Kesselers 2009 Riesling Kabinett trocken – stemming as usual from the steep slate slopes of Lorch and Lorchausen – is alluringly scented with iris, lemon grass, mirabelle, and fresh lime. Bright and tart on entry, it delivers pungent lavender and piquant lime peel and fruit pit along with wet stone in a long, sassy finish. The infectious juiciness and clarity of the corresponding Silvaner-Riesling blend is not achieved here, but this concentrated yet lithe Riesling will have its own admirable and refreshing uses over the next 3-4 years. August Kesseler and his cellarmaster Max Himstedt promise great things from their 2009 Pinot Noirs but they were not yet ready to show them last September. In light of that allegedly outstanding quality as well as of the difficult market, they decided that their 2008 collection in red should culminate at the Cuvee Max quality level and not include vineyard-designated bottlings. In his usual conservative and market-sensitive approach, Kesseler also elected to bottle from 2009 one of his smallest Riesling collections in memory, inter alia forgoing any attempt to capture what little botrytis was present. Irrigation was critical during the late summer drought, insists Kesseler, “otherwise, we would have harvested grapes in the Rudesheimer Berg of only 80 or 85 Oechsle.”Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802