The 2006 Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Kabinett offers fusil and wet stone scents, along with apple blossom and pineapple. At 10.5% alcohol, one could not call this “heavy” except perhaps “for a Kabinett,” and it displays excellent balance but with no overt sweetness. A site-typical salinity mingles with subdued tropical fruit notes on a silky, broad palate. Alkaline and fusil elements creep into the finish too, giving this the aspect of an older wine, but adding to a sense of mineral complexity. Enjoy this over the next year or two. (The Josts have acquired acreage above the Hahn from whose altitude they hope to benefit in producing Kabinett. The wine labeled “Hahn Kabinett” was routinely being rendered from Auslese-grade material even in the 1980s.) The normally dry and always steep and well-ventilated Hahn certainly enjoyed advantages in a rain-plagued vintage like 2006.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
