January 1, 2009 | News | Wines of the Month
The Mosel of the month for January 2009 is another great success from the 2007 vintage: A beautiful Ruwer Kabinett that remains true to its terroir and its Prädikat level.
The quality of the winemaking at the Maximin Grünhaus Estate has been on the rebound since Stefan Kraml took over as winemaker in 2004. The wines shine through their aromatic freshness and zesty acidity.
This was particularly helpful in the 2006 vintage, in which many wines from the Mosel were marked by ripeness, concentration and botrytis (sometimes to extreme levels). Not so at this Estate, where the wines managed to keep the typical freshness and aromatic profile of the Ruwer valley.
Also in 2007, Carl von Schubert produced a beautiful collection of wines, which are characterized by elegance and restraint. Overall, we feel that the vintage overall favored the natural backward raciness of the Abtsberg vineyard.
However, this great special bottling of Herrenberg Kabinett carrying the AP 30 (learn more here about AP Numbers) provides ample proof of the limitations of any such generalization.
2007er
von Schubert
Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett
30 08
92
Given the size of the holdings in the Herrenberg vineyard (nearly 20 ha), the Estate often produces many casks at different Prädikat levels and does not always blend them into a single release (i.e. AP number) by level. This AP 30 is a bottling of a specific cask, which Carl von Schubert couldn't bring his heart to blend with the others as it showed distinct character and freshness. What a wonderful idea! This wine shows great fresh flavors of white peaches, flowers and a hint of fresh herbs. The aromatic purity is remarkable and gives the wine a translucent feel on the palate with a lovely spiciness. It has all the joyful characteristics of Kabinett bottlings but make no mistake: This has great aging capabilities and should develop happily over decades, as did many of the predecessors of this Kabinett. For instance, the 1989, 1983 and 1971 tasted over the last years are all delicious and alive. Now-2025+
© Text by Mosel Fine Wines "The Independent Review of Mosel Riesling ... and beyond!"
Disclaimer: Mosel Fine Wines is an independent publication and has no commercial relationship with any Estate, association or organization featured in this article.