The Schonborn 2008 Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Kabinett trocken (whose designation of Pradikat, incidentally, has migrated as fine print to its back label) is coolly herbal in aroma and juicy though restrained in the ripeness of its pit fruits and melons. Suggestions of stone and chalk add interest, but also add to a sense of austerity in the wine's finish. It is unlikely to displace its 2007 predecessor in anyone's affections, but this should prove versatile, and its modest-sized voice is no reason to ignore its message over the next 4-5 years. An April, 2009 visit to this estate - my first in many years - convinced me of Peter Barth's seriousness and talent, and revealed many wines worthy of the great potential of the vast von Schonborn acreage. Last September, I was thrilled by an even finer collection. The number of separate and vineyard-specific bottlings here (as explained - along with other recent developments at this estate - in issue 185) is nowadays intentionally limited. Additionally, in 2008 Barth adopted a very conservative approach, essaying few nobly sweet wines, and while finding his best fruit from top parcels worthy of Erstes Gewachs bottlings, he did not render parallel Spatlese trocken bottlings from the same sites as in other recent years. -Our late start picking this year, with the first Riesling on October 17,- Barth points out, -would have been considered entirely normal 15 years ago. But honestly, by the time we started, I think more than half of the Rheingau had already been picked, a lot of that wines with green, unripe notes and resulting in wines that were then de-acidified.-Various importers, including Dee Vine Wines San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389- 9463, Slocum & Sons, North Haven, CT; tel. (203) 239-8000, Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
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