THE RIESLING CORNER:
FEB. 2009

Value-Priced 2007 Saar Riesling

The von Hövel Estate, based in the town of Oberemmel, is one of the Saar Valley’s most venerable and revered producers. Possessing sites in the great Oberemmeler Hütte and Scharzhofberg vineyards, the estate crafts wines that often seem delicate in their youth but ultimately prove to have impressive longevity and staying power.

The estate’s Balduin von Hövel bottling is fashioned from estate-grown fruit hailing from von Hövel’s Oberemmeler Rosenberg vineyard. With the purity of the 2007 on display, the Balduin von Hövel beautifully conveys the inimitable floral character of Oberemmel, the soft red fruit core of the Rosenberg vineyard, and the lithe precision of the 2007 vintage.

Featured this month, the 2007 from von Hövel Estate:

2007 von Hövel, Balduin von Hövel, Estate Riesling,
Qualitätswein, Saar, Germany ... 13.50/144.50
Contact us for current pricing and availability

Pale lemon-gold in the glass with lime green glints, the Balduin von Hövel mixes white flower aromas with suggestions of peach, raspberry and dissolved minerals. Fresh, zippy and bursting with key lime, green apple and lemon zest, the wine transitions to a palate marked by peach and apple fruit infused with stony minerality. Soft, easy-to-drink and simply delicious, this is the kind of wine that makes friends with all who are lucky enough to drink it. The wine finishes with long reprises of zippy citrus, peach and raspberry notes lifted by crushed stone minerality.

Enjoy this affordable wonder from the Saar now and over the next three years with freshwater fish dishes, pork, sausages, crispy potato galettes, and spicy Asian fare.