. Medium acidity and 17% alcohol showing on the finish. A freak. Interesting, but too alcoholic for me. Spontaneous fermentation according to Salwey.
Oberrotweiler Käsleberg spätburgunder trocken 2008
Red colour. Young red fruits on the nose. Fruity, quite burgundian, but with light volcanic hints behind. Medium bodied and fruity in the mouth with some more oak showing. Quite simple with a touch of volcanic soil. Decent acidity. Fair quality.
Glottertäler spätburgunder trocken 2007
Red fruit on the nose. Rasberries with hints of anise and some oak. Medium bodied wine in the mouth. A little more concentration than the previous wine and a little more structure. Brighter fruit. Clean and fruity with a touch of oak. Fine acidity and a tougher finish with more tannins. Good.
Glottertäler Eichberg spätburgunder grosses gewächs 2008
Bottled 6 weeks ago. On the nose this shows a lot of new wood. Some red berries. More structure in the mouth, but also finer and more elegant than the previous wine. The fruit is more obvious here. Lots of red fruits. Fine and elegant. Still oak is apparent. Needs time to integrate. Fine acidity and a pretty finish with fine tannins. Very good.
Kaiserstuhler spätburgunder spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2008
Cooler style here. Red fruits and a stoney feel. Mineral. Medium bodied and more acidic mouthfeel. Pretty balance. Bright and refreshing. Fine red fruit. Good acidity and little tannins on the finish. Lighter wine. Bright and fine fruit. Very good and a fine effort for the price.
Kaiserstuhler spätburgunder spätlese trocken “RS” reserve 2007
Darker colour than the ’08. Riper fruits with hints of dark berries. Some Minerality. More power in the mouth, more fatness and lower acidity. But drier style with darker notes in the fruit. Not as fine as the ’08. Quite nice, but a step below ’08 in quality. Good.
Oberrotweiler Eichberg spätburgunder grosses gewächs 2007
This shows more oak on the nose. Smokey oak. Some toast. Some volcanic hints. Fullbodied spätburgunder with lots of concentration. Lots of oak and quite toasty. Young and structured style with fine acidity and a tannic and quite hard finish. This seems to have too much oak for me. Time will tell. Needs aging. Fair quality.
Glottertäler Eichberg spätburgunder grosses gewächs 2008
This shows a lot prettier fruit. Cooler red fruits on the nose. Hints of oak, but finer balance. Stone, minerality. Medium bodied in the mouth. Cooler fruits. Some oak. Finer acidity and some tannins on the back. This seems far more harmonious. Still needs some time to integrate the oak. Very good.
Oberrotweiler Kirchberg spätburgunder grosses gewächs 2008
Intense, mineral nose. Floral and dark fruits. Lots of depth. Powerful and chewy spätburgunder in the mouth. Lots of concentration – especially for this vintage. Lots of fruit. Oak is there, but in the background here. Fine dark fruit notes. Fine florality. Deep minerality. Great fruit, quite cool in style. Clear and deep. Fine acidity. Tannic and structured end without being unnecessary hard. Tremendous quality and a huge step above all the other spätburgunders.
Oberrotweiler Kirchberg spätburgunder spätlese trocken*** 2002
When Wolf-Dietrich Salwey heard I liked the ’08 Kirchberg he generously opened a bottle of this for me. No GG in 2002, but this would be the equivalent wine. Not a great vintage as he said. Great fruit. Evolved, complex notes, yet on the young side. Dark fruits, autumn leafs, compost. Florality. Medium bodied in the mouth. Fine fruit with some development. Beginning complexity. Fine fruit, yet it is a lighter vintage. Fine acidity and a structured finish. This is a great wine to drink right now, although still on the young side. Great wine.
Oberrotweiler Eichberg grauburgunder spätlese trocken*** 2001
Then he decided to open one more old wine. This time a grauburgunder. This had a really killer nose. Complex and noble grauburgunder. Volcanic, smokey, leafy nose. Powerful in the mouth. Smokey minerality. Volcanic hints. Some grauburgunder-notes like leafs, light banana-skin. Fine acidity and a long taste. Truly an amazing grauburgunder and a great example that these wines really do age gracefully. Thanks a lot for a great ending to a long tasting.
Arnt and the real boss of Weingut Salwey.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting notes: Sep-2010
