Selbachs’ 2006 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett smells alluringly of pear, quince, and lemon. Creamy and rich yet still light on its feet, this is among the most polished and delicate wines I can recall from this site – and that in a vintage of rampant botrytis when the entire Selbach collection contains only this one single-vineyard (non-dry) Kabinett! The site-typical smokiness and wet stone are present – along with an attractive salinity – but restrained. The balance of sweetness is almost as remarkable as that of delicacy in such a vintage: the residual sugar is supportive, but not what you notice. A long engaging finish keeps you deep in thought, until you realize how thirsty you are for the next sip. Relish and marvel at this over the coming 8-12 years.
The harvest almost filled the month of October, but by the standards of this large estate with holdings stretching across four communes, that is (in Johannes Selbach’s words) “super quick” and volume was down 30% from the already small 2005 harvest. Musts were sometimes fined with bentonite but never with charcoal. “This is my year of superlatives,” says Selbach. “When I think of my children and their children, and about a wine one could open in a hundred years and say ‘Wow!’ one dreams of wines from great historical vintages like 1911, 1921, 1953 ... and that in one’s own lifetime one might experience and harvest wines that would number among them. For me, that’s 2006.” Selbach took an interest in Pinot Blanc for sparkling wine, since there are some promising old vines in cooler side locations of Zeltingen’s Schlossberg. But he now thinks the fruit will probably always be too ripe for that purpose, whereas the still results are themselves promising.
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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