Review: Selbach Saar Riesling Kabinett

In a couple of my recent reviews I’ve featured wines that seem appropriate for springtime, and since springtime is part of anytime that means it’s also a fine time for riesling.

This particular riesling, Selbach Riesling Kabinett, comes from the Saar region of Germany — which is part of the Mosel region. The Saar is a tributary to the Mosel and flows into the Mosel just east of Luxembourg. This is a cooler part of the Mosel region, which does particularly well in hot vintages.

If you’re not familiar with German wine terminology, you may be interested to learn about the term “Kabinett,” which translates to mean “wine stored in a cabinet.” It was originally used to designate wines that are of higher quality and good for ageing, however it now has specific guidelines for use under German wine law and basically just means the wine is a light wine that hasn’t been chaptalized, a practice of adding sugar to wine must before fermentation. The term technically doesn’t really indicate the a wine is suited for ageing.

That said, the bottle I tasted is from 2015, so it has a few years of age and has held up quite nicely.

The aromas from this wine are delightful. It offers intense honeysuckle, lychee, white peach and mineral fragrances. The palate is off dry and had the perfect amount of vibrant acidity to offset the slight sweetness. The flavors are rich and delicious, delivering tart yellow delicious, lychee, white peach, honey and a squeeze of lemon. The mouthfeel is nice. It finishes exceptionally long, with lingering lemon-drenched apple flavors. This riesling exemplifies the characters that make me love riesling.

Wine: Selbach Riesling Kabinett
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 9%
Rating: 91
Average price: $19.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.