Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Junior Riesling Eiswein, Mosel, Germany

澤巴赫塞爾廷仙境園初級雷司令冰白葡萄酒

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Pure pear nectar along with grapefruit, lemon and the pungency of their rinds rise from the glass of Selbach-Oster 2009 Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein Junior, so nick-named – as has been the case with a number of past Eiswein bottlings from this site – to reflect its relative lightness in must weight and youthful drinkability (reflected also in a lower-than-usual-Eiswein price). The richly-textured, confectionary, yet almost spine-tinglingly bright palate impression calls to mind lemon meringue, but a cool combination of luscious honeydew melon with shimmering impingement of high-toned herbal essences and stone, adds to the irresistible appeal of this lithe Riesling’s finish. Don’t wait to enjoy some, although it will certainly perform well for at least a dozen years and perhaps longer. “The autumn was super, with little stress,” remarked Johannes Selbach, who is more often seen furrowing his exceedingly high brow when describing even a highly successful harvest! What there was of botrytis, he reports, came late, and he reported that what rain there was in November was of negligible significance. Where many 2009 collections disappointed slightly as they reached the limits of possible vintage Oechsle, the Selbach-Oster collection proceeded from strength to profound strength. Most of the wines were bottled in May, but some of the dry and nobly sweet lots were very late even to finish fermenting and a few had not yet been bottled even when I tasted in September. True to an intention he stated last year, Selbach has bottled without Pradikat the fruits of block-pickings from his three top parcels, each named on its label. (For more about the principles involved, consult in particular my note on the 2005 “Schmitt” Auslese – in issue 169 – and that on this year’s dry “Schmitt” Spatlese below.) This year’s collection continues the trend for wines from Zeltingen’s Schlossberg to shine with special complexity and elegance after the many years in which they seemed destined at this address to take a back seat to those of Sonnenuhr. Not only were the vineyards of Zeltingen among the most celebrated on the Mosel during the 19th and early 20th century, but Karl Heinrich Koch epochal survey of 1881 places the Schlossberg as among the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer’s top 11 sites, and one can appreciate this while savoring a wine like this year’s “Schmitt” trocken. Importers: There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Selbach likes to refer to his 2007 Zeltinger Himmelreich Eiswein and a few of its predecessors as his “l(fā)ittle Eiswein” (Eisweinchen) because these represent successful attempts to capture infectious drink-ability and liveliness in that genre. Candied apple and pear are suffused with efficacious, lemony acidity, and a prickly pungency in the nose, along with white raisin and honey suggest the presence of botrytis. (A portion of the vines were wrapped in film, which almost inevitably promotes some rot, but at least here it is clearly noble.) Nor does the presence of botrytis weigh down this lithe and penetratingly bright wine. There is a certain sweet-sour tug between its ennobled elements and citricity, but that may resolve itself with time. Although this is intended to be enjoyable from the get-go, it should be fascinating to follow for two or more decades. The Selbach crew did some pre-selection at the end of September, leading directly into a main harvest that lasted until November 10. Johannes Selbach says he often had to find things to keep his crew occupied while waiting for what he judged the optimum moments to pick. After having been through 2006, he was determined to have everything and everybody ready should circumstances suddenly dictate haste, which of course they never did. Selbach was delighted – as a self-proclaimed defender of “true Kabinett” – to have some genuinely light-weight yet intensely-flavored wines this year, and he was the first to acknowledge that not only the prevailing weather but also the abundant crop (even allowing for thinning) helped make ripe-tasting yet relatively low must-weight Riesling possible. He notes that there was relatively little botrytis, and then late. In view of that assessment, I was surprised at the extent to which this year’s Spatlesen evinced evidence of it. As for the dry and nearly-dry wines in this year’s collection, “it’s like a homecoming,” remarks Selbach, “to get back to wines with stuffing but that are sleek, anything but heavy, and inviting of the next sip.” There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300.

The white pepper, candied lemon, eucalyptus, and lime-scented 2001 Riesling Eiswein Zeltinger Himmelreich "Junior" is the most reasonably-priced Eiswein of outstanding quality I've encountered. Jellied red currants, raspberries, freshly cracked pepper, and lively limes are found in its plump, pure, zesty character. While it is concentrated and powerful it remains friendly and forward. Its acidity doesn't shock, as with many of its Eiswein brethren. Drink it between 2005 and 2030+. Johannes Selbach, this estate's winemaker and director (as well as Terry Theise's man-on-the-ground in Germany) is on fire. His wines are top flight and yet his winemaking appears to be improving with each vintage. Readers should note that Selbach's wines typically appear substantially better after a few years of cellaring. I've tried to compensate for that by inserting plus (+) signs by those wines that have the most chance of improving significantly over time. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300