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

MOSEL WINES
84
carl schmitt-wagner mosel • longuich
The half-bottles come out when we’re through with the young wines. I have almost lost count of
the number of old wines this remarkable man has shared with my friends and me. But he hasn’t!
I think he remembers each and every one.
I think I’ll share what we drank one year, not to rub your nose in it (well maybe a little) (O.K.
a lot) but rather as a tribute to his generosity and avid spirit.
We started with a 1963 Kabinett, very much alive and leafy. I thought it was a ‘62, and was
abashed. One of my traveling companions had surely never dreamed of a 40-year-old
“Kabinett” with barely 8% alcohol even making it, let alone drinking like a dream. Next came
an elegant, fine ‘62 Spätlese, slatey and solid. A gorgeous wine followed: ‘69 Spätlese, ethereal,
long, evocative and tender.
The next wine was obviously younger, a ‘92 Auslese,
just emerging from its adolescence; then a 1997 Auslese,
not my type (too much botrytis); then an improbable and
obscure wine; I thought maybe a 1966 but as it grew in
the glass it seemed too stern and “important” for ‘66.
“Could be a 1971 Spätlese,” I wrote. Bulls-eye! Then a
rather old-tasting ‘71 Auslese; “We should have used
more sulfur,” said Bruno. The next wine was easy; nothing
tastes like this magic-Mosel vintage: ‘75 Spätlese.
Corrie Malas was happy; it’s her birth-year. Next up
came a 1971 BA, 145° Oechsle, superb, but I still loved
that ‘69 best. Then the coup de gras, a ‘71 TBA, about
which I wrote “It’s an adult but it hasn’t been wounded
yet; it’s still perfectly confident the world is splendidly
beautiful and safe. It needs fifteen more years to find its
way to kindness
and tenderness;
right now it’s all
happy malt and
orange.” This at 32
years old! So
remember when I
write “25-75 years”
for a drinking envelope
for such
wines, this is based
on many such
experiences.
Bruno Schmitt
And all this
took place over
maybe 45 minutes! Nor was it in any way worshipful;
quite the contrary. You get the sense this is how Bruno
Schmitt likes to PARTY DOWN. I’ll bet he looks forward
to the chance to rampage through a bunch of old vintages.
Happy to oblige, squire. Though forgive me if I get
a little emotional, you know. I know these wines literally
live in your basement and all, but for a guy like me this
is a sanctum of beauty.
I only wish I could show it to you, because all you
get to see is this “drink now to four years” crap by wine
•Vineyard area: 4 hectares
•Annual production: 3,000 cases
•Top sites: Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg
•Soil types: Blue Devonian slate
•Grape varieties: 100% Riesling
writers who’ve never set foot in a German winery. I also
love the ceremony with which the new wines are presented.
Wine is significant not only as a provider of
livelihood, but also as a filament connecting us to a
human continuity.
It’s interesting to note that the Herrenberg was classified
category “A” — the best category — during the
world’s first official vineyard classification, undertaken
by the Prussian land office during the early nineteenth
century for the purpose of — you guessed it — tax
assessment! The original document, published by Stuart
Pigott as a vineyard map, is remarkable in its fidelity to
current notions of the best vineyards.