2006 Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett

The 2006 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett is higher in residual sugar than usual for this bottling, since it has high (9 grams) acidity and plenty of extract to buffer the sugar, and the Haags were concerned to keep the alcohol down in order to preserve Kabinett-lightness. This indeed can boast clarity, refinement, and delicacy. Luscious nectarine and white peach fruit, lemon, and melon will coat the mouth and lead to a refined, generously refreshing finish in which an engaging, savory salinity as well as wet stone sensation of slate add interest. “This is one of those things nobody can copy from us Moselaner,” remarks Wilhelm Haag, well aware that the Kabinett is fighting against German ideological and fashion trends, as well as against recent weather. Oliver and Wilhelm Haag have fielded their third sensational collection in a row, but then, superlatives are hardly new to this address, there are simply more of them this year then ever before. Wilhelm Haag compares 2006 with 1953 – a fabled vintage he remembers helping to harvest as a teenager – for its “desiccated, incredibly healthy botrytis,” adding “I plan to drink these in my second life.” They started picking immediately after October 3, and when I asked Wilhelm Haag whether a particular bottling had been picked early, he laughed and replied “they were all picked early! When I saw the must weights that were coming in, I thought they were too high for Spatlese and even Auslese, and that the wines would be too broad, but I must say, today – even with the botrytis – they have a wonderfully elegant effect.” Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 5960-9463