The 2007 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese Schmitt represents Johannes Selbach’s extension of block-picking in this distinguished parcel to a wine of Spatlese Pradikat. Why not Auslese? In part, says Selbach, it was by design, pruning for a bit more crop in the interest of achieving a representation of Schmitt (and of course of the vintage) that could be enjoyed on a wider range of occasions. And while the grapes were harvested well into Auslese, the character is indeed more accurately described as “Spatlese.” In fact, Selbach is considering in future simply calling this wine and that from the Rotlay simply by their parcel names, without further classification or Pradikat, “and let come what comes, depending on the vintage.” Subtle smokiness, alkalinity, and stony notes impinge on pear, quince preserves, mint, and lily perfume in the nose. On the palate, smoke and stone follow into a realm of malted, salted, caramelized, almost chocolaty richness. Spicy pungency from botrytis – but no bitterness – emerges in a finish of riveting mineral complexity. From high-toned floral essences to low-toned depth, and from orchard fruits in fresh and jellied form to myriad mineral manifestations, the layers that characterize this picking of grapes “as they grew” are fascinatingly diverse and at the same time dynamic in their interplay. This is a wine to follow for a quarter-century or more. The Selbach crew did some pre-selection at the end of September, leading directly into a main harvest that lasted until November 10. Johannes Selbach says he often had to find things to keep his crew occupied while waiting for what he judged the optimum moments to pick. After having been through 2006, he was determined to have everything and everybody ready should circumstances suddenly dictate haste, which of course they never did. Selbach was delighted – as a self-proclaimed defender of “true Kabinett” – to have some genuinely light-weight yet intensely-flavored wines this year, and he was the first to acknowledge that not only the prevailing weather but also the abundant crop (even allowing for thinning) helped make ripe-tasting yet relatively low must-weight Riesling possible. He notes that there was relatively little botrytis, and then late. In view of that assessment, I was surprised at the extent to which this year’s Spatlesen evinced evidence of it. As for the dry and nearly-dry wines in this year’s collection, “it’s like a homecoming,” remarks Selbach, “to get back to wines with stuffing but that are sleek, anything but heavy, and inviting of the next sip.”There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300.
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