A 2009 Scheurebe Kabinett trocken smells of sage flower, lemon grass, and gooseberry (though cellarmaster Franzen claims to have been at pains to sublimate that last-named component). Subtle oiliness of texture fortunately does not preclude significant refreshment, though huckleberry and pink grapefruit rind lend a slightly bitter cast to the finish. While analytically almost totally dry, this still finished with only 12% alcohol. Plan to drink it over the next couple of years. (I missed out on tasting Catoir’s quickly sold-out Sauvignon, so I’m still waiting to judge this estate’s performance with that inside Germany now so improbably fashionable grape, a performance that would naturally be especially interesting to compare with their dry Scheurebe.) “Despite sporadic rain at harvest time,” notes Martin Franzen about the 2009 harvest, “cool weather kept botrytis completely at bay. Frankly,” he adds, “it was hard to make disappointing wine with raw materials of this caliber.” But it was also impossible to achieve nobly sweet results save from Rieslaner, with its notorious penchant for spontaneous desiccation even in the absence of botrytis. This is the first vintage, incidentally, for which this estate has claimed organic bona fides, and Franzen – even if predictably – claims to find additional depth in his wines thanks to that conversion. (Not that this estate has ever been anything but entirely circumspect in any use of herbicides or pesticides.)Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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