It'll be a shame if in 20 years there are no more wines like this one

While I was in Germany recently a hot topic of discussion was the dissapearance of traditional Kabinett wines. Because of the dramatic heat and early ripening of many recent vintages and the continuing trend of global warming Kabinett as we know may dissapear. My first memorable German wine experience was a 1993 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett. It was, crisp, light with some tangy sweetness and a nice creamy mouthfeel. After tasting tons of oaky California Chardonnay this was so different and so good it was a revelation to me. What if I tasted that wine and it was actually an Auslese masquerading as a Kabinett with huge ginormous ripeness levels and I did not like it and thought all German wine was too sweet? Now I would be blogging about "My Trip to California Pt XIX: Napa with Steve Kistler." Maybe. Stranger things could happen. I told this story to Katharina Prum and she understood exactly where I was coming from. She lamented about the dissapearance of this style of wine. Kabinett is the perfect intro for amateur drinkers into German wine. They are delicate, filigreed wines and really give you a window into the style of German wine. At Prum in 2006 there was no Kabinett bottled. They almost bottled no Spatlese but a last minute decision enabled them to bottle an estate Spatlese. It would be a true oenological tragedy if my kids did not know what Kabinett was.

This brings me to the joyful bottle of 2002 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Kabinett I had last night. What a wine and what an excellent example of classic Kabinett. And this was Kabinett and not Spatlese GK dressed up in Kabinett clothes. Beautiful nose of cooling minerals, lime blossom, fresh cut grass, moss and slate. Palate was piquant with wonderful mouthwatering acidity and green apple fruit with some sweet lime. The wine kept opening and gaining in more depth as the night went on. The last sip was the best with zesty fruit, crackling acidity and mucho depth. This was also a baby and ha at least 10-15 more years ahead of it. I have one more bottle and I will save it for my kids so I can show them what real Kabinett tastes like.

Oh and sorry for the German slant these days but still in my post-teutonic excitement. Don't you all worry more traditonal posts on New Jersey hybrid tastings are just around the corner!