When I first tasted 2011 German Rieslings at Howard Ripley’s event I was taken with how gloriously drinkable they appeared to be. I’ve now tried a few that have appeared on the open market and they have confirmed this impression. This bottle practically commanded you to imbibe it with concupiscent enthusiasm.
I’ve only tried 2011 Spatlesen and Kabinetts over the past couple of months and these quality levels seem very successful in this vintage. The fruit is always clean and there is great acidity. There is a rarefaction compared to the wines of 2010 and 2009 which means these are true to their ripeness levels with the elegance one wants in them.
Riesling Kabinett Oberemmeler Hutte 2011, von Hovel
I could hardly imagine a nose more ravishingly attractive. Sure, it’s more Miss Brazil than the Sistine Chapel, but sometimes you want up front pleasures delivered with uncomplicated wantonness. Loads of peachy, limey fruit explodes seductively and there is even a reasonable mineral tang to give you something to think about if you can get over the massive poonts of this nose. It is light, extremely winsome, but not pulsing with dimension. That doesn’t particularly bother me as this smells like it’ll be an acid-fuelled rave of delight to drink. And it is! It is a perfectly poised and refined Saar Kabinett with gorgeous fruit collocating with fizzy, nervy acidity. There is some minerality but, once again, this isn’t going to dumbfound you with it’s complexity. What it does induce in me is a powerful desire to drink this with exuberant avidity. This is the kind of wine that should be sold in pint bottles so you can pour it straight into your Toby jug and get down to serious refreshment. Quite the little nymphet to drink now but I imagine it’ll be good for 5-7 years to come. I wouldn’t bother, though, I want my frolics charged with gusto and sex-appeal and this delivers them with a nice arse to boot.
