WTN: 2009 Riesling Okfener Bockstein Kabinett

2009 Riesling, Okfener Bockstein Kabinett, St. Urbans-Hof, Mosel (well Saar, actually):

I wanted to call this TN "You call this Kabinett?": This wine is a lovely honeyed thing dripping with creamy lemons. Still, very fresh and clean, showing just a bit of spritz and sufficient acidity and even a touch of slate on the longish finish. What is the world coming to when a Saar Kabinett comes off as a ripe Spaetlese? Still, I might want to keep some of this to see how it develops. 8% abv. Excellent value at $15. Strong performances by this estate in recent years.

O lordy, here we go again!! Good question, David will be up and about by 4 am!!

What is the world coming to when a Saar Kabinett comes off as a ripe Spaetlese?

It's been happening for several years now, since '01. '04 and '08 are the only vintages where I've consistently found Kabinetts from the MSR and other areas to come across feeling like Kabinett with that sense of lightness and delicate touch.

There are more and more producers (Schafer-Frohlich, Catoir, Meulenhof, etc) whose Kabinetts - especially in riper years like '09 or '07 - are very similar to their Spatlese in terms of ripeness and sweetness.

For something more typical of Saar Kabinett though, check out Von Othegraven and Zilliken's efforts in '09.

Re. St. Urbans Hof, agree that they've had some impressive wines in recent years - though I've also come across some that were just undrinkable due to the amounts of sulfur in there. An '07 Saarsfeiler Spatlese feinherb a couple of weeks ago was quite lovely though, and after reading this I think I may check into their '08 Goldtropfchen...

[David M. Bueker]

It's all the more surprising, as when I visited with Nik Weis in 2003 he was rather adamant about kabinett retaining its core style. Of course vintage conditions need to cooperate. From what I am hearing, if you want something that resembles classical Saar kabinett then wait for 2010.

We have always found wines from regions other than MSR to be one degree (if that is the word) sweeter; for example a Rheingau Kabinett equating to an MSR Spatlese. Is the S in MSR now getting to be like the others?

[David M. Bueker]

We have always found wines from regions other than MSR to be one degree (if that is the word) sweeter; for example a Rheingau Kabinett equating to an MSR Spatlese. Is the S in MSR now getting to be like the others?

The Saar used to be a little more austere, but warmer weather has brought it in line with the rest of Germany. Unfortunate due to a loss of that distinctive niche, but sadly true.

thanks for notes, just picked up one to try yesterday, will pop soon.
In some ways it's a "bargain" getting a Spatlese weight Kabinett, but I do wish there were more choices in classic mode.

Salil-
I'm thinking back on other Okfener bottles from St. Urbans or the likes of Zilliken or von Hovel for my models of a Saar Kabinett. Never had a von Othegraven. As others have said, winemakers had to deal with the grapes they got in '09, but this wine was still a bit of a surprise. We shall see what the '10 wines bring.