Selbach’s 2006 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese represents almost a hyper-concentration of its site. Apple jelly and brown spices, caramel and white raisin are shot through with intense citrus. The contrast of viscosity, torrefaction, and caramelization with such blazing citricity is disconcerting, then enervating and intriguing, but never really inharmonious. And the finish – in keeping with the best nobly sweet elixirs of the vintage – is uplifting rather than being at all heavy. With time, I anticipate further complexity, but note that with wines like this their evolution needs to be measured in deacdes (perhaps 4-5 in this instance).
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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