Last night I made my quarter-yearly Wiener Schnitzel for the family. I was really craving Mosel kabinett, which is hard to come by in the Pfalz outside of a bottle or two of Egon Müller or Willi Schaefer, but luckily I found some 2011 Von Othegraven Wiltingen Kupp Riesling Kabinett (Saar -9% alc.). I love the wines from this estate, but have to admit that my experience has been limited to the Kanzemer Altenberg bottlings (the 2007 and 2008 Kabinett Erste Lage Rieslinge were some of my favorite wines from those vintages from any region.) I’m sad to say that this was a different animal. It had some very intriguing pome fruit flavors, but was still a little reductive –it smelled an awful lot like apples overwintering in a root cellar. A little dusting of cinnamon was outplayed by papaya and peach, flavors that no doubt came about from the warm vintage. Right now this wine is rather one-dimensional and cloyingly sweet without the backbone of acidity that I expect from Saar Riesling (though I really should have known better, it being a 2011). I don’t often pour a bottle down the sink, but this just wasn’t much fun to drink.
What turned out to be the much better match (and for me, the much better wine) was a simple 2011 Bürgerspital Silvaner QbA Trocken from Franken (12% alc.): Taut, leesy, mineral, with quince and lemon and flattering acidity –very clean and pure after a 2010 bottling that had its ups and downs. –Definitely a repeat buy for me.
Cheers,
Bill
