2009 Heinrich Seebrich Riesling Kabinett Rheinhessen Niersteiner Ölberg

I am soooooo excited for this wine. I might be drinking it a bit on the early side; the high acidity in many German rieslings will allow the wine to age and improve for much longer than most white wines. I bet this wine will be even better in 5 or 10 years. Of course, I haven't yet tasted it, so perhaps I speak too soon.....

It's a light lemon yellow with hints of silver in the glass - I might think it was a sauvignon blanc if I guessed merely on sight. There is also a hint of effervescence, likely due to the screwcap. There is some hefty lime on the nose - I can tell it's going to be sour! - along with some yeasty, baking bread aromas. This comes from the winemaker leaving the dead yeast cells (lees) in with the wine while it ages, and will also allow a wine to age better, along with the high acidity. There are also some floral and herbaceous notes - dill, I think. (I'm terrible with flower aromas - I clearly need to smell more flowers.)

Oh, yeah, I was right. This is a wine that could age for a few years. In addition to the acidity (which is certainly present, but not overpowering or out of balance) and the lees, there is also a hint of sweetness - sugar can help a wine age more gracefully. The designation kabinett, unless otherwise noted, does indicate a slightly sweet wine, but it is the "driest" of the different levels of ripeness by which German wines are ranked by law. I chose this particular wine because I'm making pork chops with apricots for dinner and I needed a wine that was as least as sweet as my entree. Drinking a dry wine with food that has some sweetness to it can make a great wine taste sour and boring.

That said, this is not a sweet wine by any means. The flavors are savory, dominated by dill and lime, and a touch of that distinctive riesling petrol or rubbery aroma (which Germans claim their wines don't have, but they do). i can still sense the effervescence on my tongue, which adds to the piquancy of the wine.

Now I have to go cook dinner before I drink all the wine by itself!

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Riesling
Region: Rheinhessen, Germany
Price: $14
My rating: 90/100