Incorporating material from both Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr, the Haag 2011 Braunebeger Riesling Kabinett offers white peach, apple, honeydew and Persian melon, subtly but satisfactorily well-outfitted with residual sugar on a delicate, glossy palate, leading to an outright exuberant, juicy finish in which hints of raw ginger and apple skin add invigoration. This ought to satisfy for at least the next 12-15 years, though it lacks the complexity, focus and clarity of its feinherb counterpart. At 50 grams of residual sugar, incidentally, it represents a gradual dialing-back that’s taken place here in the last several years with this bottling. “We started picking at the beginning of October,” relates Oliver Haag “because must weights were already high for Kabinett, but there was good acidity.” Haag pressed whole clusters rather than either crushing or permitting skin contact for his dry wines, and tended to favor a higher percentage of stainless steel for vinification and elevage because, as he puts it, “the material was all so ripe that I was worried it would come off as too opulent and voluminous.” Without question, he thereby puts his finger on a legitimate concern, and his own wines illustrate the truth that higher alcoholic volume and opulence – no matter what appears on the Riesling’s label – aren’t necessarily virtues, and in particular not in the context of this vintage. “To convey a sense of levity this year,” notes Haag, “was not so easy. Not that there was much botrytis out there,” he adds, though fortunately that fact did not deter him from rendering several spectacular ennobled wines in small volumes.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463

Rich, featuring lively, complex flavors of citrus peel, ripe ruby grapefruit and dark currant. Pure and elegant on the finish, with plenty of spiciness and appealing weight. Drink now through 2024.??–KM??Region: Germany / Mosel Select to Add