Reinhard and Beate Knebel
Winninger Hamm Kabinett Feinherb
Riesling
2005
12.5 alc.
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
After sampling several New World rieslings recently, I was reminded by this wine why I shouldn’t stray too long from the Mother World. Riesling is a grape that unabashedly expresses its terroir. And the Mosel’s steep, slatey terraces showcase the grape’s fine singular character like no other place in the world. The light, sandy vineyards of the Winninger are situated on some pretty stunning and vertiginous cliffs, just south of Koblenz in the Lower Mosel. It’s the most northerly outpost of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. Wines of the Lower Mosel have never really enjoyed all that much attention: it has few prestige estates and spring frosts can wreak havoc on wine production. And wines from the Winninger Hamm, a small site there, can vary in quality. But it’s on the cultivated terraced sectors of the site that good quality wines originate. And in this case, good value as well. Among the best producers from the site is Knebel. A winery that exhibits riesling’s drier style.
Reinhard Knebel died in 2004. The winery is carried on by his wife, Beate. The grapes are grown in soil from choice parcels predominantly composed of gray and blue slate. Knebel strictly controls the vines’ yields. There’s no whole-grape maceration: just handpicked grapes that are lightly crushed with some prefermentation maceration to give the wine some light skin contact, and thus more flavor. The grapes are fed lightly through a pneumatic press. The fermenation proceeds slowly in stainless steel tanks. There are no added yeasts. I drank this wine a couple of days ago. The 2005 vintage shows remarkable flavor and maturity. The wine presented a pale gold color with aromas of kerosene, moss, flint, green apple and bath salts. It was off-dry, though only slightly. While the alcohol appeared to be low, it came in at 12.5% and as a medium-bodied wine. The flavors were pronounced: layered tastes of grapefruit, wet stone, Bartlett pear, petrol, honeysuckle, almond and citrus blossom, with a finish that simply receded—like a butler quietly leaving the room. There also was a slight nuttiness in aroma and flavor. I found that the wine gained in richness as it opened, with apple and lemon later emerging. This is a wine of great concentration leading to a harmonious and intense palate: as if one were drinking a cord of interwoven flavors. This is not a relaxed wine. Like me, you’ll want to study this wine. For the price, you could make the party in your home a study hall. Importer: Mosel Wine Merchant. $17.99. 7/25/09.
