With yeasty notes and intimations of salt spray the point toward the minerality displayed on the palate, Selbach’s 2008 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett trocken incorporates as well nut oils, bittersweet floral perfume and fresh apple all associated with its great site. Here is an instance of clarity and “true Kabinett” delicacy even in a completely dry wine. I would have guessed it to be closer to 10% alcohol than to the 11% it in fact has. No doubt this will be a bit too spare and demure for some tasters, but there is a subtle sense of creaminess here too, and I anticipate at least 6-8 years of fascination. Johannes Selbach responded to the high energy and acidity of the 2008 vintage by giving most of the wines extra fine-lees contact and later-than-usual bottling. As a champion of (in his words) “genuine Kabinett” and “drinking wine, not trophy wine” and a resister against the encroachment of high must weights and residual sugar to which the weather in most recent vintages has left even him susceptible, Selbach was predictably overjoyed both with the refreshment, delicacy, and infectious drinkability made possible by vintage 2008, and with its preponderance of Kabinett and Spatlese. Several single-parcel, block-picked (i.e. the whole crop at once), vineyard-designated wines were essayed (that from the Anrecht – within Zeltinger Himmelreich – being new this year) although at Spatlese rather than, as usually in the past, Auslese Pradikat level. In fact, it remains Selbach’s intention to very soon remove the already small-print reference to Pradikat from these special bottlings, whose focus is intended to be entirely on reflecting terroir and vintage. (Ironically, though, the reference to the sites themselves remain in very small print, because the authorities are testy about the use of geographical designations other than those of the official Einzellagen singled-out – or, to put it more appropriately, assembled – in 1971.)There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The Selbach-Oster 2007 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett trocken is another subtly floral and citric, but otherwise mineral- and herb-dominated Riesling. As is this site’s wont, a lovely sense of creaminess and oiliness of texture creeps in on the palate, even with a wine modest in alcohol and possessed of firm acids. This finishes with a memorable sense of liquid slate stone if such a thing can ever be imagined, and it should be well worth following for 4-6 years. The Selbach crew did some pre-selection at the end of September, leading directly into a main harvest that lasted until November 10. Johannes Selbach says he often had to find things to keep his crew occupied while waiting for what he judged the optimum moments to pick. After having been through 2006, he was determined to have everything and everybody ready should circumstances suddenly dictate haste, which of course they never did. Selbach was delighted – as a self-proclaimed defender of “true Kabinett” – to have some genuinely light-weight yet intensely-flavored wines this year, and he was the first to acknowledge that not only the prevailing weather but also the abundant crop (even allowing for thinning) helped make ripe-tasting yet relatively low must-weight Riesling possible. He notes that there was relatively little botrytis, and then late. In view of that assessment, I was surprised at the extent to which this year’s Spatlesen evinced evidence of it. As for the dry and nearly-dry wines in this year’s collection, “it’s like a homecoming,” remarks Selbach, “to get back to wines with stuffing but that are sleek, anything but heavy, and inviting of the next sip.”There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300.

The 2004 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett trocken is cut from a different terroir, emphasizing a sweeter florality, vanilla, white peach, and nut oils, with a hint of honey nicely balancing notes of fresh lime. Subtly creamy yet bright, lighter, more dynamic and more elegant on the palate than its dry Schlossberg counterpart, this finishes with refinement, pungent, peppery spicy notes, citrus, and slate. Despite its lighter frame and more subtle persistence, this effort will keep pace with the Schlossberg over time. After finishing fermenting in mid-January, this sat on its fine lees until bottling in early May, at the same time as a great many of the Selbach-Oster wines of this vintage. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300