Disgorged after just over five years on the lees, the Chardonnay- and (majority) Pinot Noir-based Diel 2006 Cuvee Mo Brut Nature – in praise of whose 2004 counterpart I wrote in Issue 187 – is scented as well as flavored with piquantly nutty lentil sprout and yellow split pea allied to a maritime melange of salt, alkali, chalk, and kelp. Combining leesy richness with striking cut and clarity, it also marries herbed chicken stock, lemony citricity, and mirabelle and kirsch distillates in a manner uncannily reminiscent of top-notch Chablis. There is a certain austerity to the finish of this rivetingly-complex cuvee, and I have a sense that what primary juiciness is still retained might not survive a longer stay on the lees. I won’t attempt to speculate as to whether this might hold well or even become more complex over time in bottle, but personally I would prefer to sin on the side of caution and just be happy to have a few recently-disgorged bottles (from a grand total of around 3,000) to open over the next year or two.
Caroline Diel is now the mother of two, but shows every intention and indication of personally staying on top of her estate’s viticulture. In collaboration with long-time cellarmaster Christoph Friedrich, she is both perpetuating and further refining the styles of wine that have come to characterize and enhance the long-standing reputation of Schlossgut Diel. Picking began in the last week of September and most of the top Rieslings were harvested already in the first week of October, by which point there was a significant amount of botrytis, happily largely noble, most of it picked-out in parallel with the fruit for the Grosse Gewachse. Wisely, I think – as heaven knows they have an austere side as is – the Diels elected for the sake of moderating alcohol to leave a bit more residual sugar behind this year than usual in their Grosse Gewachse.
Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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