Grapefruit, pineapple, and a piquant note of huckleberry inform the nose of St. Urbans-Hof’s 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, presaging a palate that is refreshing and subtly tinged with bitterness. A hint of mint and an underlying salinity add savor to a classic, delicate, yet generously-flavored Kabinett that should keep nicely for at least a dozen years. This superb value comes from the same portion of the Goldtropfchen that the estate normally intends for Kabinett – and in which yields are therefore intentionally kept slightly higher – but that has not kept it from being more of a Spatlese by nature in other recent vintages. Sankt Urbans-Hof, notes proprietor Nik Weis, experienced a good ten degrees Oechsle difference in 2008 between its ripest Saar fruit – bottled as Spatlese – and that of the Mosel, which reached Auslese level even without stringent selection of botrytis fruit. “We find this a terrific vintage,” remarks Weis – who compares its style with 1998 – “inasmuch as at long last we again have the clear differentiation between Kabinett as it should be, Spatlese, and ennobled Auslese.” Remarkably, there is only a single trocken bottling here this year (from Mehring) which I did not taste and which was destined for the Landhaus Sankt Urban restaurant of Weis’s sister and brother-in-law.Importer: H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (917)-402-0456

High-toned floral, citrus and apple aromas and flavors meet a pungent mineral element in this complex white, which is juicy, yet also has a dry mineral salt quality that signifies the aftertaste. Drink now through 2020. 600 cases made, 300 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Germany / Mosel Select to Add

Soft at first, but the density of the pine, gardenia and spice flavors emerges as the wine opens up while the lingering finish shows excellent purity of fruit. Serve with sushi. Drink now or hold three to four years for more complexity. ——W.E.(6/1/2010)—— 89