2007 Riesling Ried Pfaffenberg Selection

The 2007 Riesling Pfaffenberg Selektion once again comes from Knoll’s best piece of that site, which hangs so far out you wonder when it might fall into the Danube. This is like a bitter-sweet marriage of Riesling with white Burgundy, featuring peaches and their pits with milled grain, nut oils, and undertones of crushed stone. Sumptuous and creamy in texture, palpable dense, and deeply-concentrated, it also harbors a bright citricity that conveys refreshment and energy in its long, multifaceted finish. I would plan on following this for at least 5-7 years, although a track record for Pfaffenberg of this quality at Knoll has only been accumulating since 2001, after they expanded their acreage. Like many of their neighbors, the Knolls harvested Federspiel already in late September, but then largely sat out the rains for three weeks before commencing to pick Smaragd. Botrytis-affected clusters were segregated and pressed immediately, and even the entirely healthy portion of the crop was given less skin contact than usual. A few botrytized rows or parcels were left to hang for nobly sweet wine (in a vintage where few Wachauer followed suit) although not from Riesling. I continue to long for the return of a vintage wherein the Knoll Gruner Veltliner outshines their Riesling, as has not happened for some years now. As has once again become the norm here, none of the Smaragd (save for the Muskateller) were bottled before late summer of last year, and my most recent notes are from cask (or occasionally tank). Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700