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

This was a SLEEPER agency, an unsung hero
schmitt-wagner at a glance:
in my portfolio, but the 2001s changed that.
Spicy-grassy wines ideally suited to the last few vintages. 109-year-old ungrafted
vines—some SIX THOUSAND OF THEM. Makes among the two or three best
Kabinetts along the Mosel.
Of course this varies a little from parcel to parcel, but as
how the wines taste:
a rule the wines show remarkably expressive lime and
licorice, almost sassafrass. Sounds a little like Ürziger Würzgarten, right? Both have red
clay and sandstone mixed with the slate. Schmitt’s is an old style, cask-aged and leesy.
The wines seem quite open and scrutable yet they age endlessly. One unusual feature
here is the rather narrow span between Kabinett and Auslese in recent vintages, but I
think this has less to do with undernourished Auslese than with overnourished
Kabinetts; after all, a Kabinett from 109-year old ungrafted vines is gonna have some
taste, one might suppose!
GSW-049 2005 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese Feinherb +
36 g.l. of virtually undetectable sweetness, and this masterpiece is a last hurrah from an
endangered species, a perfectly balanced dry-ish Riesling: smoky slate and wisteria
aromas; palate shows superb Mosel fruit in a tenderly dry form. Absolutely perfect
food-wine! Pour it and see.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS: 1 (now to 4 years, again from 17-28 years)
GSW-050 2005 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett +
A little waif of 90º. Fragrances of fennel, lilac, white iris, tarragon, apple; palate is a
creamy fantasy of spice and fruit with wonderful shimmer and length; generous, solid
and charming. The Nth degree of Mosel here! Like a young `75 Auslese (not too far off
the mark in terms of ripeness, in fact).
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS:1 (8-24 years)
This is important, so I’m gonna say it loud. HERE’S A WINE FROM 109 YEAR OLD
UNGRAFTED VINES, HAND-TENDED AND HAND-HARVESTED AND VINIFIED
IN SMALL BATCHES AND ESTATE BOTTLED, AND YOU CAN OWN IT, DEAR
CONSUMER, FOR AROUND TWENTY DOLLARS. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU
STILL PAYING 75-100 DOLLARS FOR SOME NEW-WORLD FLASH-IN-THE-PAN
FROM SOME VINTNER-WANNABE WITHOUT A VINE TO HIS NAME??
GSW-051 2005 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
CORE-LIST WINE. We’ll slide into this when the `04 has sold through. Spearmint and
candy-cane aromas; higher-toned than the Kabinett, more sassafrass and slate; minty
spiced-apple finish.
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS:1 (10-30 years)
GSW-048 2005 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Auslese +
102º Oechsle, and another of his perfect food-Auslesen — it has 59g.l. residual sugar, about
HALF that of Coke; tastes in essence feinherb. Amazing nose! Sweet lees, wintergreen,
black walnut, sassafrass; glorious spicy power and a cymbal-crash of sheer vitality; finishes
like a wintergreen Altoid. Don’t dare tell me you “can’t drink Auslese with food.”
SOMMELIER ALERT! SOS:2 (10-35 years)
85
MOSEL WINES