A Muller-Catoir 2009 Gimmeldinger Riesling Kabinett trocken smells of fresh grapefruit, yellow plum, lemon blossom, iris, and a faintly Muscat- or Sauvignon-like cooling garland of green herbs. The silken polish that characterized the corresponding generic bottling is back in seductive evidence here, and the subtle sense of salinity that suffuses the finish loosens my salivary glands uncontrollably. There is a lovely sense of lift on display as well, despite ample 12.5% alcohol. This wine’s performance is particularly impressive considering that there is a separate bottling of dry Riesling this year from the Mandelgarten, whereas all of last year’s fruit from that hail-ravaged site had gone into the predecessor of this “village-level” bottling. I would anticipate half a dozen years of versatile satisfaction. “Despite sporadic rain at harvest time,” notes Martin Franzen about the 2009 harvest, “cool weather kept botrytis completely at bay. Frankly,” he adds, “it was hard to make disappointing wine with raw materials of this caliber.” But it was also impossible to achieve nobly sweet results save from Rieslaner, with its notorious penchant for spontaneous desiccation even in the absence of botrytis. This is the first vintage, incidentally, for which this estate has claimed organic bona fides, and Franzen – even if predictably – claims to find additional depth in his wines thanks to that conversion. (Not that this estate has ever been anything but entirely circumspect in any use of herbicides or pesticides.)Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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