The Kubler family have tended vines at Soulzmatt, south of Colmar since 1620. Such lengthy tenure is not unusual in Alsace, where wine families such as Trimbach, Hugel, (Leon) Beyer and (Paul) Ginglinger can all trace their wine connections as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries.
South of Colmar is definitely Gewurztraminer country. The main Grand Cru in Soulzmatt is Zinnkoepfle. The steep clay-limestone and sandy clay soils of the 68.4 ha Zinnkoepfle rise to 420 m and face southeast/south. The hot, dry microclimate is particularly suited to Gewurztraminer, which is the main varietal planted here. Pinot Gris and riesling are also plantes, alongside a smaller amount of illegal Sylvaner, which cannot carry the name Zinnkoepfle.
Despite this long history Paul Kubler's wines has recently taken a huge leap forward in quality thanks to the return of young Philippe Kubler to family's 9 ha in 2003. Philippe's own pedigree is impressive. After completing his diploma in Oenology at Bordeaux university he spent time with Denis Debourdieu- probably the best known white wine consultant in Bordeaux. Debourdieu gave Philippe the opportunity to gain hands on experience at, inter alia, Yquem, Doisy Daene and Clos Floridene. From there he headed to Burgundy, where he apprenticed with Colin-Deleger at Chassagne Montrachet before finishing his training with a stage at Cloudy Bay. His first vintage was 2004, of which I still have one or two bottles.
Philippe works organically, observing certain bio dynamic practices. He is not certified, and intends to remain so as he feels that his clients should be able to trust his integrity as a winemaker. He doesn't wish to be constrained by the impositions of certification bodies, or to pay for certification. All vines are picked by hand. Vinification takes place in old foudres. Philippe allows plenty of time on lees and uses battonage.
The Range:
The K range: these are good, restrained varietal wines available Pinot Blanc; Gewurztraminer; and Pinot Gris. They are dry, balanced and elegant, and perfect for the table.
Lieu dit:
The Lieu dit, or named place is increasingly common in Alsace, where many producers now offer a terroir-based range below Grand Cru level. Rieslings from Lieu dit are likely to be drier than their grand cru counterparts, although this is only really a rule of thumb. Sweetness in riesling is murdering the reputation of Alsatian riesling as one of the world's great white food wines, and as an outsider it is virtually impossible to know whether a given riesling contains 2g per litre or 20g per litre of residual sugar. Whilst some producers, eg Zind Humbrecht and Jean Paul Schmitt, provide some information on the label as to the dryness or otherwise of the wine this is the exception rather than the rule.
There is no pan-regional requirement for labeling of this kind. Hilariously the generic/ tradition riesling from most producers is invariably bone dry. This would appear to indicate that producers are aware of the demand for dry riesling to pair with food, yet practically all persist in producing wines with sugar levels well in excess of 5g/ l of RS. Despite asking many producers why this is the case, I have yet to get a satisfactory answer. Most claim that global warming, and the exposure of the better sites means riper grapes and therefore higher sugar. This is clearly an unsatisfactory explanation. How does Trimbach manage to produce bone dry riesling year upon year?
A quick tip for RS level verification is to see if the riesling is featured in the Guide Hachette, which gives the Residual Sugar figure at the end of each Alsace entry. This is available online (2008, and 2009 eds) on the Hachette website.
Back to Monsieur Kubler:
Philippe's Riesling Breitenberg 2006: is drier than the month-old, vulture-picked corpse of a screechy lemon-juice mouse in the Sahara. Nose full of lemon, sherbert, honey, apple, stone fruit( apricot) and a little kerosene. Medium minus body. Elegant, high acidity. Good, but not overly powerful.(Jan 2010)
The acidity here is searing, in a hurt your tummy way. This is definitely good, but still needs time to see if the acidity will integrate further. However 2006 was a dreadful vintage in Alsace for rot and there is not a hint of mushroom to be found here, which is an achievement in itself.
Weingarten Gewurztraminer 2005:
Philippe is, understandably, less concerned about residual sugar in his Gewurztraminer. This is demi-sec with a lovely floral nose full of rosewater.
A nice mineral hint to it too. Fairly elegant for this most inelegant of varietals.
Grand Cru:
GC Zinnkoepfle Gewurztraminer 2004:
Light, greenish gold colour. Lovely nose, quite restrained with lychees and pain d'epice spices. Quite sweet, beautiful weight and restraint on the palate. Bitter/ spicey finish crying out for food. Lovely with clear smokey minerality, hinting at long development ahead.
GC Zinnkoepfle Pinot Gris 2004:
Not tasted since domaine visit. No note.
Sylvaner 'Z' 2006 (13%): ( from the Zinnkoepfle)
Rich and honeyed nose. Leesy with milky/ caramel note on palate. Spice. Flat lining a little in terms of flavour profile/ lack of acidity? After 1 hr: Honey, spice, quince, nuts. Mango skin, tropical stone fruit. Salty caramel/ mineral aspect. Ice tea with lemon, miso soup?( I know, I know). A strange, fascinating wine. Really unusual and interesting.
