REVIEW – 2008 ST URBANSHOF OCKFENER BROCKSTEIN KABINETT ESTATE RIESLING
SKU: 730217
In the Glass – clear deep lemon.
Showing no legs/coat which tells me that it’s a low alcohol wine
On the Nose - clean medium to pronounced
aromas of baking spice, fruity, citrus flavors like lime and lemon. And still
the Riesling minerals and a bit of petrol.
On the Palate – off dry to medium
sugar, medium to high acidity which gives this wine a good balance. Absolutely no
tannin in this wine. Flavors of citrus, yellow fruit, banana and petrol. It
gives us flavors of green apple, lemon, lime and minerally cool fruit. The body is in the light to medium range with low
alcohol, and a medium and enjoyable finish.
Nik Weis is the owner and the winemaker
for St.Urbans-Hof,
which is located in Mosel. The winery was first built in 1947. His father,
while building one of Germanys biggest vine nurseries, was also a key figure in
building what is now Vineland Estates in the Niagara region of Ontario Canada.
After the
grapes are harvested they were crushed and allowed two hours of skin contact. They
allowed a longer time for contact with the lees so that the wine would have “more body and a sense of
smoothness”.
Nik
Weis Advocates a "10 Points Philosophy"
that I found very well said. He says that a hands on and simultaneously hands
off approach is best, and longevity of vines in Mosel is match by its longevity
in the bottle. It’s actually a very cute slide show.
In the
slide show Weis states Mosel Riesling must be grown on slate, which gives it
structure and binds the fruit sweetness of the wines with its naturally high
acidity. Which is exactly what he has. His vine sites are on
steep slat hills and can only be worked by hand. The warmth of the heat
reflecting slate is seen in the wines; by allowing them to ripen slowly and
develop balance. Perhaps this is
why “Mosel wines age gracefully”. Weis goes on to say that, "The path of grape to bottle must be as
short and undisturbed as possible."
He enacts this by only the use of
indigenous yeasts and no addition anything.
Over all I’m not a Riesling
drinker. Sorry. But I would drink this and enjoy it. And for under $30 retail
I’d recommend it. My only (and vainly) issue comes with the labeling – it’s
bland and kind of tacky. But really, once it’s in the glass what does that
matter?
Cheers!
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