Spurred on by Keith's comments about this same wine (his note says '07, but he clarifies that it was actually '08) I opened a bottle this evening to see for myself if it was a wine to be taken seriously or not.
Score one for Johannes Selbach.
I do agree that this wine reveals an incredibly ripe set of aromatics and flavors. They do run to berry type fruits rather than apples or tart citrus. In that way the '08 Schmitt is not typical of the vintage. Where it is totally typical of the vintage is in its expression of minerality and acidity. In that way the 2008 Schmitt is a direct kin to the '01 Auslesen from Selbach with their expression of electricity buried underneath extract. The back label says Spatlese (not the front though - the idea is that 'Schmitt' is more important than pradikat - take that 1971 German wine law), but this is classical auslese in the best sense of the style, if not the word. The distinction is because this was picked as a whole block, rather than a selective picking to make the wine, so the term auslese (selected harvest) is not really appropriate. Spatlese (late harvest) is an appropriate term, but this wine only fits the modern, somewhat outsized expression of the stylistic term. All that aside this is a stunning wine that I believe (bearing in mind that this is personal prognostication - the wine will indeed have the last word) is worth laying down for future generations to enjoy. Of course I will just drink mine in my dotage, but that's me.
