2008 Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Kabinett

The von Othegraven 2008 Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Kabinett – very much like its 2007 counterpart – smells of fresh apple, yellow cherry, and diverse herbs. Luscious and juicy on the palate – striking an uncanny balance between fat and refreshment, extract and levity – this Riesling’s persistent ripe fruit is suffused with a savory salinity that becomes evident even in its aromas as the wine aerates. Further complexities of crushed stone, spices, and herbs inform the long finish. This preserves what I think of as classic Kabinett virtues while at the same time exhibiting the plushness and lees-enrichment that are von Othegraven hallmarks. It should be worth following for at least 8-10 years. Reports reached me as I was preparing to publish these notes that the von Othegraven estate – long run by Dr. Heidi Kegel – had been sold to Gunter Jauch (famous inside Germany as a TV moderator), whose grandmother I am told was a von Othegraven. The consensus among growers seems to be that this would constitute good news for the continuity of an estate that grew some of the most remarkable Saar Rieslings of the 1940s through mid ‘70s and has undergone an impressive revival in recent years thanks to the diligence and dedication of Kegel, nowadays assisted by cellarmaster Andreas Barth. (For reviews of Barth’s own wines from the Lower Mosel, see under “Lubentiushof,” and for more about Kegel and her estate, consult especially my issue 185 report.) Barth indicates that only the results of the first several days’ pickings – which went into generic estate Riesling – were lightly de-acidified. Incidentally, my prognostications of age-worthiness for any of these wines must be taken with a large grain of tartrates, because the present style has not been in place for so long; I have had little chance to revisit wines from 3-4 years out; and while I would love to believe that the wines of today share relevant characteristics with the great wines here from 1975 and before, I did not taste any of the latter before they had been in the bottle for at least 8 or 9 years, and am therefore trepidacious about drawing parallels. Note also that the release schedule for these wines – in the U.S. at least – is a bit more leisurely than for most German Riesling estates, so that several of the 2007s I reviewed in issue 185 only reached the market last Fall, and some of these 2008s will certainly first be offered in the coming year. Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300