Herbal pungency and citric invigoration are the hallmarks of a 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett feinherb, with Saar-typical cherry pit and lemon pip bitterness nicely integrated into a juicy, refreshing, and feather-light matrix. Some of the tension here as well as the range from herbs through subtly tropical fruit reflect the diverse levels of ripeness and acidity from vine to vine in Sankt Urbans-Hof’s extensive holdings of varied ages in the Wiltinger Schlangengraben, notes Weis. I would plan to enjoy this over the next 6-8 years. Despite 22 grams of residual sugar, the wine tastes virtually dry. 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