2008 Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Qba

Predictably more high-toned herbal character than in the corresponding Pechstein scents is Burklin’s 2008 Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling trocken GC. Peppermint and lavender follow onto a lithe, lean, incredibly piquant, pungent palate. A silken texture and ample sense of citrus and white peach primary fruit juiciness keep this from turning too spare or austere, and its sleekness and refinement are no doubt a reflection of very high class terroir, beside which some will find the corresponding Pechstein a tad less aristocratic. This will be another Burklin wine of its vintage to enjoy over a 10-12 year period. Burklin-Wolf – for more about whose practices consult issue 185 – mobilized a complete back-up crew to harvest the 2008 crop, in order to work around the rain and, virtually, around the clock, finishing in a burst of activity on October 20. Like Burklin-Wolf’s early 21st century conversion to biodynamic methods, this is an indication of the labor-intensity and quality-consciousness that have kept Germany’s largest privately-owned estate near the forefront of its nation’s viticulture. Obviously, though, great vineyards are critical to the results here, as are the continuity of three generations of Knorrs as cellar and vineyard managers, and two of Burklins that reach back into the 1920s. Bettina Burklin says she expects her 2008s to have especially long aging potential, but having had only very limited opportunity to taste dry Burklin-Wolf Rieslings of over a decade’s age (I have lots of positive experience with aging the residually sweet sort for which they were long known), I prefer to be conservative in my prognostications. Christopher Cannan Europvin Selections (various importers), Bordeaux; fax 001-33-5 57-87-43-22