Disgorged after just over five years on the lees, the Chardonnay- and (majority) Pinot Noir-based Diel 2006 Cuvee Mo Brut Nature – in praise of whose 2004 counterpart I wrote in Issue 187 – is scented as well as flavored with piquantly nutty lentil sprout and yellow split pea allied to a maritime melange of salt, alkali, chalk, and kelp. Combining leesy richness with striking cut and clarity, it also marries herbed chicken stock, lemony citricity, and mirabelle and kirsch distillates in a manner uncannily reminiscent of top-notch Chablis. There is a certain austerity to the finish of this rivetingly-complex cuvee, and I have a sense that what primary juiciness is still retained might not survive a longer stay on the lees. I won’t attempt to speculate as to whether this might hold well or even become more complex over time in bottle, but personally I would prefer to sin on the side of caution and just be happy to have a few recently-disgorged bottles (from a grand total of around 3,000) to open over the next year or two. Caroline Diel is now the mother of two, but shows every intention and indication of personally staying on top of her estate’s viticulture. In collaboration with long-time cellarmaster Christoph Friedrich, she is both perpetuating and further refining the styles of wine that have come to characterize and enhance the long-standing reputation of Schlossgut Diel. Picking began in the last week of September and most of the top Rieslings were harvested already in the first week of October, by which point there was a significant amount of botrytis, happily largely noble, most of it picked-out in parallel with the fruit for the Grosse Gewachse. Wisely, I think – as heaven knows they have an austere side as is – the Diels elected for the sake of moderating alcohol to leave a bit more residual sugar behind this year than usual in their Grosse Gewachse. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Speaking of the high quality of Diel Pinots, their 2005 Cuvee MO Brut Nature – a barrel-fermented blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris disgorged after 46 months – is every bit as exciting and worth seeking-out as its 2004 predecessor. There is an alliance of sappy vinosity and pit fruit juiciness with toasted nut; smoky peat; and piquant fruit pits that soothes with its creaminess; refreshes and invigorates; while at the same time offering head-scratching complexity. The Diels noted that tests demonstrated this wine would taste terrific without any sulfur being added at disgorgement, but they elected to sin on the side of caution, and were under the belief that as tasted by me in September – impressive though it was – this was a bit tightened by its bottling. I could imagine this adding complexity even a year or two out in the bottle, though the first thing is to get hold of some of the tiny quantity produced. Caroline Diel’s 2009 collection is noteworthy not only for a range of outstanding Riesling such as has long been anticipated (though seldom bettered) at this estate, but also for a set of wines from the Pinot family – all, incidentally, now labeled with French rather than German names for their varieties – that in my estimation mark a significant up-tick in quality. That this estate has been famous in Germany for its work with Pinots ever since Armin Diel assumed charge in 1987 and began barrique vinification, I am of course well aware. But only in recent years have I witnessed tendencies to restrain the influence of new wood and to encourage real subtlety, which seem to me prerequisites for achieving with these varieties anything remotely approaching the class of Schlossgut Diel’s Rieslings. The 2009 Pinots were harvested in mid-October and most of the Rieslings in the two weeks following. The superb botrytis selections were all picked-out ahead of even the Pinots. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

I have followed with fascination the evolution of Diel’s Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend 2004 Cuvee MO Brut Nature since soon after its base wines were committed to barrel, because their expressions of fruit and mineral were exceedingly complex and reminiscent of the best sort of Champenoise raw material. I tasted an impromptu disgorgement in 2008, but now the wine is on the market (in Germany, anyway) and I tasted it last year after 42 months sur latte. (This disgorgement consisted of 2,200 bottles, with 400 set aside for later.) There is a wonderful balance between the nutty, smoky piquancy and creamy richness of texture conveyed by long lees evolution, and the hints of bittersweet floral perfume; juicy, primary citrus and pit fruits; as well as myriad mineral nuances that have been preserved from the inception of the base wines. The result is a dynamic interaction and savory finish of engrossing fascination; lip-smacking invigoration; and inevitable versatility at table. It would be a shame to serve it simply before dinner. Along with the “Pi No” cuvee of Rebholz (also reviewed in this report) here is the finest sparkler from Germany in my experience, and I would not be surprised if it held up well to a few years’ post-disgorgement cellaring. Caroline Diel is taking the reins at her family’s estate, and results in 2008 are as impressive as one would have expected given the track record at this address. The team here did not start harvesting until the third week in October and picked for nearly a month, due to which lateness the measurable acid levels (which were not adjusted) were relatively low by vintage standards, but the impression of acidity was more than vivacious and efficacious enough. On a quest for purity and authenticity, the Diels did not include in their bench trials for the blending of Grosse Gewachse any small lots of off-dry wine such as might in past have been employed expressly to fine-tune the finished levels of residual sugar. Instead, they let the blends all remain quite dry. Armin Diel has for at least the past dozen years championed and cherished the Mosel stylistic ideals of delicacy and of high residual sugar balanced against acidity. His choices of Mosel-born cellar master Martin Franzen (now of Muller-Catoir), and more recently of Moselaner Christoph Friedrich, testify to this proclivity. But there has never been a better vintage in which to give these ideals fluid realization. So if you are a lover of Kabinetts and Spatlesen from the likes of Joh. Jos. Prum, Willi Schaefer, or the Haags, do not miss the show Caroline and Armin Diel have put on this year, and that could be playing in your cellar any night over the next two decades! Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300