WTN: 2003 Pfalz Kabinett

This very nice wine, the 2003 Weingut Josef Biffar Riesling Kabinett from Deidesheimer Kieselberg was in great shape with a nose and palate that started off all about apple and quickly morphed into apricot. Only medium straw in color and with abv of %10, the acidity was balancing and even started out a bit spritzy those first few minutes. Another 1/2 pricer from Ft. Wayne Indiana, $8 to me, I am continuing to be shocked at how well these German Rieslings are turning out , given the very hot year in a warm German wine region, their vertical storage and less than ideal cellar conditions. More notes to come.

I should add that the sweetness level, as might be expected, was more in line with a spatlese, maybe 3-4%.

[David M. Bueker]

3-4% is 30-40 g/l of rs. That is very low for modern spatlese (and not all that high for kabinett, even kabinett from the early '90s). Most wines in the 30 gram range get labeled 'feinherb' these days.