2012 Weingut Knebel, Riesling, Mosel, Germany. (Trocken)
Recently voted best Thanksgiving Wine by the NYT (New York Times) has certainly brought Knebel to wider attention, and I must say, I did after reading the NYT article buy a bottle for my Thanksgiving celebration, even though I had tried the Knebel 2011 wines, which were excellent as well. Matthias Knebel is a winemaker to follow, he is a rising star, and his wines show great promise, he comes from a new generation, he along with his contemporaries are looking at natural and traditional ways to explore their terrors, his peers like Arianna Occhipinti and fellow German young star Eva Fricke are creating a lot of excitement in the wine world and it seems the future is in good hands, this generation has heart, soul and talent, it shows in their passion and in their wines. The 2012 Knebel QbA Riesling is a dry and beautifully detailed wine with vigorous acidity, great extract and layers of pure Mosel character with mineral essence and vivid flavors, this is clear and focused Riesling of high quality. The nose is tangy fresh with citrus, stone fruit and sea breeze elements leading to a brisk and zesty palate of lime, apricot and white peach fruit, bitter apple, mint, crushed stone, grapefruit pips, saline and a lingering tangerine note, this is lovely and vibrant wine that has a pale yellow golden hue. I love the intensity, the drive and robust style in this wine, it is very serious stuff and has the potential to be even better over a period of many years, I think I’ll put a few bottles away and check them out in 5 years time, and the price is very fair for what you get, again I highly recommend grabbing a few bottles if not cases while you can. The 2012 vintage is a breakthrough vintage for Knebel and Fricke, a huge success across Germany as a whole and a perfect year to showcase these young talents, be sure to check the Knebel wines out, especially this one, drink 2014 to 2020.
($20 Est.) 92+ Points, grapelive
avail at www.sfwtc.com ($18.95)