The Diel 2009 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Kabinett leads with some cheesy, yeasty fermentative notes, but these soon clear to reveal a gorgeous alliance of ripe apricot, lime, grapefruit, cashew, and apple blossom. Creamy yet infectiously juicy, this finishes with a cloud-like sense of levity and enveloping ripeness. At 10% alcohol and only 30 grams of residual sugar, it represents a stylistic departure from Diel Kabinetts of recent years, coming off as much less sweet, and yet, when has there been one with a more alluring sense of delicacy? This proves definitively (not that I feel I still need proof!) that hugely high residual sugar – even against the background of a very ripe vintage – is not a price that has to be paid for that incomparable lightness which only a Riesling Kabinett can deliver. Plan to savor this one over the next 15 or more years. Caroline Diel’s 2009 collection is noteworthy not only for a range of outstanding Riesling such as has long been anticipated (though seldom bettered) at this estate, but also for a set of wines from the Pinot family – all, incidentally, now labeled with French rather than German names for their varieties – that in my estimation mark a significant up-tick in quality. That this estate has been famous in Germany for its work with Pinots ever since Armin Diel assumed charge in 1987 and began barrique vinification, I am of course well aware. But only in recent years have I witnessed tendencies to restrain the influence of new wood and to encourage real subtlety, which seem to me prerequisites for achieving with these varieties anything remotely approaching the class of Schlossgut Diel’s Rieslings. The 2009 Pinots were harvested in mid-October and most of the Rieslings in the two weeks following. The superb botrytis selections were all picked-out ahead of even the Pinots.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300