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RIESLING CORNER: Textbook 2007 Saar Valley Kabinett Note the new labeling nomenclature: it says only “Mosel,” not the old “Mosel-Saar-Ruwer.” How sad this is, for the Saar is among the most hallowed of all sectors of German viticulture. It’s cold in this subtly winding valley, and prone to both spring and autumn frosts. Historically, in warm years the wines were among the most expensive and envied in the wine world. In modest years, it took cellaring time for them to lose their steely, eye-wincing acidity and become drinkable. More recently, however, rapid climate change has shone favorably on the Saar, and this once inconsistent sector today produces great vintages more consistently than ever. In the Saar’s southernmost pocket, the picturesque village of Saarburg (above) is the center of the region’s wine trade. The town’s finest vineyard site is the south facing and steeply sloped Saarburger Rausch (Rausch translates to cascade or waterfall). The greatest expressions of Saarburger Rausch combine intensely mineral aromas of slate and gunpowder with white peach and aromatic citrus fruits. These wines' brisk acidity and classical structure carry them easily for a decade or more, making Saarburger Rausch one of the Saar’s finest climates. The two greatest producers of Saarburger Rausch are the affable Dr. Heinz Wagner and the more taciturn Hanno Zilliken. As is the wont in the world of wines, the products of one’s hands often reflect the demeanor of the maker.So it is with these two exemplary producers and this renowned vineyard. Zilliken’s wines are often lean, with a mineral backbone that only become accessible after years or decades in the bottle. Dr. Wagner’s wines are juicier and more approachable without ever losing the focus or the minerality that defines a great Saarburger Rausch. This month's offering, from Dr. Heinz Wagner, is the 2007 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett. Enjoy! 2007 Dr. Wagner, Saarburger Rausch Wagner’s 2007 Saarburger Rausch Kabinett is gorgeous from the moment it’s poured. Brilliant pale gold with lime glints, the wine is redolent of the Rausch’s slate-filled and gunflint minerality coupled with aromas of bergamot and lemon zest. Juicy, fleshy white peach fruit greets the palate before narrowing on the mid-palate with laser-like precision to reveal the wine’s crisp grapefruit and lemon kernel. Amazingly precise and focused, yet with the tactile grip that marks the greatest and most terroir-driven Rieslings, the wine fleshes out again on its long, peach- and citrus-filled finish. Still only a baby, this wine is poised to blossom into a mineral- and petrol-driven gem with a decade or more of aging, yet it drinks remarkably well today. Enjoy over the next three years and then again after a decade with the myriad of bivalves, white-fleshed fish dishes in a beurre blanc sauce, as well as mildly spicy Thai, Indian and other Asian cuisines. |
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