(Manfred Klimek / Mixology)
We instinctively hesitate at this question. Too many superlatives, too many reflexive counterarguments, too many good wines that could also lay claim to it. And yet this is precisely the question that imposes itself when one drinks the Cuvée Marsannier from Knipser – not out of national exuberance, but out of objective astonishment. For this wine not only calls stylistic certainties into question, but geographical ones too.
Marsanne and Viognier are foreign bodies in Germany. Grape varieties without tradition, without a lobby – zero expectations. That is precisely where the winemakers' freedom lies. While German white wines often struggle with historically evolved categories – Riesling here, Spätburgunder there – Knipser uses the Marsannier to introduce a radical change of perspective: not defending provenance, but asserting quality.
Marsanne is the quiet star of this cuvée. In Hermitage, one of the world's most prestigious white-wine appellations, Marsanne – often together with Roussanne – produces some of the longest-lived, most profound white wines of all. Wines that can often seem closed when young, but with air and time develop an almost unshakeable calm: nutty, herbal, salty, with that inner vibration that arises not from acidity, but from structure. Marsanne is not an aromatic grape variety (although its fragrance and aroma can seem powerful), nor is it a show-off. It is well built from the outset. And it does not need to seek enhancement through oak and lees.
Viognier, by contrast, provides the counterbalance. More fragrance too, a touch more texture, breadth on the attack and in its presence. But here as well, Knipser shows remarkable discipline. The Viognier in the Marsannier remains restrained, does not tip into the perfumed, but acts like a deliberately applied accent. White flowers, yellow fruit, a hint of exoticism – more suggestion than statement. Together, this makes for a cuvée that remains remarkably cool, despite consisting of varieties commonly associated with southern opulence.
What makes this wine so remarkable is its matter-of-factness. It does not seek to explain why Marsanne and Viognier work in the Palatinate. It simply does. Yellow fruit, subtle spice, a calm, dense core, together with a texture that carries the wine for longer than one expects. No fireworks of acidity, no oak note as proof. Instead: balance, depth, drinkability. A white wine that becomes more assured with every sip.
This is precisely where its ultimate relevance begins – above all for the hospitality trade. The Marsannier is not a soloist for tastings, but a wine for the table. It works with fish, poultry, veal, vegetables – and remarkably well with cheese. It does not overwhelm – despite its claim to be an unusual special wine.
That such an unusual wine should come from one of Germany's most popular wineries of all places is, of course, no contradiction. Knipser has mastered this art for years: making ambitious wines that do not present themselves as elitist. The Marsannier is not an intellectual wine of provocation, but an offering. One that says quietly but firmly: German white-wine culture does not have to end with German grape varieties.
So is it Germany's best white wine? Perhaps that is the wrong question. The better one is: Which other German white wine is currently expanding the horizon so consistently, without making such a determined fuss about its German provenance? And suddenly the list becomes very short.
(More about Knipser's wines in the next print edition of the bar magazine “Mixology” – Meininger Verlag)