Tag Archives: kabinett

Wine of the Day: Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2012 – July 2016

Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2012 750ML ($27.95) Buy Now: $19

Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2012

The other day, while researching the Middle Mosel in Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine, I learned that “Badstube is one of the few if not the only German Grosslagen made up entirely of first-rate terroir.” With reason (my background is in Burgundy) I expected to pay a premium for such a wine. Then I found a bottle of Joh. Jos. Prüm 2012 Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett on our shelf, for $19. So I bought it, and opened it, and spent an evening reveling in the beauty of German Riesling. Fine to enjoy now, but also ready for many years of cellaring, this wine first of all exuberates class. Prüm is a top-rate winemaker, and when you match this with the Badstube you have something powerful, full of exotics, and extremely satisfying, especially at such a reasonable price. Take note: the same could be said for the rest of the German wine we have in stock. – Daniel

Mosel Fine Wines: “This delivers a simple yet attractive nose of citrus, white peach and smoke, in which one notices a great touch of herbs and ground spices. The finish is balanced yet powerful. The sweetness is nicely framed by the structure of the wine. Now-2022.”

Wine of the Day: Geltz-Zilliken Riesling 4-11-16

Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett Erste Lage 2013 750ML ($37.95) Buy Now: $21.90 special
Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett Erste Lage 2013 375ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $14 special
“This opulent Riesling has an aroma of crushed peaches and mint. It’s sourced from the estate’s top vineyard (Rausch), which is covered in Devonian slate. It’s rich and full in body with a lingering waxy texture and a surprising vibrancy given its lushness. The sweetness is nicely balanced by the high acidity. Enjoy on its own or with spicy pork dishes.” -Suzanne

Wine Advocate 91 points “The 2013 Riesling Kabinett Saarburger Rausch is a rich, sappy, juicy, piquant and elegant Riesling with an extremely stimulating and lush fruit intensity. With 7.5% alcohol the wine is light (though not light-bodied) but intense in its tropical fruitiness with mango, peach and pineapples flavors. Almost a Spätlese, even for Zilliken, but again “not explosive enough,” says Dorothee.” SR

Wine of the Day: Peter Lauer Fass 8 Kabinett 3-30-16

Peter Lauer Fass 8 Ayler Kupp Kabinett, Mosel, Germany 2014 750ML ($37.95) Buy Now: $31.90 special

Like tiny flowers pressed between the pages of a book you borrowed years ago but have yet to read (or return!), this year’s Fass 8 is delicate but not wimpy, bittersweet yet not overwrought, and perhaps a little flirtatious. It trades off solos from sweet to saline and floral to fruit with ease, ne’er too serious and yet fully confident with what’s at stake in the glass. After all, Riesling faces an uphill battle even during its own renaissance.

I fear that writing down a bunch of adjectives in quick succession reduces this wine to something to be scored rather than enjoyed. To hell with points! All I can say is that I really enjoyed it and believe that the chances are pretty high that you will, too.

Lauer himself – the third in the family to coax wine from earth and into bottle – makes drop-dead gorgeous wines. It seems as though this was once a secret, known only by a spattering of sommeliers and retail nerds. In counting myself among the latter, I’m not too worried that the cat’s out of the bag with this one. There’s enough to go around. Enjoy it. – Tyler