Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Josephshofer Riesling Kabinett A P #39

點擊次數(shù)：939

A 2008 Josephshofer Riesling Kabinett A.P. #39 represents an auction lot that Kesselstatt offered solely in magnums. A heavy veil of fermentative aromas made the nose hard to get at here, but luscious grapefruit and pineapple on the palate put me in mind a bit of Goldtropfchen, and to these were added suggestions of smoked meats and toasted nuts. This is quite richly-textured for Kabinett, but not without an attractive sense of levity and refreshment, and as with nearly every wine in this collection labeled “Kabinett,” its balance is excellent, with the sweetness supportive but not dominant. This could indeed be worth cellaring for a decade or more as its large format bottling suggests, though I’d want to revisit it soon to get a clearer impression of its aromatics. Annegret Reh’s 2008s display their acids somewhat more prominently than did her 2007s. While for the second year running neither alcoholic heat nor roughness were an impediment to her penchant for dry Grosse Gewachse, this did not mean that the trocken end of the spectrum here was always that ideally-balanced, as there was not only tartness but considerable bitterness to deal with as well. This enormous estate has made great strides, but I think that stylistically they could be more sensitive to the message of their terrific vineyards, at least to the extent that their customer base allows (since the Germans demand of them trocken). In my view, Reh’s move toward more flexibility with and a wider range of residual sugar in the off-dry half of the Kesselstatt portfolio, especially Kabinett, is an excellent step in that direction, but “Grosse Gewachse” of 10-15 grams residual sugar would be an even better one! Incidentally, machine harvesters (first used here, as at many top-notch German estates, in the hectic 2006 vintage) were employed this year in some of the more accessible and less distinguished sites in order to buy time for the entire crop to hang longer, although even so, picking began in mid-October, and concluded November 8.Various importers including: P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel. (918) 622-0424