The Kesseler 2008 Spatburgunder trocken mingles licorice, sassafras, and ginger with blackberry and red currant for a tart, subtly chewy, yet simultaneously both silken and mouthwateringly refreshing display. Hints of espresso and black tea add to the roots and berries in a finish of sappy, mouthwatering cling. A hint of tannic severity is also threaded through this impressively-concentrated, highly-stimulating, and memorably distinctive effort, so that one would probably do best to relish the corresponding “Pinot N” bottling for now, and to savor this cuvee at between 3 and 6 years age. 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