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Peter-Jakob Kuhn Riesling Doosberg 2008 750ml

size
750ml
country
Germany
WA
90
WA
90
Rated 90 by Wine Advocate
The 2008 Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Erstes Gewachs marks a milestone for Kuhn (thanks in large part, of course, to his wines- bone-dryness and malo-lactic conversion) for having never passed through a filter. While a VDP member, Kuhn generally doesn't submit wines as part of the Erstes Gewachs program - indeed, the often idiosyncratic and never conventional character of his top bottlings would practically guarantee a high number of rejected submissions! But this wine (despite its notable volatile and subtly oxidative elements) was an exception ... or perhaps the growers who sit in judgment are becoming more open-minded. Bittersweet perfume of iris, almond extract, and cherry pit mingle on a firm, lively palate with yellow plum, herb-broth concentrate, and an austere, crushed stone suffusion. Suggestions of smoke return with the floral high-tone nut and fruit pit notes in a long, intriguing finish. Lacking - at least, as yet - the creaminess of texture that often accrues to Kuhn Rieslings, this dense specimen will need some years in bottle to acquire a less austere patina, and I am confident that (in a proper cellar: remember, unfiltered!) it will justify a dozen or more years of repeated attention.
Image of bottle
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Peter-Jakob Kuhn Riesling Doosberg 2008 750ml

SKU 692507
Out of Stock
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barrel

Vintage: 2008

2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year. Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost. However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
green grapes

Varietal: Riesling

The pale skinned fruits of the Riesling grapevine have been grown in and around Germany's Rhine Valley for centuries, and contributed much to the country's wine culture. Today, Riesling grapes are grown and processed in several countries around the world, where they are prized for their ability to grow well in colder climates, and their unique flavors and characteristics. Riesling grapes produce an impressive array of wines, including fine semi sweet and dessert wines, to excellent dry white wines and sparkling varieties, all which allow the grape to shine through as a premier example of an excellent white wine varietal. One of the things which makes Riesling such a special grape is the fact that it is highly 'terroir expressive', meaning that the features of the land it is grown on can come across well in the flavors and aromas in the wine. As such, it isn't unusual to find flavors of white stone, or smoky ash-like notes in a fine Riesling alongside the more usual orchard fruit flavors more commonly associated with good white wines.
barrel

Region: Rheingau / Rheinhessen

Rheingau in Germany is one of the country's most prodigious and well respected wine regions, with the south facing slopes of the mountains in the area producing Riesling grape vines of exceedingly high quality. The region has a wine making history which stretches back for centuries, and the wineries of Rheingau have long since mastered the art of expressing the beautiful, windswept and mineral rich terroir through their characterful white wines. With only three thousand hectares of Rheingau being under vine, the region is relatively small, yet has been home to many of the country's finest wines, and a large proportion of the most important viticultural innovations of Germany. Whilst Riesling is by far the most popular grape varietal in Rheingau, Pinot Noir is also grown quite widely, and today, many wineries are continuing to experiment with new grape varietals in order to make a wider range of wines.
fields

Country: Germany

Much has changed over the past few decades in regards to German wine. Long gone are the days of mass produced, sickly sweet white wines which were once the chief exports of this fascinating and ancient wine producing country, and they have been replaced with something far more sophisticated. Whilst Germany continues to produce a relatively large amount of dessert wine, the wineries of the south of the country have reverted their attention to the production of drier, more elegant wines which really make the most of the fine grape varieties which flourish there. Many of the wineries dealing primarily with the excellent Riesling grapes have produced some truly exceptional dry and semi-sweet wines over the past few years, and it seems the world has finally woken up and noticed the extremely high quality of the distinctive produce coming out of Germany today.