letuffeau.com
(Link)
Le Tuffeau is Open for 2026
…
please join us, responsibly, for a glass or bottle of wine
(more below)
—
Gunderloch
Nackenheim am Rhein, Rheinhessen
&
Christmann
Gimmeldingen, Pfalz
“We are only a few weeks into 2026 and I have already decided to do a serious Riesling offer. In fact, I am surprised it took me this long to get my act together!
I should note here, dear readers, that part of me wanted to write this journal entry/offer (depending on your reading and purchasing habits) as if it were a parsing of the august regions in Germany, an elucidation on Rheinhessen and Pfalz and the organoleptic elements of the fine dry Rieslings from these climes. That part of me has prevailed. Read on below. Part of me also realises that to survive and keep writing these missives I must sell wine. So I beseech you with the following:
These are the among the finest, most terroir specific white wines, at a ‘village’ or blended level, I have perhaps ever seen. They outdrink generic Chablis. They outdrink generic Bourgogne blanc. They are the perfect storm of vintage, sites, viticulture, practice, etcetera, etcetera. To cap it all off they are also delicious and affordable Summer drinking. Please read on, be informed; then enjoy (responsibly) enjoy some fine wines.
Below are two Rieslings which are the equivalent of ‘generic’ 1er Cru wines in Burgundy ... except they are all from Grand Cru vineyards. Consider the analogue Domaine Francois Bertheau's ‘Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru’.
Both of these wines feel like a snapshot of the incredible 2023 Vintage in Germany ...
“Rheingau and Rheinhessen produced world-class Rieslings in 2023. The wines are bursting with flavor and delineated by freshness, but moderate in alcohol. “The nectarine and curious peach into my hands themselves do reach…” This striking line from Andrew Marvell’s poem The Garden involuntarily popped into my mind repeatedly while tasting the 2023 Rieslings; such was their verve and expression. Even the entry-level Rieslings shine.” - Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
&
“In 2023, these three disparate regions had two things in common: challenging weather and a turbo-charged harvest ... Selective hand harvesting was the absolute key to quality. As I focus my visits to top producers, many of the wines I tasted were simply thrilling, but overall, 2023 is definitely a case of caveat emptor.” - Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
... and both are wholly indicative of their respective regions, for which they feel like a distilled essence thereof. Notes below explicate further.”
— David
—
~ please note : discounts are automatically applied at the digital check-out! ~
—
Gunderloch
“The 2023 Rieslings at Gunderloch are exquisite renditions of the Red Slope, packing all that savor and fruit of this Permian escarpment into light-footed yet profound Rieslings. They are a step up from last year with more precision and sinuousness ... The wines are stunning.”
— Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
I
Gunderloch 2023 Niersteiner Riesling ‘Roter Hang’
(Shelf Price: $85.00)
Offer: $72.00
“Not so much the essence of Rheinhessen as the essence of the Roter Hang, the shockingly red soiled hillside above the Rhein river. The exposure (facing East, as in Burgundy) and gradient coupled to proximity to the river create a long recognised microclimate, and the heavily decomposed Rotligend topsoils which are nearly loamy in texture are ideally suited to Rieslings which are finessed, minerally, and highly spiced.
Aromatically vivid from first pour, this wine soars from the glass with arresting aromatics in peals: ripe and ruddy peach skin with tart apricot, lightly tropical flavours, red delicious apple, red and Sichuan peppercorns, and hints of fresh oregano. Between these olfactory outcroppings run fissures of minerality bonding everything together - this petrichor, warm red soil tones that is intensely redolent of vineyard. I feel a German critic here would comment on: fine and spicy Riesling grapes, but I am less laconic. The palate is full and piquant, with structuring acidity and mild Riesling-tannin; the fruit presence has the quality of being sliced (rather than crushed or preserved, etc.), and the wine sits in along the bottom runnels of the cheeks pleasingly behind and next to the lower layer of teeth. Flavours: first pleasingly tropical including passionfruit, ripe peach, star fruit; then spicy elements and grapefruit together with altogether more exotic pomelo and green mango race along
the side of the palate; the finish: mineral enriched and more elongated with a piquant finish.”
— David
Order here
(Link)
~ please note : though the immediate above Riesling from Gunderloch is not labelled, described, as ‘Trocken’ it is still bone dry. This wine is technically a VDP Erste Lage wine, for which it must be trockenheit, or possess the quality of being dry, in addition to being technically dry (sub-9g of residual sugar). ~
—
Christmann
“The Rieslings are super-crunchy and pristine in 2023 ... Sophie Christmann [has] set new standards in the region.”
— Anne Krebiehl MW, vinous.com
II
Christmann 2023 Pfalz Riesling Trocken ‘Aus den Lagen’
(Shelf Price: $79.00)
Offer: $67.00
“The 2023 'Aus den Lagen' conveys, without the slightest unwanted hint of the generic, the soul of Pfalz: limestone bedrock and warm sun. Here there are fertile topsoils, gentle slopes, and a patchwork of vineyards that mirror Burgundy but with highly fragmented vineyards that eclipse in specificity and local fame their more acclaimed French cousins. Pfalz is the homeland of German wine ... and I long for a return of Palatinate taxation categories, not for obeisance to a Holy Roman Emperor but for the re-bestowal of 'Premier' and 'Grand' Cru status on plots.
A thoroughly 'Deutsch' nose, strict at first with a faint haze of reduction clouding specificity other than limestone/sandstone dusts that feel aromatically 'close'. Time in the air clears the tropics and cooler heads prevail to reveal yellow stone fruit, white piths from citrus, cut fresh herbs, bay, tart pear, and faint notions of chutneys together with iodine. I cannot stress the pleasure here from the surliness, the sense of discipline that is present. The palate is very fine for the level, the wine possessing that classic Pfalz 'chunkiness' without ever feeling corpulent; perhaps it is saved, for me, by being elevated to the upper cheeks as if below the sinuses. The flavours move here in blocks, tectonic: candied ginger abuts curry leaf; lemon pith next to apricot; yellow peach and apple; then compact and chewy with phenolics and Riesling-tannin on the close. Slight echoes of the chutney again along with salty mineral dabs. Delicious.
Go on - be German. Discipline yourself.”
— David
Order here
(Link)
—
(Link)
The new Le Tuffeau
2026
…
As mentioned above Le Tuffeau is open for 2026. We are still an eccentric fine wine shop on the second floor of the Nicholas Building. What is different: we have a new Liquor Licence permitting on premises consumption.
Snacks: coming soon.
Please join us for a drink soon. Reservations preferred.
Bookings and after-6.00pm access: (03) 9419 3867
Tue. 11.00 am–6.00 pm
Wed.–Sat. 11.00 am–11.00 pm
…
Available
by the glass this week
Max Ferd. Richter 2021 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett
Domaine Servin 2023 Chablis 1er Cru 'Butteaux'
Chateau Simone 2023 Palette Rose
Domaine Remoriquet 2022 Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Les Allots'
Wantirna Estate 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 'Amelia'
—
If you would like any of the above, would like to come by for a private appointment, or just have some questions — please let us know.