2005 Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett

Loosen’s 2005 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett is the first wine here today to display a yeasty shroud over the nose, but that blows off to reveal classic aromas of strawberry and lime. Fresh, juicy strawberry and lime fruit persist on the palate along with impressive measures of salt, smoke, and wet stone manifestations of minerality. Here is another highly successful attempt to hang on to the style and concept of Kabinett: the wine is lively and delicate despite its richness of fruit and relative abundance of alcohol. And as fine as this is now, it will inevitably be more interesting (and less sweet) after 3-7 years in one’s cellar. I can’t ever recall such a set of exceptional Kabinetts and thus exceptional values from one winery as are represented by Loosen’s “line-priced” Kabinetts! The Spatlesen here this year thus have a tough act to follow, and Schug opines that this Pradikat can easily become the stepchild nowadays – particularly in a vintage like 2005 – because all or nearly all of the grapes come in at Auslese must weights and the most stringent care and surest intuition are devoted to selecting out that portion capable of expressing lightness, elegance, and transparency to label as “Kabinett”. Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR; tel. (510) 864-7255