Kiwi, brown spices, and hints of Treppchen-like sassafras grace the nose of Christoffel’s 2008 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett, which comes to the palate with a fine balance of subtle creaminess and refreshment, apple pit bitterness and wet stone helping to balance out a slightly superfluous sweetness that this will lose perhaps halfway through its anticipated 15-20 year lifespan. Hans-Leo Christoffel can continue to point out that an abundance of ripeness has made for “Pradikat inflation”, yet even he will admit that his and partner Robert Eymael’s 2008 vintage Kabinetts would have been top-notch Spatlesen during the 1980s, but not Auslesen. Speaking of which, not only did Christoffel and Eymael offer a complete range of 2008 Auslesen, they also did not begin picking any of them until late, insisting that there was not enough rain during harvest to dampen and diminish the value of botrytis as it collected on the grapes. Noble rot affected around 20-30% of the base material for those wines, an impressive group if not (in its early days, at least) on the stellar level often reached at this address.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Round and fleshy for the vintage, yet with good underlying acidity. Apple and nectarine flavors border on candied, in a positive way. Very long and expansive on the finish. Drink now through 2022.??–BS??Region: Germany / Mosel Select to Add