2009 Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett

Awarded Gold (IWC 2010), Bronze (DWWA 2010) Quite a bit of grunt and depth. Racy and lemony. Sweetness is quite obvious here even if it is obviously quite light bodied too. Like elderflower fizz. (JR)

A classic nose of fresh strawberry with honeysuckle and iris on the nose of Loosen’s 2009 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett follows as luscious, ripe berries and wafting liquid perfume on a buoyant, refreshing palate. A subtle creaminess of texture and hints of salt, nut oils, and crushed stone in the finish add allure and intrigue to this irresistibly delicious case for Kabinett, one that will show well for two decades. “I want real Kabinetts,” says Ernst Loosen by way of explaining his early start on the 2009 harvest, “between 80 and 83 Oechsle, with crisp acidity, freshness, and the like; and you can’t wait around, especially when you have five, maybe seven days of Kabinett-picking to do and every day ripeness is rising. This year, we wanted to delineate even more sharply the difference between Kabinett and Spatlese, as well as a distinct difference between Spatlese and Auslese.” In practical terms, this meant among other things slightly reducing the levels of residual sugar in the Kabinetts (Loosen says that trend will continue incrementally); and reserving botrytis fruit solely for wines labeled “Auslese.” Eiswein from Lay, Treppchen, and Sonnenuhr; Eiswein and T.B.A. from Pralat; as well as a T.B.A. from Wurzgarten were all – according to cellarmaster Bernhard Schug – in various states of fermentation or preparation for bottling when I visited in September, so consequently I shall review those wines (or at least some subset thereof) at such time as I report on the 2010 vintage. Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR tel. (510) 864-7255