Kranz, a leading Pfalz winery, celebrates 25 years of making a single-vineyard wine from a special site called Kalmit
Website: www.weingut-kranz.de
Weingut Kranz is an important Pfalz winery, and recently I visited to join in with the celebrations of 25 years of their making wines from the Kalmit vineyard, which is located on the Kleine Kalmit in the village of Ilbesheim.
The estate dates back to 1947, but back then it was mixed agriculture, not just wine. When Boris Kranz, the current owner, joined the family estate in the mid-1990s, he recognized the potential of Kalmit, although it wasn’t until 2009 it as officially recognized as a single-vineyard site, an Einzellage. Interestingly, this was the first newly registered single-vineyard site in Germany since 1971, which was the year of the now infamous German Wine Law.
Kranz joined the VdP in 2012, so their first Grosses Gewächs (GG) wine from Kalmit was from the 2011 vintage. They had been making a single-vineyard wine from Kalmit since 2000, when they made a Riesling from here. Kalmit is unusual in that three different varieties, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, can be used to make a GG from this Grosse Lage.
Physically, Kalmit is a special site. It’s a south-facing slope with tertiary limestone soils. Specifically, this means a mix of rocks, small pieces of limestone, clay and marl-rich topsoil of differing depths.
Boris Kranz and his son Xaver presented this tasting.
Kranz Kalmit Riesling 2000 Pfalz, Germany
Dry, textural and intense with some notes of honey and wax, as well as some spiciness. Lemon and lime with nice intensity and focus, showing a slight saltiness. Powerful and layered with richness, a touch of marmalade development, and a long finely spiced finish. 95/100
Kranz Kalmit Riesling 2003 Pfalz, Germany
Beeswax, honey and a lot of spice as well as crystalline citrus fruit. Such presence and intensity with a touch of toasty development, as well as some sweet notes. Lovely depth to this wine. 94/100
Kranz Kalmit Riesling Terrassenlage 2008 Pfalz, Germany
Lovely crystalline citrus on the nose with some fine spicy detail. Intense palate with high acidity and more crystalline citrus. Lemony depth, finishing really spicy with lots of acidity. Intense style. 95/100
Kranz Kalmit Riesling Terrassenlage 2010 Pfalz, Germany
Full golden colour. Bold, rich and honeyed with a savoury spiciness and a twist of bitterness on the finish. This is showing quite a bit of development. It’s a little awkward at the moment. 91/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Riesling GG 2011 Pfalz, Germany (magnum)
Full yellow in colour. This is rich, complex and powerful with an amazing acid line threading through the lemon and lime fruit, with a hint of apricot and then some saltiness. Really vivid and distinctive. 95/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Riesling GG 2014 Pfalz, Germany
Complex nose of honey, a hint of cabbage, toast and some lime. The palate is lively with crystalline citrus fruit and nice acidity. There’s a slight bitterness on the finish. 91/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Riesling GG 2016 Pfalz, Germany
The first vintage where they were 100% organically certified. A wet start to the growing season, and then it finished dry. Nice concentration of pure lemony fruit with lovely fresh, layered, refined fruit and good acidity. Has a real sense of freshness, and finishes juicy and mouth-watering. 95/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Riesling GG 2023 Pfalz, Germany
This was wild ferment and whole cluster pressing for the first time. Juicy and lively with primary citrus fruit. This is compact and crystalline with a salt and chalk edge to the crisp fruit, finishing with wet stone minerality. Lots of potential here. 94/100
Weissburgunder was first planted here in 2003. It had been on Kalmit in the past, but had been replaced with Riesling. They made the first wine in 2006. These are all stainless steel fermented.
Kranz Kalmit Weisser Burgunder 2006 Pfalz, Germany
Honey, toast and spice with real depth of fruit. Some orange peel and lemon here, with good acidity, and a slight bitter pithy edge. Lots to like about this wine, which has developed in interesting ways. 93/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Weisser Burgunder GG 2011 Pfalz, Germany
Lively, bright and pristine with lovely pear and peach as well as keen citrus, as well as a slight toastiness. Lovely depth here with a nice acid line. Such precision and focus. Really good. 94/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Weisser Burgunder GG 2012 Pfalz, Germany
Compact with nice pear and white peach, showing good concentration as well as lovely focused acidity. Real precision here with depth but also refinement. Really nice freshness and presence. Beautiful. 95/100
Kranz Ilbesheimer Kalmit Weisser Burgunder GG 2021 Pfalz, Germany
This year they switched from stainless steel fully to small French oak. The previous year they had tried half and half. Refined nose of toast and crystalline citrus fruit. Lovely acidity here with a nice stony minerality high up in the mix. Finishes focused and linear with a slight salinity. Very refined. 94/100
Kranz Kalmit Spätburgunder 2007 Pfalz, Germany
This was the first year, and they used new oak. There’s a warmth and richness to the fruit here: the alcohol seems to be quite high and adds some sweetness to the fruit. Cherries, plums and raspberries with some warm spiciness, and a touch of oak. A very rich style that’s ageing quite well. 91/100
Kranz Ilbersheimer Kalmit Spätburgunder GG 2011 Pfalz, Germany
Small French oak here. There’s warmth, depth and richness here with sweet strawberries, some raspberry and then some dried herbs. Smooth on the finish with some earthy development. Attractive, but fully developed. 90/100
Kranz Ilbersheimer Kalmit Spätburgunder GG 2013 Pfalz, Germany
A cold vintage. A change in style, looking for more freshness and acidity, as well as lower alcohol. Fresh cherries and raspberries with some dried herbs and a touch of mint. Nicely spicy on the palate with an appealing finish. Has some spicy development. 92/100
Kranz Ilbersheimer Kalmit Spätburgunder GG 2015 Pfalz, Germany
A warm vintage, getting cool at the beginning of September. Supple and quite fresh, but also showing nice fruit ripeness. Has nice density on the palate, with red cherries and raspberries, as well as good texture. Some dried herb complexity here with a touch of orange peel. Nice fresh finish. 93/100
