2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett

Slightly stinky and not yet out of its shell. Should get there! (JR)

The Prum 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett displays the classic fresh apple, apple blossom, and vanilla of the site. Crushed stone and the bitter side of the vanilla bean help temper the sweetness here. This shows alluring creaminess along with refined delicacy, finishing long on fresh apple, sweet floral perfume, and wet stone along with hints of anise and vanilla. “This is Kabinett the way we imagine it,” remarks Katharina Prum, although hardly surprisingly, the estate’s quantities at this Pradikat level are smaller than are those at Spatlese grade. And I would add that it is unlikely very many vintages of this iconic Mosel will age more expressively or successfully than the one under consideration here. The characteristics of great Riesling from the Prum estate coincide with one of the most striking virtues of 2007 Mosel Rieslings in general, namely the ability to combine intensity of aroma and flavor with delicacy, and caressing richness with vivacity. In a sense, the best wines in this year’s collection are like Prum-squared in their distinctiveness and expressivity. Manfred Prum acknowledges good reasons for the widespread comparison of 2007 with 2004, and thinks the present vintage also shares the richness of 2005. Notoriously little attention is paid at this address to dry-tasting wines, and I was unfortunately not able to taste either a Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese trocken or a Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese feinherb. Nobly sweet wines which I have not yet tasted include Wehlener Sonnenuhr auction Spatlese, gold capsule Auslese, and Beerenauslese; a Graacher Himmelreich long gold capsule Auslese, and a Bernkasteler Badstube Eiswein. Various importers including: P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel 918 622 0424 and Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463

Fresh, crystal clear, lively, even yeasty. Quite sweet, more pear than apple, easy, uncomplicated, fair length. (MS)