2005 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Kabinett

Smelling of white peach and mint, the 2005 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett comes onto the palate quite rich and creamy, decidedly sweet, and with a hint of botrytis honey. Licorice, mint, honey, and peach inform the long, pure finish of this imposing if not so typically Kabinett-weight Riesling. “Certainly it was difficult this year,” admits Kraml, “to come up with anything meriting the name Kabinett, although the customer demands it.” Stefan Kraml met me well before eight o’clock on a mid-August morning with an air of quiet confidence and near nonchalance that tipped me off to what would follow: a display of Grunhaus quality such as practically went without saying a decade or more ago. He and owner Carl von Schubert have regained their footing, despite a year in which what von Schubert described as nature’s eventual “turbo-autumn” was preceded by severe hail and an unprecedented tornado that felled 200-year-old trees and a portion of the vineyard walls – to say nothing of the toll it took on vines! The harvest began October 10 and – like many a successful one this year – was finished in a mere two action-packed weeks. Up to the level of B.A., incidentally, all of the wines fermented spontaneously. Also recommended: 2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb (unknown; 84+?). Importer: P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel. (918) 622-0424