German Catalog 2006 USE THIS ONE.qxp - Michael Skurnik Wines

GSO-264 2005 Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken +
The first of what will be very little Kabinett, so don’t dawdle. After the dry Spät this
showed more tarragon and zip at first, but then a sneaky-deep finish seems to burrow
into some stratum of palate you didn’t know was there; sweet-leesy and casky; superbly
dry, with serpentine length. Best-ever vintage of this perennially excellent wine.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS-0
(now to 4 years, again 12-15 years)
GSO-244 2004 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett
GSO-244H 2004 Selbach Oster Riesling Kabinett, 12/375ml
This is a different bottling than the one we’ve shipped to date; it was in part the final
lots of what was to have been the estate Spätlese, so you’re getting a free upgrade, you
lucky so-and-so. The purpose of this wine is first to reduce the skus in the range, and
second to have an entry-level Kabinett that’s crisper and has lower RS than the “Crus”.
This wine is a kind of Selbach tabula-rasa.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS-1 (4-15 years)
GSO-265 2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett +
GSO-265H 2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett, 12/375ml
This is the only Kabinett we have any volume of, though only about 65% of what we
sell in an average year; it is wonderfully aromatic, piercing yet limpid; the palate has a
taut yet creamy richness with the merest surmise of sweetness; in the lime and cherryblossom
side of the spectrum.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS- 1 (7-20 years)
GSO-266 2005 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett
Man, what expression of flint and kirsch. 100% stainless-steel, a ridiculous 99 degrees
Oechsle (not a typo), and the sweetest Kabinett ever at Selbach-Oster, yet nonetheless
distinctly feinherb with 47g.l. (this is good Auslese, remember); still on the fine lees
when I tasted it. “We stirred the lees several times because the frickin’ wine didn’t want
to ferment!” said Johannes; there’s a graphite newly-sharpened pencil aroma recalling
Avize Champagnes; brilliance and length go without saying!
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS- 2 (7-23 years)
GSO-267 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett +
Stupendously pure and archetypal Wehlen fragrance; gingersnap, lime, and a darkchocolate
note from spontaneous fermentation; an iron spine of structure, and balanced
on the point of a needle.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS- 2 (5-18 years)
NOTE: this whole “spontaneous fermentation” thing is much the topic of discussion in
Germany now. Many growers are returning to it or experimenting with a few of their
wines. It’s part of the back-to-natural wave. Cultured yeasts were used to encourage
predictable fermentations, or to permit fermentations at very low temperatures, or to
bring about certain desirable textures (and sometimes flavor nuances) in the finished
wines. “Sponties”, as they are known colloquially, are certainly more au naturel but not
necessarily more desirable.
GSO-268 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett +
Oh lord there isn’t much of this . . .
A maple-smoked fragrance; a cold cider poured over hot slate; the most sinewy and
firm of the Kabs — excuse me, “Kabs” — with wonderful polish, and a probing lime and
slate finish you can almost chew.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS- 2 (7-22 years)
49
MOSEL WINES